RMartin EVD Electric Scooter

Damn, the EVD can move. The manufacturer claims it gets 50 mph top speed and 50 miles per charge for $3600. Compare that to the ZAP Zapino at 30 mph and 30 miles/charge for $3400, or the Vectrix with 62 mph and 40 miles/charge for $11,000.

50 mph top speed - confirmed.

50 mile range - attainable if you go really, really slow. It would be more accurate to say the EVD has a 25-30 mile range in normal driving conditions.

The manual actually claims it can go 75 miles if you limit the speed to 19 mph, but of course that's not going to happen! Nevertheless, obviously the range is dependent on how fast you go, how many starts and stops you make, terrain, weight, etc.

I took a trip where the battery started out not quite fully charged and was going 40-50 mph most of the time. The battery lasted for about 30 miles. One nice aspect is that it seems to recharge a bit when coasting forward, so if the battery discharges completely, you can coast and walk a bit, and the battery will recharge and allow you to ride a bit more, then repeat as necessary. I found this out the hard way! But I was able to go another 5-10 miles after the battery had died with this method. Once the battery charges sufficiently, the EVD is still able to go 30 mph for a few tenths of a mile.

Acceleration claim is 0 to 50 mph in 8 seconds - More like 0 to 40 mph in that time. I'll sometimes beat cars across the intersection at stoplights, and accelerating from 0 to 40 is pretty quick, but it takes a while to get from 40 to 50 mph. When fully charged, the acceleration at slow speeds is a bit jerky because it's so powerful, but once the battery charge decreases a bit, the acceleration is nice and smooth.

Compared to my iMoto2 Verde, the EVD costs 3 times as much, but its motor is almost 4 times more powerful, and top speed is 2.5 times greater. Acceleration is no contest. The EVD also has much better shocks, so it's more comfortable to ride. Climbing is also no contest - I was able to go up bridges as fast as cars with no problem, whereas the iMoto crawls up the same bridges and holds up traffic. With the iMoto it took me 45-50 minutes to make the 13 mile commute to work, and the battery barely had sufficient range. With the EVD, I made it in 30 minutes with plenty of charge remaining. And the EVD is certainly more fun to ride than the iMoto.

Energy consumption - It takes about 1.2 kWh to recharge the EVD after a 13 mile trip, which is about 1.1 cents per mile. Based on the PG&E power grid mix and energy prices, in terms of both emissions and fuel costs the EVD gets the equivalent of 400 mpg. The iMoto required 0.75 kWh to recharge after a 13 mile trip and got the equivalent of 600 mpg.

Storage space is slightly better in the EVD than iMoto. The storage is under the seat, and I can fit everything I need for work (charger, bag with lunch, water bottle, sweatshirt, various other stuff) in there with no problem.  You can also get a trunk to attach to the back if you need more space.

The one advantage for the iMoto is that it's lighter, so it's easier to move around, maneuver, etc. The EVD weighs 400 lbs (iMoto is 200 lbs), so if it tips over, it takes some muscle to return it upright, and it's difficult to maneuver into small spaces. With the iMoto I can just lift up the rear of the moped and rotate it, which I can't do with the EVD. However, I wouldn't want to ride a 200 lb moped at 50 mph either! Going at high speeds, the weight increases stability.

I did have a problem with the shipping of the EVD. It took 2 weeks to get to my house, but the second week it was just sitting around at the delivery terminal. They scheduled an appointment with me to be home and sign for the shipment and gave me a 7 hour window, then never showed up! And when they did deliver it, part of the rear trunk rack was broken. However, those are problems with the freight company (Saia), not the EVD itself.

Assembly was slightly difficult. When it arrives, you need to attach a brake shield, windshield, mirrors, and the throttle. Really it was just the windshield that was difficult, because it required removing parts of the moped that were screwed on and the instructions weren't very clear, but it's not too terribly difficult to figure out. Actually the most difficult part was removing the EVD from the steel shipping frame. There are instructions about how to do this inside the seat, but I didn't discover that until after I'd gotten it off the frame!

Battery life wasn't as advertised for me.  The lead acid batteries are supposed to last 2-3 years, but after about 1 year and 4700 miles my range was cut by more than half, down to about 13 miles in conservative riding.  One problem may have been overcharging, because I always left the batteries charging when not in use.  I just got new batteries and the EVD is back to normal.  This time I'll stop charging when the batteries are charged, and hopefully that will extend their life.

Overall I'm happy with the EVD. It's really nice to be able to keep up with traffic going as fast as 50 mph, and not to have to worry about the battery charge running out or holding up traffic while climbing hills.  The 30+ mile range is plenty for my needs.  It's a fun ride, and for the price, I would say that it's definitely a great deal.

I was fortunate to be able to take a spin on Dana1981's RMartin over the weekend and had a blast on it.

After going around the block a few times with a huge smile on my face, Dana asked me to pull off so he could check some settings. As it turns out, there is some sort of energy saving mode that makes the acceleration much slower and apparently I had been stuck in that mode. Even so, one of my first comments had been how responsive and peppy it felt.

Out of nerd mode and into turbo, I was definitely in for a great ride. The first few turns on the throttle caught me a little off guard because it really gets up and goes. I would feel very comfortable on any surface street crusing around on that thing (top speed around 50.)

The other really striking thing is the silence. I have ridden (and loved) gas powered scooters in the past because of how in touch you are with your surroundings, unencumbered by 4 doors and glass everywhere. But this is another level, you get all that, but with the added benefit of no whiny engine noise and bad fumes.

I'll definitely be looking in one of these in the future.