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Tag: daily commute

Electric scooters to take to UK roads legally for the first time

Back in January, the Government announced that it would discuss the legality of electric scooters on public roads. Since then, progress has been made with the Department of Transport unveiling plans for a trial period.

 

Starting in the next few months, four areas will be treated as test grounds before new regulations are rolled out to the rest of the country. 

 

The four areas chosen are all designated ‘Future Mobility Zones’, where new and innovative solutions to the UK’s transport problems are trialled. These include Portsmouth and Southampton; the West of England Combined Authority (WECA); Derby and Nottingham; and the West Midlands.

 

Various rules and restrictions will be assessed during the test period. Amongst them, the programme will consider the minimum age of riders, speed limits, rules for helmet wearing, and requirements for insurance and licensing. 

 

It’ll also look at minimum design standards for electric scooters, and assess the safest places for riders on the road (i.e bike lanes). 

 

Range of an Electric Scooter

 

Whilst all aspects of riding electric scooters on the road will be under consideration, it’s likely that the eventual rules will be similar to those currently in force for electric bikes. This includes a minimum age of 14 for riders and speed caps of 15.5 mph (25 kph). 

 

The programme will also benefit from insights gained from other EU countries that have already legalised electric scooters for use on public roads. Issues such as inner-city speed limits and where to park dockless electric scooters in public spaces will be informed from the experience of European cities like Paris, and will ultimately help to refine the UK’s approach to legislation. 

 

The exploration into more agile, electric vehicles by the UK government represents a commitment to more environmentally-friendly ways of travel, especially in urban environments. 

 

Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, stated: 

“Decarbonising transport is key to ending our contribution to climate change. This review could drive down transport emissions by making greener ways to travel available to more people. Future Transport Zones will also help to spur low carbon innovation by providing our best and brightest researchers with testing facilities for the clean transport technologies of the future.”

 

Alongside the trialling of electric scooters on public roads, other technology-led transport solutions will be tested out. This includes the transportation of medical supplies via drone to the Isle of Wight and an app-based booking system for public transport. 

 

FuroSystems welcomes this announcement which sees the UK move closer to legalising electric scooters for public roads up and down the country. We’re well aware of the benefits that electric scooters can bring, and we’re confident that ourFuze model is ahead of the curve both in terms of quality and sustainability. 

 

To keep up-to-date with news from the trial, and other tips on how to use and maintain your electric scooter, check our blog regularly. 

eBikes in the city: Improve your commute

For some people, the worst part of the daily grind is the commute to and from work. Crammed into a sweaty tube carriage, they have to endure others sneezing in their face before being cattle-herded down crammed platforms – and they have to pay through the nose for the pleasure. Others, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoy their commutes. We might be biased, but these people most likely have a commuter eBike. Here’s why hopping on eBikes will turn your commute from the worst to the best part of your day. 

 

 

Improved Health 

It’s no secret that more exercise leads to better health, both physically and mentally. Cycling to work provides a low-impact form of aerobic exercise that improves cardiovascular health and can even reduce the risk of developing cancer. eBikes, in particular, offer a more accessible way to exercise – if you suffer from joint pain, for instance, the electric motor will give you a helping hand as well as ensure you don’t need to shower and change clothes once in the office. 

In terms of mental health, a study by the University of East Anglia has shown that cycling has significant benefits – in addition to having improved concentration, cyclists felt less under pressure than when they were driving a car to work.

 

 

Cost 

eBikes are generally more expensive than regular push bikes, owing to all the benefits brought by battery-powered assistance, but they still represent an economical alternative to other forms of transport. According to a report produced by TotalJobs, the average monthly amount spent on commuting within London comes to roughly £120 per month (as calculated by the average distance travelled, and average cost per mile). The cost of an eBike, such as FuroSystems’ eTura, is approximately £1449. When spread out over 12 months this is equivalent to tube prices – after just one year though, the eBike starts paying for itself! 

