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The history of electric scooters: a brief history
A lot of people bought the electric scooter, however they don’t know about the history of electric scooters. With the latest innovations in high-tech electric scooters, it is easy to think that this is a problem in the 21st century.
Surprisingly, the first patent for a functional electric scooter dates back to 1895…in the 20th century! This is the year before the birth of the first gasoline scooter.
Let’s take a quick look the history of electric scooters and see how it started!
1850 to the end of 1895
It is unclear when the first electric bicycle was invented. We know that the first patent named “electric bicycle” was completed in 1895 by Ogden Bolton Jr. of Ohio. Interestingly, the patent claims that “my invention relates to an improved electric bicycle”, which shows that electric bicycles have existed in the past, at least on paper.
This is not as crazy as it seems, because the first electrostatic motor was back in 1740, and the lead-acid battery we see in modern cars was invented by the French physicist Gaston Plant in 1859. In addition, the first tricycle was created by Gustave Trouvé in 1881 and modified by Ayrton and Perry in the same year; his “electric car” has a top speed of 14 km/h and a driving range of 40 km.
It is no exaggeration to assume that someone thought about combining a bicycle, an electric motor, and some lead-acid batteries to create a fully functional vehicle sometime before 1895.
1896-1910
In 1896, the British bicycle manufacturer Humber exhibited the first electric tandem bicycle at the Stanley Bike Show (recently replaced by the Olympia Motorcycle Show and still exists today). On May 22, 1897, the tandem reached a speed of 60 km/h.
Since nickel-cadmium batteries were not invented until 1899, Humber tikeemike was powered by lead-acid batteries, which were very bulky.
Although the first prototypes of electric bicycles seemed a bit fun from a modern point of view, between 1890 and 1910, people seriously considered them as a viable option.
Unlike modern electric scooters, electric scooters have no competition among gasoline vehicles. For example, the first non-electric motorcycle available for purchase was launched in Germany in 1894 by Hildebrand and Wolfmüller. The top speed is 40 km/h. Due to the high price and technical difficulty, the bicycle eventually fell into financial chaos
1910
Before the first generation of mopeds came out in 1915, with the release of popular machinery companies Motoped and Autoped in October 1911, a bicycle with a top speed of 56 km/h was introduced, which was an improvement of 40%. % Motorcycle fuel Hildebrand and Wolfmüller. The electric scooter also has three different speeds and has a load range of 121 kilometers by 160 kilowatts.
In 1919, Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies, one of the leading manufacturers of agricultural machinery in the UK, developed an electric motorcycle with a sidecar. The latter took the battery. However, even if he registered for road use, he still serves as a prototype.
In the next 15 years, no major innovations have been made in the Ebikes field. One of the main reasons was the introduction of Autoped gas in 1916. The electric scooter is a very competent model, and it was not mass-produced in the United States and Germany until 1922. He was also the first scooter with folding handlebars.
In addition, in 1919, ABC motorcycles joined the race and launched Skootamota, which eventually became more widely adopted than Autoped. Skootamota is a scooter, but also a chair for riding with a bench.
1910-1940-Fall and Rebirth
In 1910, the global automobile and motorcycle companies suddenly succeeded, accelerating dozens of new gasoline engines of different models, most of which were crude oil, uncomfortable and bulky. This quickly damaged the reputation of the scooter as a vehicle, and it took decades to make people change their minds. This may also slow down the development and adoption of electric scooters.
In fact, the focus of electric scooters has almost completely disappeared. They seem to exist only in private studios, where inventors are working on new models and styles.
One of the inventors is Maurice Limelette. He and his brother Albert founded a company called Socovel electric motorcycle in 1938. In 1941, Maurice invented, developed and started to manufacture his own electric scooters to solve the problems related to gasoline rationing during the German occupation.
Not only could it run out of gas scooters, but it was also very light, which aroused the interest of the German army. In the first year, Socovel successfully produced and sold more than 400 units, despite the high prices.
SOCOVEL continued to produce and sell electric scooters until 1945.
During World War II, the U.S. population also experienced a gasoline shortage, which led Mel Williams of Long Beach, California to develop his own electric scooter with a one-wheel trailer. The initial small project quickly became Merle’s main occupation. After successfully manufacturing and selling its electric scooters in the United States during World War II, Merle decided to cooperate with another local business owner and start the Marketeer company. Now known as ParCar Corp, the company is still developing and manufacturing electric cars.
