Let’s talk about ebikes
So, what’s the story?
Did you know that the history of electric scooters dates back to the 1800s? It’s a common misconception that electric bikes and scooters developed from the concept of regular bikes. But the truth is, scooters hаvе bееn аrоund since the bісусlе was invented in the 19th century.
Like bісусlеѕ, scooters hаvе since еvоlvеd into what they are today, taking their own path to innovation. Electric scooters became more popular during the shortage of fuel during World War II when engineers started looking for alternatives and creating substitutes to the use of gas for travel purposes. During this period, inventors started transforming fuel operated cycles into electric ones. The first street legal e-machines were built in the 60’s and the 70’s, which consequently led to a huge amounts of electric auto-mobiles being utilized on the roads, including electric bikes and scooters. The first electric scooters were mass produces by Peugeot in 1996, and the rest is history
A league of their own
Electric scooters and e-bikes have formed a league of their own. They don’t compete with cars, bicycles, or petrol scooters, they compete with each other in building models most fitting to people’s needs. The wide choice from electric kick scooters to foldable e-scooters, and from self-balancing scooters to electric tricycles has not only made it difficult for the consumer to pick the right one, but for manufacturers to create models that cater to the widest of audiences. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The changing preferences of the consumer and pressure from competitors keeps e-scooter manufacturers on their toes and constantly innovating their products. At the end of the day, it’s not about creating a product that has all the features, bells and whistles (pun intended), but creating something that increasingly more people love to use.
But why do I really need one?
Depends, ask yourself a few questions first. Do you need it to travel long distances, or short ones, get there quickly or get there comfortably? Perhaps you need it for your daily commute, or just for fun. Maybe you need a mode of transport that you can take with you anywhere, something that’s light, portable, easy to use. Or maybe you’re totally in love with your car and driving around in the city (even doing short distances) doesn’t bother you. Maybe you need it, maybe you don’t-
There’s a cliche saying about Henry Ford and the sociaty’s demand for a car when he started manufacturing them for the masses. Chances are you already know it, because it has ended up on more inspirational quotes memes than anyone could probably count.
Many say he never really said it, but it doesn’t even matter. Did or not, this saying holds true in many aspects of creating innovative technologies today. Half of the time it’s trying to solve people’s problems, and the other half is solving the ones they don’t even know they have. There are so many ebike manufacturers out there creating stylish, foldable, emissions-free, lightweight electric vehicles. And there are millions of people worldwide who are discovering these bikes on a daily basis. These bikes will change the way we move in an urban space and the way the think about mobility. Ebikes are solving problems most people didn’t even know they had. That’s why they’re cool.
What’s the future like?
Back in the 1940s, scooters were created as a means to an end, as a substitute to gas vehicles which were too difficult to maintain due to the lack of fuel. Today, it’s all about intuitively creating a gadget that will become a seamless part of people’s everyday lives. We’ve moved way past anything in today’s engineering and technology that is a means to an end. Most of the innovative technologies created today, we could do without — from artificial intelligence to fridges that tell you when your milk is going to run out. Instead of living in the world of bare necessities, we’re living in one where we barely comprehend how much our mundane lives can be transformed for the better with innovation and technology.
There’s a big chance that e-scooters will at some point in the neares future become useful everyday gadgets, like iPhones, or tablets, or smart watches. Extension of your body, which you don’t even consciously think about but which you simply cannot live without.
How often do you actually think about the fact that your iPhone is a more powerful computer than the one that was used when man was sent to the moon for the very first time in 1969? How much do you think about the engineering that made the phone so thin and light, or each of its feature so sophisticated that it leaves the world at your fingertips? Perhaps the future of e-scooters is about creating similar high-tech products that everyone will simply love without specifically thinking about how fast they go, or how lightweight they are, or how easy they are to carry.
But the fact is — we do know know what the future holds. And that’s why we think ebikes are one of the coolest topics to ponder about in urban travel.
