The “Save the Bees” Design Challenge Prizes Arrive!

It’s been a while between blogs, as I’ve been very busy with a few things piling up, especially at work. A key highlight was being at the IEEE-EMBC 2023 conference in my hometown of Sydney, Australia as part of my work, doing a poster presentation. Nevertheless, it’s time to report on a few good things that have happened to me in the interim.

Runner-Up Prize

When e14phil  announced the winners of the “Save the Bees” design challenge on 18^th May, I was ecstatic to know that I had won the runner’s up prize. I’ve long been a fan of personal electric mobility and this was one of the things I had bought up in previous consultations about prizes. While it would have been (perhaps) nicer to have an electric bike (congratulations ralphjy ), an electric scooter has been a bit of a fascination of mine. After all, it does have a lot going for it in terms of size and portability (at least, looking at it from the outside). It’s something that I’ve always wanted to have and try, but not until the prices fall down to roughly half of where they are now.

It was a while until I heard some news. On 28^th June, I received a slightly-deflating e-mail from danzima . I had foreseen that the original Segway Ninebot ES1L prize would be a tough one to ship because of size, weight and (perhaps most importantly) the lithium-ion battery content. Because of this, it wouldn’t be economical to ship the prize to me. Instead, I was asked if I had any alternative prize ideas.

I was somewhat gutted – I had been waiting patiently hoping for it to arrive, as frankly, I had no idea what else I might want. To be honest, I’m quite a content person – I have almost everything I’d want or need (at least, materially), so I really didn’t have an answer for that. So, referring to the “asterisk” condition on the prize table … I implored them to explore a local alternative.

By 7^th July, I received good news – I was offered the Segway Ninebot E2 Plus which is a bit of an upgrade and available from a local distributor. This was a bit pricier than the original estimated value of US$299 - around US$50-US$80 more based on the US list price, but even more once the AU list price and currency conversions are factored in (perhaps by as much as US$180, but perhaps still better than paying shipping and duties). I offered some alternative local vendors which were more reputable than the one originally suggested. It seems element14 were willing to go through with the plan, as long as the seller was able to accept their payment from overseas. I waited anxiously and by some miracle, the order was successfully placed on 18^th July and was supposed to be a pre-order to ship by (approximately) 24^th July – perhaps in part to the fact the vendor I suggested being one that does business in the US as well.

Imagine my surprise when my Dad received this large box on the 19^th July! That’s efficiency we rarely see! Thank you so much element14! The box didn’t hide its contents in any way – complete with its shipping straps.

Welcome to the biggest and most exciting prize I have ever received from element14. The Segway Ninebot E2 Plus has frequently turned up in “best-of” lists as being one of the lightest, most affordable short-distance commuter scooters which draws on their many years of experience in building the previous generations of reliable, good-value scooters. Of note is that the Segway brand was acquired by Ninebot, a Chinese company funded in part from Xiaomi, so perhaps some of the engineering is shared between the Mi brand as well.

Key features include a 300W (nominal) / 500W (peak) motor power with kinetic energy recovery system, rear drum brake, LED headlight/taillight and under-deck RGB LED illumination, 25km (theoretical) range from a 21.6V/10.2Ah/220Wh battery, 25km/h maximum speed, 8.1” hollow inner solid tyres, 2.8” LED dashboard, high-strength SPFH590 steel frame with total weight of 14.4kg and a payload capacity up to 90kg.

As a basic model, it’s quite respectable in terms of specifications, although some “features” seem a bit superfluous. Do you really need RGB LED under-deck illumination to sap energy from the already limited battery pack? The IPX4 rating is a bit of a downside – riding in heavy rain is perhaps not advised. That being said, you can’t expect to see higher motor powers, dual motors, ABS, larger batteries or higher speeds at this price point at this time. That will limit the hill-climb ability. Perhaps a higher payload capacity would be nice … I’m only a couple-of-kilos short of 90kg! On the face of it, it’s an excellent choice given the competition on the market.

Unlike most products I’ve received, this one has a fair number of warnings on the top including a separate label stuck on the box after-the-fact. I’ll talk about that later … It’s sort of cute that this unit has the tag-line of “Eager to Explore” as I certainly was!

Because of the larger lithium-ion battery within the product, it has its own hazmat diamond on one end of the carton. This makes it rather tricky to ship, so it had to come via road-only transport. Thankfully, it was treated with care, crossing state boundaries without much of an issue. Another key feature is the requirement to use the Segway Ninebot app for activation prior to being able to use the scooter.