1940s and 1980s-the big boom
In 1938, Salsbury rebuilt the scooter with fuel and entered the Motor Glide, which became the standard configuration of all subsequent models. Motor Glide has achieved great success. Powell, Moto-scoot, Cushman, Rock-Ola and other large and small companies immediately joined the company’s business.
However, this time, with the U.S. military even adopting the motorcycle model “Cushman Airborne”, the standard is higher.
During this period, motorized scooters were not mass-produced. The reason may be simple: because scooters are heavy and bulky, trying to make them portable is pointless.
The promotion of scooters as a carrier for daily commuting, and the rise of environmentalism have greatly promoted the development and launch of the new model ebike.
In 1967, Austrian chemist Karl Kordesch, one of the co-inventors of alkaline batteries, manufactured a hybrid electric scooter fuel cell/nickel-cadmium battery. Later, this bicycle was redesigned to work in a hydrazine fuel cell.
In the same year, Floyd Clymer (pioneer and pioneer of motorcycle sports who participated in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998) developed Papoose, the first prototype electric scooter under a well-known Indian brand.
In 1975, American innovative runner Mike Corbin launched City Bike, a bicycle street for the disabled. With three lead-acid batteries, the bicycle will reach 48 km/h (30 mph) to 64 km (40 miles).
In early 1974, Corbin created the world speed electric motorcycle with a speed of 165,387 mph (266,165 km/h) to manage your custom motorcycle Quick Silver. This record represents an astonishing 38 years.
In the same year, another scooter named “Charger” was released by the California manufacturer Auranthic Corp.
1980s-2000s-The Buildup
This trend began in the early 1970s, when independent inventors and enthusiasts actively developed their own electric scooter models. His discoveries and innovations paved the way for modern electric scooters.
In 1996, Peugeot was the first company to mass-produce an electric scooter called Scoot’Elec. This scooter has a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour (31 mph) and a driving range of 40 kilometers (29 miles). It has achieved great success and has been in continuous production for 10 years. Although it is very heavy and not environmentally friendly, using Scoot’Elec’s Ni-Cd battery is a very important step.
In 1986, Go-Ped relaunched its first gas-engine scooter since 1915, and in 2001 introduced a new model called “Hoverboard”, which included a two-wheel full suspension.
In 1991, the lithium-ion battery was invented. Compared with their predecessors, these batteries can store more energy per kilogram and can generate the maximum current. They also have faster loading times, so most modern devices (such as laptops, smartphones, and cameras) use lithium-ion batteries. Last but not least, these batteries are the most environmentally friendly batteries in this group.
Hyundai electric scooter
It didn’t take a long time for a hobbyist to combine the latest technology of electric motor and battery reintroduced by Go-Ped to create the first prototype electric scooter design.
Today, dozens of electric scooter manufacturers continue to innovate and introduce new useful features and raise the bar. When there is demand, there is supply. There are many reasons why so many people like electric scooters.
For example, 1. lightweight, portable and strong: Lightweight, portable, and sturdy, the electric scooter uses light and strong carbon fiber as the main frame of the car body. You can lift it effortlessly, and it is easier to put it in the trunk of the car or carry it on the subway. 2. Ubiquitous and unimpeded: Electric scooters are highly adaptable to strong roads, do whatever they want, and go as long as they want. It’s so capricious. Uphill and downhill, like walking on a flat ground, the fun of starting is not only a yearning for a flat road, but also a challenge for a rugged road. 3. Small body, big power: The electric scooter is strong, practical and stable. It is derived from high-performance configuration, low noise and maintenance-free. You must hardly imagine that this little guy with only 19.5kg has such a performance and a speed of up to 20km/h, even with steep slopes or small obstacles. Can be easily traversed. 4. Do whatever you want, play extraordinary: Electric scooters can be collected as you go and wherever you go. Even without any power assistance, you can glide easily. You can pull and push in your free time, and show off your stunts while driving. Don’t play too much!
Last but not least, electric scooters are more environmentally friendly. Although traditional mopeds and scooters generally consume very little fuel, they somehow emit 10 to 30 times more hydrocarbon emissions and particulate matter per kilometer than cars (with and without catalytic converters).
Now we can see why so many people are excited about this new trend of electric scooters, and why this trend will increase in the short term and will remain timely.
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