 

 

Time spent commuting 

Could riding a bike to work actually be faster than getting the tube? According to some research done by the London Cyclist, yes it could. On certain routes, pedalling through the streets is more efficient than shouldering your way onto the tube. A bike trip from Covent Garden to London Bridge, for example, took around 40% less time than it did on the underground. Furthermore, the time benefits of cycling are probably even more than the stats suggest as train times didn’t account for entering and exiting the stations. eBikes have also been shown to be on average 21% faster than push bikes. Had a hard day at work? Jump on an eBike and you’ll be back home before you know it! 

 

 

 

 

Environmental Impact 

Riding an eBike to work doesn’t just benefit your health and wallet, but also the environment. Among the numerous environmental benefits of eBikes is the fact that they emit far lower carbon emissions than other forms of transport. A report conducted by the European Cyclists’ Federation found that eBikes account for an equivalent of 22g of CO2 per person/km – significantly lower than public buses at 101g, and cars at 271g. It’s even lower than emissions from London Underground trains, which are 55g per person/km.

 

The daily commute into and around the city can be stressful, time-consuming, and expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. Swapping the tube, bus, or car for an eBike – such as Furosystems’ eTura or Furo X – will save you money, improve your health, and make your commute much more enjoyable. 

 

FuroSystems design and produce electric bikes and scooters with aerospace-quality materials. Whether you’re looking to buy an eBike to improve your commute or an e-Scooter for some fun, check out our range of precision-designed electric models.

Why an eBike is so good for commuting

This is going to sound cliché, but FuroSystems genuinely started from the following thought: what are some of the biggest problems in our society right now? And can the latest technologies combined with clever engineering solve them?The global population is growing which with urbanisation is causing population densities around cities to increase. In addition, personal transportation systems such as cars, vans and motorcycles are bulky and noisy. Add to that the fact that about a century ago, we chose fossil fuels over electricity (rightly so at the time), we now have a nice combo of polluting, traffic stimulating and impractical vehicles. As this has even become deadly, we urgently need something better.

Traffic Jam

At FuroSystems, we really think that the clear solution is electric bicycles. They are now powerful enough and offer sufficient autonomy to take a rider anywhere, around any city in the world, for multiple days. They are compact, fast, quiet and clean. This is why we decided to use our expertise to help accelerate our society’s transition to this amazing and fun mode of transportation. How? By making them better, more practical, more attractive and more affordable.

As with any great innovation, electric bikes have their sceptics, the main argument is that it’s essentially a way to cheat cycling, something for the lazy.

According to Steve Garidis, the UK’s Bicycle Association’s operations director: “It’s quite difficult to explain what [an ebike] feels like: you’re still cycling but it’s like being an Olympic athlete; you can go faster and longer; hills are less effort. The acceleration is quite fun, even for the most sceptical grown up.”

Happy FuroSystems Electric Bikes Customers

So yes, ebikes do make it easier. They allow older or handicapped people to go places they can’t anymore or never could, and ride with their loved ones. It makes commuting and cycling more manageable. However, they also allow everyone else to experience a new level of acceleration, speed and performance. They don’t remove the effort if you still want it, they just make everything better, more intense, it’s an enhancement of your physical capacities whether you are fit or not. For example, our bikes the SIERRA and the FX give you the option of riding them unpowered making them feel exactly like normal bikes, but they also allow you to multiply your acceleration, uphill capacity and speed, whenever you feel like it. To make it even simpler, they are a 250 W to 600W power add on to your body which you can choose to activate on demand.

Deciding to use an ebike for your commute instead of your car, scooter or moped is probably the best thing you could do today. No more pollution, no more noise, no more fuel, no more insurance and a healthier lifestyle. Folding bikes like the FX are also incredibly more practical, particularly when they are that light while staying very powerful and offering great range, not far off from that of a 50cc petrol scooter.

Electric bicycles are the mode of transportation of the future, they literally solve every single problem you could think of in modern transportation and greatly enhance cycling. In addition, battery technology is close to making significant leaps forward with technologies such as solid-state chemistry, supercapacitors or 2D materials such as graphene. You can trust that we will be here to implement each of these advances in your FuroSystems ebikes as soon they are out!

A little eye candy for those of you that stayed with us to the end 🙂

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