 |
| The blogger and his boy showing electric scooters are child's play |
THE Wispa scooter
range are the only road-legal, fully-electric motorbikes in South Africa, and I am the first to test the 3000 model outside the Western Cape province.
The best thing about
buzzing around on a little bike is how it slashes commuting times, whizzing past
queues at road works and through congested taxi ranks. The worst thing about it
is how so few people at those road works and taxi ranks “think bike”.
Which is probably why
the hooter has the biggest button on this scooter. It gets used a lot, for as
its name implies, the Wispa 3000 is, indeed, whisper-quiet. And if jaywalkers
can’t hear the 127-kg scooter, they seem unable to see it either.
Imported by Melex
Electrovehicles in the Western Cape — where one of the bosses, Stuart Elliot,
has been riding one these past two years — the Wispa sells for around R18 000.
Hub motors are the
future of electric cars, and the Wispa’s willing little 3 kW brushless hub motor
is a marvel. It generates 120 Nm of torque, all instantly available to send the
Wispa scooting along at a steady 45 km/h on the level, carrying a 100 kg rider.
On our 30-degree inclines, that scoot however slows to a 12 km/h crawl. Several
mountain bikers and at least two joggers were faster.
After about 10
charges, the lead battery (DC 60 Volt 38 AH) is good for 60 km to 80 km.
Charging from empty to full takes eight hours.
We have to date,
managed to get precisely 30 km out of our first charge.
The Wispa has a
seating position and mirrors that are designed for petite bodies, forcing taller
riders to sit back and ride long-arm, or hunch down and peek past their own
shoulders. The storage compartment under the seat is auto-locking and, too small
to take a full face helmet. Disk brakes on both wheels work well and the LED
lights take little power. With the peg-leg down, it won’t start.
Why buy electric?
Big Boy sells their equally sexy Revival 150cc for about half this
price, and The Witness classifieds lists several used 125cc
petrol scooters for under R3 000. If one just calculates the fuel price, it
would take years of riding to make up the difference in price, but Elliot said
it is a myth that petrol scooters are cheaper than electric ones.
His carefully monitored costs come to a yearly running cost of
R5 003 for the Wispa, compared to between R8 360 and R11 550 for popular petrol
scooters.
“In the case of the Wispa 3000 there are no maintenance
requirements other than replacing disc brake pads and tyres according to wear
and tear — which goes for petrol scooters as well.”
Calculated over three years, Cape Town’s electricity for the
maintenance free motor will cost him 69c/km, compared to up to R1,22/km that
servicing and parts for a similar-sized scooter would cost other riders.
These numbers also allow for a new lead acid battery in the Wispa.
If the rider opted for the more expensive lithium battery, it only needs to be
replaced after 15 years.
Elliot says he cut the running costs on his Wispa even further by
using solar panels to charge the battery.
The numbers
Model:
Electric Wispa 3000
Engine
Brushless
electric motor.
Transmission:
None.
Power:
3kW
Torque:
120Nm
Price:
R18
000, depending where in SA.
Warrantee:
None.
Disclaimer:
This motoring editor liked the
Wispa so much, he bought one, and his model forms part of these road
tests.
