Hyundai introduces new electric kick scooters
Hyundai has introduced the prototype of an advanced foldable electric kick scooter. Compared to the Ioniq scooter presented at CES 2017, Hyundai has switched from front-wheel to rear-wheel drive to increase safety and stability.
This means that there is more weight above the rear wheel, which is intended to improve handling. The latest version of Hyundai’s up to 20 km/h fast electric pedal scooter weighs 7.7 kilos and has a 10.5 Ah lithium battery which should provide a range of 20 kilometres with one charge. The front wheel is now spring-mounted “to ensure a smoother ride even on rough surfaces”.
The basic idea of the Ioniq scooter shown in 2017 was that the electric pedal scooter could be folded and stowed (and charged) in the Ioniq’s door. Since the electric scooter does not take up any luggage space in the boot, it can always be on board and serve as a vehicle for the last mile. Hyundai still adheres to the basic idea, but no longer speaks of the door as a storage location. “When mounted on a vehicle, the scooter is charged automatically using electricity produced while driving, ensuring that the user can complete their journey seamlessly,” the press release reads.
“We want to make our customers’ lives as easy and enjoyable as possible,” says Dong Jin Hyun, head of the Hyundai Motor Group’s robot team. “Our personal electric scooter makes first- and last-mile commuting a joy, while helping to reduce congestion and emissions in city centers.”
At 7.7 kilos, the Hyundai electric pedal scooter is significantly lighter than the familiar electric pedal scooters from the sharing fleets. While suppliers such as Lime, Bird or Circ design the batteries to last a whole day, Hyundai’s electric kick scooter is designed for short distances. Since it is the user’s property, it is not parked on the side of the road, but recharged in the car for the next journey. This saves a lot of weight.
Hyundai has not yet mentioned a market launch for the electric pedal scooter, which is no longer referred to as the “Ioniq Scooter” in the communication. But there are other development goals: A regenerative braking system is to recover part of the energy and thus increase the range by seven per cent.
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