Electric-Scooter-World.com Road Test & Report 02-23-04
UPDATED: 06-13-05
EVT 168
(Beauty is in the eye of the beholder)
The 168 appears dead silent when riding in normal ambivalent city noise. The silent riding gives one an eerie, but very enjoyable feeling. The ride is smooth and stable and the scooter has the heft of a full size gas Honda, Vespa, Yamaha scooter (it actually weighs more).
The shocks came adjusted for someone a lot lighter than this 235 lb rider! They would bottom-out on big bumps. The 180 lb rider had no problems. I am pretty sure they are adjustable.
I started the test ride at my dealer friends warehouse and proceeded a couple of miles to the river drive. I proceeded from the river drive up a steep hill of about 11% with two spots where it briefly rises to 15%. The 168 had no difficulty climbing the hill at a brisk clip. The hill is the same hill I used in the 'Grand Prix' hill climbing competition. I did not time the EVT-168 up the hill but it seemed faster than the premium heavy weights such as the Numo, eGO2, and the Forsen. From the top of the hill I took a down grade in a different direction and held the throttle wide-open. The speedometer said I reached 35 mph going down the 6% grade. I headed for one of the busiest city streets and was able to maintain a center' position in the right lane (two lanes each way). I had to keep the throttle wide-open at all times with the speedometer showing a speed of 30 mph on the flat section. The speed dropped very little on the 4-6% inclines and gained 1-2 mph going down the declines. After a brief stop (3-4 minutes) in center city I headed back to the warehouse via the river drive. The river drive was more crowded and the cars were whizzing by at 40-50 mph. I was unable to hold a center position, even in the right lane, and I had to ride like a bike/mini-scooter rider hugging the curb.
The battery status indicator was starting to flash yellow and beep the final few miles when I full-throttle up an incline. I seemed to still have full speed when I pulled in at the warehouse. I would 'estimate' that I had 3-4 miles left of 'hard' driving and much more if the speed was kept in the low 20s or I didn't full throttle up the hills. I estimate the normal range to be 22 - 30 miles depending on rider weight, driving style and terrain.
I have never really seen a market for the current crop of full size electric scooter. I have always thought them to be too slow for main traffic use and two heavy and inconvenient to charge for city dwellers. After riding the EVT 168 I am no longer so sure! It is a very nice machine! While riding it I never ever thought about range, or route. I felt like I was back on the old Vespa 'Grand Sport' of my youth. The 168 is a full size road worthy vehicle in every sense of the word. It has a smooth ride (adjust those shocks!), very good acceleration, great hill climbing ability, and it has full instrumentation and street equipment.
My test ride of the 168 was mostly in main traffic and I had no tags!! I passed several police cars and several more ended up directly behind me! I never even got a glance because the 168 looks like a normal gas scooter. It has a front light that is always on like most of the gas motorcycle models, and I used my turn signals and brake light properly.
The 168 is heavy at 293 lbs!! The the center stand, however, is very easy to engage and any size person can handle it. The riding position is a good compromise for short, medium and tall riders. I (6' 5") needed to stretch my legs after the ride, but it wasn't too bad for 17 miles in the saddle.
I had heard and expected that the instrumentation (speedometer, battery status indicator) would be be way off. The 168 I tested instruments seem to be off by about 10% (high).
The weak point for the 168 is the lack of storage space for helmet, charger, etc. The LEPTON and most gas scooter have storage space under the seat. The 168 has the batteries under the seat and 'requires' one get the optional storage trunk.
The 168 cost has dropped in recent months to about $2200 shipped! The EVT's advantage in speed, range is not worth the extra $1000 over the NUMO CRUISER, eGO2, and Forsen II to me. If one has a garage or easy means of charging the EVT at home and at work, however, then I would say it is worth the extra $1000. I ran a little competition between the EVT 168 and a NUMO CRUISER running at 30v with the fast gear and the NUMO CRUISER beat the EVT for speed and hill climbing. The full-throttle range of the EVT, however, was still superior and it could run at full throttle without overheating and burning up like the Numo at 30V would eventually do (without custom forced air cooling). The bottom line is it isn't easy getting EVT-168/4000e performance by modifying and existing scooter, and the total cost is likely to get close to the cost of the EVT.
The EVT 168 has set the standard here at Electric-Scooter-World.com for full size electric scooters. It is a fine machine and I wish I owned one (the test model was lent by a local dealer). I hope to test the exciting new German E-MAX Sports Edition in two weeks. Silent cruising at 30 mph is soooooo nice!!
Please note that the EVT-168 and the more popular EVT-4000e are only different in plastic covering and instrumentation. The EVT-4000e should perform exactly the same as the EVT 168
J.B.
