Having spent the past few years researching and selling electric scooters and skateboards to enthusiasts around the world, it was time for Ride and Glide to take the next step………ROAD LEGAL ELECTRIC VEHICLES!!!!
The current restrictions on personal light electric vehicles (PLEV’s) in the UK are in our opinion, outdated and ridiculous. PLEV’s can provide people with more time in the fresh air, economic savings, smaller carbon footprint, a greater sense of freedom and a whole lot of happiness. Many European countries have embraced the technology, so we are hoping that it is only a matter of time until the UK catch up!
In the meantime, we have been working on registering some of our electric vehicles for road use. This has been very successful, and we now have 2 of our most fun and innovative products as registered road legal vehicles. The Skotero Humley electric moped and the Stigo S+ are very different. The Humley is a Harley inspired wide wheeled electric moped and the Stigo is a compact, foldable urban electric scooter with a modern design. They fall under the category code L1e-B which is a low powered electric moped and is roughly equivalent to a 50cc combustion engine. They can have a max power of 4kW and top speed of 28mph.
Now that we had the vehicles approved and registered by the DVLA, we obviously wanted to go for a road ride as soon as possible. The first thing we needed to do was insure the vehicles. Many companies are currently working on policies for electric vehicles as they can see that the world will soon be predominantly electric but only a few have packages to offer. After what felt like 8 million phone calls, we found a couple of companies that were more than happy to help. Electric vehicles are currently exempt from road tax so that is another saving to be made.
So, we were now insured and ready to go, except neither of us had a motorcycle license. We soon learned that as the registered vehicles were classed as low powered mopeds, we didn’t need a motorcycle license if we had obtained our full car driving license before February 1st, 2001. Unfortunately for us we were both just a year out, so we still had to carry out Compulsory Basic Training or a CBT as it is more commonly known.
We searched the web for local instructors and found Sussex Rider Training and spoke with the owner, Jeff Swan. He sorted everything for us, from L plates and Boots to Jackets, Gloves and Helmets, he had us completely sorted. He was also keen to learn about the electric vehicles and already had an excellent knowledge of electric motors. The CBT involved a lot of rider safety aspects including vehicle inspection before and after riding as well as maneuvers and finally the road riding section to finish. All in all, it took a few hours and was very informative, we would highly recommend Jeff to anyone looking to take their CBT or motorcycle lessons.
So now the A part of our licenses was activated by completing the CBT we were legally ready to ride………and glide. Except we didn’t have an approved motorcycle helmet which IS COMPULSORY for riding a moped or motorcycle on the Road. Boots, trousers, gloves, jacket, High Vis are all optional, but the approved helmet is required by law! So, we went out a purchased a couple of helmets, checked the bikes over and got out on the open road!!
The electric bikes are so much fun to ride and really economical so now we can ride them on the road, I have a feeling our cars won’t be getting much use from now on!!
On top of all the amazing features listed above, the environmental benefits of electric transport over petrol/diesel are hard to ignore. The world is evolving, and we really want to be part of that in a positive way. Starting Ride and Glide with my business partner Pete, is our first step into the world of renewable energy. Our goal is to offer transport options to commuters and leisure riders that are as environmentally friendly as possible, whilst keeping the sense of freedom and fun that we had as kids.
Check out www.rideandglide.co.uk to see all the electric products. Call us for more info or to arrange a demo and experience for yourselves the electric revolution!
Related Posts
