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ROMORANTIN, France - As said above; this year’s Eurobike will see the launch of lots of e-Bikes with over 250 Watt motors. Matra’s e-Mo is an example. The French electric vehicle manufacturer is launching with its e-Mo a cross-over between a e-Bike and an e-Scooter.

Matra says it is designed to meet an urban lifestyle: even if its 30 to 40 kilometer range may seem a little short. However, the e-Mo will satisfy the majority of the urban dwellers since 80% of their daily trips are within a radius of 5 km.

Maybe more important is that its top speed of 45 km/h is sufficient to move safely through towns. Only the total absence of noise while driving could become dangerous.

Matra has calculated that the e-Mo has a daily cost that is 80% below that of a regular motorized scooter. The company estimates it at 50 euro cents to 100km! With that many citizens will be tempted to abandon their second car.

Matra’s e-Mo comes with a 48 Volts, 10 Ah Lithium Manganese removable battery 48 Volt 10 Ah. Including the battery Matra’s e-Scooter weighs 49 kg.

Compared to a electric bicycle; currently this type of electric vehicle requires the same obligations as full motorized two-wheelers; insurance and helmet while riding and of course type homologation before being permitted to be sold in any EU country legally. The question is whether its retail price is weighing up to the costly European type homologation procedure.

In France the e-Mo retails for € 1,790. Some French cities (including Paris) subsidize the purchase of electric scooters (e-Mo and other brands) with a maximum of € 400 (up to 25% of the retail price).

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