The box itself weighs 18.7kg and was a bit heavy to move around. However, when shipping this thing, I’d say you’d probably pay a lot more than that simply because of the cubic weight due to the size of the box. Nevertheless, this item is predictably Made in China, being relatively fresh from April this year. It has the Australian Regulatory Compliance Mark on the label, making it “safe for use” from an RF/EMC standpoint.

Unboxing and Assembly

Cracking the box open carefully with a knife … with the glee of knowing that this was finally in my hands …

I didn’t quite expect to find that the unit needed some assembly. Given that most scooters just fold away, I was expecting that it would be pre-assembled for a quick unfold and getaway … but alas, the IKEA-esque allen key tells us that a minor bit of assembly will be needed.

If you’re doing this alone (as I am), then you’ll find taking things out of the box a frustrating experience. The Styrofoam is snug, the components are weighty, and the loose handle-bar stem is cabled into the main deck with a control cable and a brake lead which you really don’t want to tug on. Taking this all out of the box without stressing the parts was a frustrating experience because I didn’t want to hurt anything but it just didn’t want to slide out easily regardless of how I tipped the box over or jostled it about.

It did eventually come out, without any casualties, but I did fear of dropping one end of the scooter while holding the other … it doesn’t help that I don’t go to the gym and my desk-job has left my arms somewhat lacking …

One of the compromises is perhaps the battery charger. While it is big enough to obstruct adjacent outlets and has an indicator led on the opposite face (not pictured), it has a puny 24.2W rating. This means that the 10.2Ah battery will take (likely) 10+ hours to charge from completely dead to full. While I didn’t time this, I did note that the initial charge was much longer than expected – in spite of it having 68% charge as received.

It has interchangeable plugs and is supplied with a full set for international use. The pre-fitted plug was not for Australia and was very tightly fitted. It took a screwdriver to pry the lock button down far enough to release the plug – on the upside, this means a very secure fit.

Charging is achieved through a barrel jack in the front part of the footboard – this location is covered by a flap. This is perhaps not the worst place to have a charging port, but could be a dirt magnet if that cover isn’t secured after use.

There isn’t much in the way of documentation provided for environmental reasons – instead everything is downloaded either via QR codes or by going through the Segway Ninebot app which goes through a training video and activation process before you can use the scooter. Thankfully, assembly is straightforward and is detailed on the red and white printed card hung over the handlebars. This involves securing the handlebar stem to the base with two hex-head bolts.

Going for a Ride and User Experience

Now that I have an electric scooter, what do I think of it? Well, for one, I’d say the Segway Ninebot E2 Plus feels like a well-built product for the most part. The deck and handlebars feel solid and the rubberised coating on the deck is perhaps a bit better than the sandpaper-like coatings on many other products. The textured handlebar grips also feel nice and grippy, but occasionally even a little sticky.

The controls are also very intuitive with a thumb-throttle on the right side, a brake lever for the rear on the left side and a bell. The dashboard is a very simple segment-LED type with only one-button control. During charging, it indicates charging progress. During riding, it indicates speed, battery (in segments, solid and blinking), modes, lighting, Bluetooth connection and other status information (e.g. overheat).

With regards to riding mode, there are three modes – the normal (D) which limits the unit to 20km/h, the sport (S) which gives the full 25km/h and a “sharper” throttle response, and a walking mode which turns on the headlight and tail-light while limiting the throttle to just 5km/h. The latter mode seems one that I am very unlikely to use at all and perhaps keeping it in “S” is your best bet.

If transitioning from a regular human-powered scooter, the larger tyres, heavier and taller deck both make it slightly trickier to balance. However, this should not be a major impediment for most people who can ride a bike. Of course, once you get moving, balance becomes easier to maintain although the small diameter of the wheels does amplify the impact of surface irregularities and you are best to “weave around” them if possible. The design of the mud-guard is also a potential issue – this is a common issue amongst other scooters, but as it overhangs the rear and only has limited clearance from the ground, when transitioning over kerbs or kerb-lips, it may get caught and snap off (as some others have done). As a result, some level of care is needed to avoid damage.

A key annoyance for me is that it likes to beep a lot. Turn it on? The headlight and taillight comes on momentarily with a loud beep. Bluetooth connects? It will beep too. Battery drops by 10/20%? It will beep. Press the button? It’ll beep. Sometimes it’s a bit cryptic with the beeping, but it also attracts attention in perhaps an undesirable way (and may annoy people around you). As quiet as it is while riding along, it’s a shame the beep isn’t something you can turn off.

Another thing that can’t be turned off is the rear brake LED in case of using the brake handle. While I can understand its presence for safety, sometimes it really is just over-the-top especially if you want to be a little stealthy (more on that later). Being a newer model, there isn’t any firmware modding for it quite just yet either.

