E-mobility
E-bike or scooter – which is better for driving in the city?
Our editor has been rolling through Hamburg on his Vespa for 15 years. Now he wants to switch to a fast e-bike. How well does that work? An everyday test provides answers.
Speed makes you happy. This is no different when skiing and on roller coasters than when cycling. I’m on a very fast e-bike and enjoying the pace. I race up the road at 45 kilometers per hour. It’s very easy, I just have to pedal a little. The wind rushes in my ears, my eyes water, also from joy. And the car I see behind me in the rearview mirror is getting smaller and smaller.
I’m swapping my scooter for an S-Pedelec for four weeks. The S stands for “Speed”. In contrast to other e-bikes, the electric motor of an S-Pedelec is more powerful; its support is not switched off at 25, but only at 45 kilometers per hour. That’s why you need an insurance license plate. And I have to wear a helmet, ride on the road instead of the bike path and have a driving license that includes class AM.
Fast and clean with the e-bike
Why am I doing this? I want to find out whether the S-Pedelec can replace my 15-year-old Vespa LX 50 in city traffic. That would be better for the environment. My Vespa is a two-stroke engine. It’s loud and stinks, some say. It sounds and smells like a vacation in Italy, I say. My S-Pedelec, a Stromer ST7, doesn’t smell and runs almost silently. The model is a black beauty, with high-quality workmanship like a sports car, but incredibly expensive at around 12,500 euros. A wheeled CR7. And that needs to be phased out.
Our first trip leads to the west of Hamburg, first through 30 km/h zones, then onto Elbchaussee. I shift up, a light press of a button is enough and the gear changes electronically. I’m in top gear with maximum support. The brakes are also electronically reinforced, which takes the strain off your fingers. Braking is fun because acceleration follows. And it has it all.
This is how the days go by. I take the Stromer all the ways I normally take a scooter: to work, to sport, to band rehearsals, all over Hamburg, in rain, snow and sunshine. I enjoy the thrust of the electric motor, the quiet gliding, the effortless rolling. All of this feels good, right and contemporary. Welcome to the green future, the battery is charged with green electricity.
I get yelled at at the traffic lights
But when a driver behind me mistakes my Stromer for a normal e-bike, I learn the downside of the S-Pedelec. He’s honking like crazy, he wants me to clear the way for him and move onto the bike path, where I’m not allowed to ride. I stop at a red light. “Get the fuck out of the street, you idiot!” he shouts through the open window. Embarrassed, I look at the handlebars of ST7, press a few buttons, do a skip, but that doesn’t help either. When the traffic light turns green, the driver speeds past me angrily.
In the following days I repeatedly experience similar situations. That’s why I avoid 30 km/h zones as often as possible on my tours. There I can move along with the traffic without being honked at. Nevertheless, I am happy when I finally switch back to the Vespa. I have peace there. Despite the engine noise.
Profile:
∙ Price: approx. 12,500 euros
∙ Weight: 37.8 kg
∙ Torque: 52 Nm
∙ Range/battery: up to 260 km/1440 Wh
Source: Stern
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
