Egovehicles.com's Ego Cycle 2 aka "Ego-2" USA electric scoot

[4LivesPerGallon]

A new business owner says he will continue the was-dormant company, based on his recent posts in the Ego owners' Yahoo Group.

My opinion, having owned several, and heavily modified them, for reliable running, since 2003:

- This is an obsolete design with many issues, and really hard to diagnose and fix.

- The plastic sprocket gets worn down quickly to sharp ends, which cut the drive belt. Was hard to see initially. Happens in the rain.

- The service life of the jackshaft was less than 5,000 kms. because mud gets thrown into the chassis. The designer, who probably made this scooter "on paper", didn't have real-world experience with bikes, in my guess.

- It has no pedals. Legally, in limbo. Not a "moped".

- The ride comfort, at 20MPH, is very jarring, unless you buy after-market $200 suspension seatpost.

- I burnt out 2 motors, which were the later editions, going downhill. The brushed DC motor cannot be over-revved without burning out. Imo, brushless, gear-less hub motors are the **only** way to have reliable electric bikes/scooters.

- The early motor version was a nightmare. Egovehicles had to send out hundreds of replacement motors.

- The chassis is too small, and working/diagnosing problems was tedious, having to remove everything to fix problems, which was monthly.

In summary, please bury this idea, egovehicles.

 

[egovehic]

Wow! That's quite a bit of trash talking and disagree with your assessment considerably.
The eGO has quite the reliable track record as evidenced by the hundreds of customers we have been supporting over the last few years.
As with any product, there is an evolution and constant improvements made over it's lifetime.
Were there some missteps along the way by the previous owners, you bet, but they have been resolved as best as we can tell.
Being a dealer for them ourselves previously, we worked on many of them first hand and found things reasonably easy to diagnose and fix due to it's basic design.
The response of the owners to the bikes was always overwhelming appreciation of it's usability, durability and economical operation.
- Is the chassis a little tight? Yes, but we did find it better than most other bikes/scooters out there. You'd spend a 1/2 hour just removing the body panels on a Zapino before even getting to the batteries. On an eGO, the battery replacement is done and out the door in that time, a plus for the shop and the customer.
- The two designers did more than just make them on paper, starting out making the bikes themselves right here in the USA, and did so for the first couple of years, so bad guess on your part.
- The wear on the plastic sprockets is usually due to improper belt tension tied to lack of maintenance. Do they wear down, yes, but under good conditions they will last a few thousand miles.
A good indicator that the belt was becoming too loose is a "snapping" sound and should have immediately been a cause for some attention. Ignoring that sound, the belt would continue to slip over the teeth eventually wearing them down.
- Service life of the jshaft bearings we have found to be quite good as they are sealed. With the fender in place most road debris is kept away from the insides of the bike. The open chassis end helps with air flow over the motor while in operation helping to cool it. Also improper belt tension can side load those bearings and cause them to start getting "crunchy"
- the eGO is not legally in limbo and is drivable in most states with nothing but a regular drivers license and a helmet. - A $200 suspension seat post? Really? Must have been gold plated.

 

[egovehic]

- The motor is perfect for the size and weight of the cycle and it's ability to handle the 190 amps upon full throttle gives it great acceleration. After many years/miles of use it can be serviced and brought back to almost new performance levels.
- The early models had solid forks, which have been replaced with improved shock forks, and air shocks are in the near future, improving the front end ride even further.
- For a solid rear on 80-90 psi tires, yes the ride on very rough roads can be jarring. We have found an suspension seat post and a cushier saddle, for under $100, is easily available for those that want a softer ride.
- Even though the eGO chassis is tight, removing the motor/transmission assembly for servicing, about the biggest job, only takes about 15 minutes, and doesn't involve removing "everything".
- Brushless, hub motors may be the way to go in some applications, however they typically rely on Hall sensors and we have found them to go bad as well plus they haven't had the torque ratings that the eGO motor does so can't match the acceleration and hill climbing ability of the eGO.

We're sorry you experienced such "troubles" with the bike and you are entitled to your opinion. We must add that we have hundreds of opinions to the contrary with several unsolicited testimonials listed on our homepage as examples of the devotion our riders have to their bikes. For a small, durable, economical moped style electric cycle, designed for local, low speed commutes and errands, we feel the design remains perfect and no there are no funeral arrangements being made any time soon.

 

[dnmun]

he has complained of the fumes from his motor scooter also. this place is made as the format for people to make unproved and irrelevant claims about product manufacturers. you are in familiar country. even our most famous and favored battery maker is regularly insulted for being cheap and chinese and selling junk products in the US.

 

[4LivesPerGallon]

- The motor is perfect for the size and weight of the cycle and it's ability to handle the 190 amps upon full throttle gives it great acceleration. After many years/miles of use it can be serviced and brought back to almost new performance levels.
- The early models had solid forks, which have been replaced with improved shock forks, and air shocks are in the near future, improving the front end ride even further.
- For a solid rear on 80-90 psi tires, yes the ride on very rough roads can be jarring. We have found an suspension seat post and a cushier saddle, for under $100, is easily available for those that want a softer ride.
- Even though the eGO chassis is tight, removing the motor/transmission assembly for servicing, about the biggest job, only takes about 15 minutes, and doesn't involve removing "everything".
- Brushless, hub motors may be the way to go in some applications, however they typically rely on Hall sensors and we have found them to go bad as well plus they haven't had the torque ratings that the eGO motor does so can't match the acceleration and hill climbing ability of the eGO.

We're sorry you experienced such "troubles" with the bike and you are entitled to your opinion. We must add that we have hundreds of opinions to the contrary with several unsolicited testimonials listed on our homepage as examples of the devotion our riders have to their bikes. For a small, durable, economical moped style electric cycle, designed for local, low speed commutes and errands, we feel the design remains perfect and no there are no funeral arrangements being made any time soon.

If any 20MPH electric scooter pulled 190 amps at 24 volts, it is markedly highly INefficient. More amp=less range.

For comparison, a 2012 China-made brushless, gearless hub-motored electric scooter going 40KPH draws less than 1100 watts according to a CA.

Re: ".. only takes about 15 minutes.." - that is not our experience -- the bolts are tricky to line up squarely on the seatpost-chassis -- two strong people are usually necessary to force them to line up.



Re: "..we have found them to go bad as well plus they haven't had the torque ratings that the eGO motor does so can't match the acceleration and hill climbing ability of the eGO."

Any Motorino electric scooter with CCT technology will easily outperform the Ego-2 in speed and braking. Most importantly, the brushless hub motor will not burn up from doing downhill on a bridge or steep hill, like the Ego-2 scooters did.


In addition, the Ego-2, compared to a Motorino XPH-style scooter (a generic style that is used by other brands, even gassers):

- The Ego Cycle Two has no storage space, no motion sensing alarm, no dual disc-brakes, no ABS brakes, less comfortable ride, slower.

- The Ego-2 electric scooter doesn't have tubeless tires. (This is a major threshold issue -- imo, never buy any 'cycle that doesn't have tubeless tires.)

- The Ego-2's last incarnation used 1/2 width throttle -- how very, very awkward!


BTW, there was a very active Ego electric scooter Yahoo Group with lots of repair issues and parts problems, help. A guy called "Aerowatt" probably has the most-accurate information there.