The app itself is pretty basic – occasionally it has issues connecting and needs to be restarted. The main draw of the app is to see more detailed battery statistics, learn more about the total distance travelled and configure settings (e.g. turning off the under-deck LEDs, changing the rear tail-light to flashing/solid). Perhaps the most important setting for me was to turn KERS up to full – I prefer to have strong KERS to emulate the “one-pedal-driving” mode that some EVs have as it is more economical on energy to recover it into the battery than to wear out a friction brake and convert it to heat. Turning it up makes it more aggressive, which is great assuming you’re decent at throttle control.

It’s true that the E2 Plus can fold, but the design is a little strange – the edge of the “dashboard” hits the plastic mud-guard on the rear such that there is a flat spot for it to “rest” on. It may save some space, but it doesn’t seem to lock in the folded position, thus carrying it around is like carrying around a deck with a limp metal pole attached to it that can whip around. In spite of its prowess as being a lighter unit – this does make carrying rather tricky in the folded configuration (unless I’m doing something wrong).

The design of the scooter, even when folded, doesn’t seem to provide many good anchoring spots for a chain or other anti-theft device to grab onto (e.g. a hole in the frame). The “lock” in the app itself is rather ineffectual, as it just engages the electronic brake and beeps if the scooter is moved – but this needs the user to be in Bluetooth range to be warned and doesn’t stop the unit from being picked up and taken away. Whether another user can make use of it after this, I do not know, but the lock also requires the scooter to remain powered-up to be effective.

It would seem much easier to just wheel it around as much as you can … at least the folding mechanism seems rather sturdy. The drum brake is also relatively quiet and smooth operating and its enclosed nature should keep it operating well in spite of the environmental hazards.

The use of non-pneumatic tyres is a good feature as it means punctures and flats are a thing of the past. The hollow inner does provide some shock absorption, but as this unit doesn’t have any suspension components, you will mostly feel each bump and crack in the pavement. As a result, for riding comfort and control, it is rare that you will be pushing the maximum speed especially when riding on sub-optimal surfaces.

There will come a time when the tyres and battery may need to be replaced – this is something that doesn’t seem is user-serviceable to my knowledge, with the documentation seemingly recommending maintenance by their dealers. This is a bit of a downside for those who may be relying on such personal mobility devices in the long-haul, but perhaps aftermarket resources will become available as this model becomes more popular. After all, this is a model launched just this year.

A key question will be just how far one can go on one charge. As someone who is right-up near the 90kg payload limit living in an area with a few hills, I went for a quick trip to test the capabilities of the scooter. Overall, I was able to travel 16.5km from 100% down to 8% remaining, but noting a significant decline in motor performance below ~15% capacity that made it better just to push the unit up even a minor incline than try to get the motor to assist. As a result, if one considers the need for round-trips and the fact the battery capacity declines over time through use, I’d say this scooter is perhaps best suited for trips of up to 5km distance each-way.

As for speed, I was able to get to 20-25km/h on a flat surface but going up-hill is a struggle with the scooter slowing down quite a bit if you are carrying some momentum to coming to a dead-stop below the start-up speed of 3km/h. Given the power rating of the motor, my weight and the size of the hills around here, this is not unexpected but you can easily give it a few pushes to help it along and the motor will still do its best to assist. Keeping your balance with this arrangement can be slightly tricky though.

Overall, I’d say that this is a pretty sturdy-feeling unit with (so-far) reliable and predictable performance. The entry-level price-point does mean slow charging, limited range/power/hill-climbing capabilities, a basic dashboard and a few niggles with the folding and locking abilities. But when it comes to riding, it’s smooth, quiet (when not beeping) and as comfortable as one can expect for a no-suspension scooter. As far as I can tell, the performance and range seems honest and being of the Segway Ninebot lineage should mean trouble-free performance even if it seems that batteries and tyres are not user serviceable (as far as I can tell).

But … there’s a catch!

As much as I like the idea of personal, electric mobility especially for last-mile connectivity as I live in an area where half-hourly to hourly-buses is the norm, short of a half-hour or longer walk, unfortunately there is a catch. It is an easy way to more efficient, lighter-weight transport that is likely to be better for the environment.

In Australia, the regulations which govern such things are determined on a state-by-state basis and as such, we have a hodge-podge of rules as to what is legal and what isn’t. Unfortunately, living in New South Wales (NSW) leaves me in the state with the most restrictive rules about electric mobility at this time – as far as I know, only electric bicycles (must have functioning pedals, otherwise known as pedalecs) of up to 500W motor rating are allowed. But the use of electric scooters in public, however, is not permitted at all with the exception of trials of the Neuron ride-sharing electric scooter system. Furthermore, with regards to bicycles, from age 12 onward it is illegal to ride on the footpath unless you’re a parent supervising a child or work for Australia Post which can make things quite hard even as a bicycle rider as our drivers are quite hostile as a “car-loving” nation. I wouldn’t want to breathe the exhaust fumes of those who angrily overtake or get run-over by them.

Because of this, the prize is perhaps the most illegal prize (depending on how I use it) as well. Based on this interpretation, getting caught could mean an ~AU$3000 fine because the government will interpret this as an unregistered, uninsured, unregistrable motorcycle. Our state government will also happily fine you if you take a share scooter outside the trial areas too. But interestingly, other states in Australia are becoming a little more welcoming – for example, Victoria just legalised them up to 20km/h, they are legal in ACT even on shared paths/footpaths, and have been legal for a while now in Queensland and Western Australia. Unfortunately, South Australia is similar to NSW in terms of their rules, being one of the laggards.

Because of this, I have high hopes that the coming years may see changes to the rules, although some commenters have noted that this is almost a deliberate choice to avoid the loss of road tax and registration fees that they would otherwise collect by forcing people to have a car or motorcycle. In some sense, NSW as always been a laggard on this.

But regardless of the rules on-paper, the fact is that electric scooter ridership is growing exponentially. Stores in this state will happily sell them to you (along with the disclaimer). In fact, every day as I catch the train, there’s always one or two people boarding at most stations with an electric scooter – some rather high-end dual-motor suspension-equipped Mearth units have been spotted along with the more common Xiaomi M365. Food delivery couriers have occasionally used them (or non-compliant over-powered electric bicycles). While getting your “vehicle” confiscated and being slapped with a large fine is not something that is unheard of, there are many people seemingly getting away with it everyday on a regular basis. I’d argue that the police have much bigger issues to deal with, but I feel it is very unfortunate that the rules are written in this way.

I guess this is also why the lack of stealth is a downside for those who may be willing to take a risk – it makes you a target. While others have been perhaps fortunate, I’m not sure I’m willing to take the risk. Until such time the rules change, I’ll only legally be able to ride it back and forth in my house (a trip of 16m), which is perhaps a bittersweet ending to what is perhaps the most exciting prize I have received (and one which I was hoping would save me time to/from my nearest train station).

Finisher Prize

The main prize above was the one I was most anticipating, but another one turned up on Wednesday 26^th July, as all finishers get a “Bee Hotel”.

The box seemed okay from the top … but travelling all the way to Australia certainly took its toll …

… as it looked like this from the side and even had wood scraps falling out of the box. If our quarantine service knew about this, they would probably have been freaking out at the potential for wood pests!

As another recipient has already indicated, this was not the originally pictured “Bee Hotel” but a similar “Insect Hotel”. As someone with no idea about insects nor beekeeping, I wonder how well these things work or whether they will aggravate the wasp issue in my area.

Unpacking it, there were even more wood scraps … and a pipe-cleaner! Do you use that to evict the insects that have overstayed?

The unit seems tacked together with mostly low-density soft-woods. I’ve placed it outside near my garden to see if anything will happen, but being in winter right now, I don’t expect to see much activity until spring rolls around.

Conclusion

A major thanks to element14 for getting my prizes to me, even if it required a bit more money and lot of extra logistical work to get it across the line. The Segway Ninebot E2 Plus is a pretty good unit and its place in “best-of” lists is understandably deserved even though there are some shortcomings. Regardless, as exciting as the prize is, the laws of the land where I am unfortunately put a dampener on this … but it’s something I hope changes very soon and when that time comes, I will be ready. After all, similar rules put a big dampener on my enjoyment of cycling – something that I’ve had to stop because it aggravates an ankle condition I have. That’s why having something like this would be a great alternative to experience the outdoors effortlessly, or for bridging those last-mile commute headaches for me. As for my insect hotel, I guess we’ll have to warm up a bit before anyone moves in.

In the meantime, element14 will keep me nicely busy thanks to the Tektronix 2-series MSO RoadTest and the Experimenting with Supercapacitors Design Challenge. Hope to bring more quality content in the coming months! Interestingly, the lithium-ion battery in the RoadTest is causing some shipping delays due to claimed "hazardous material irregularities" ... but both srutledge and rscasny are onto it, so hopefully that will all make it to me soon. After all, I was the one who had requested that the option be included in the test ... but I do have some other things to tie-up before then too.