Reviews on e-wheels ew600 ?

Hi. The EW-600 is a brand new model, just introduced last month, Nov '10. We, Electric Vehicle Mall, just recently received this model and have test driven it to determine its actual top speed, among other things. It's definitely a very nice electric moped bike with extra features like an alarm system and a portable easily removed battery. However, with a 193 lb rider, we did not see advertised 28 mph. Rather, using a portable GPS receiver, we reached 21 mph on level ground with a full charge on the batteries and an ambient temperature of 60 degrees F. That should translate to 22 to 23 mph with the proverbial 170 lb rider that most specs are based on.

I might add that Electric Vehicle Mall also road tested an EW-500 at the same time with our GPS receiver and got 13 mph in the low speed setting and 26 mph in the high speed setting. Yes! This bike has a two speed toggle on the handlebars just to the left of the twist throttle. Again, translated to a 170 lb rider, I would expect 15 mph in the low speed setting and upwards of 28 mph in the high speed setting. Of course, driving it at its peak speed, while fun, will greatly diminish its range. This moped bike feels very zippy! And, unlike most other moped bikes, you can actually pedal it pretty easily and it even has pedal assist, meaning there is a sensor which detects pedaling and provides an automatic electric assist! This is common on e-bikes but not on e-mopeds.

Now, as far as range of the EW-600 goes, the basic physics is there is only so much you can do with four 14 amp-hr 12 volt batteries even when you are using a highly efficient hub motor as propulsion. Our real life experience, for example, with the mechanically and electrically similar X-Treme XB-502 electric moped bike which has four 12 amp-hr 12 volt batteries and hub motor is about 18 miles when driven with modest stop-and-go at it's top speed of 20 mph (about 1.5 miles per amp-hr or, more precisely, 0.031 miles per battery watt, i.e., nominal battery wattage = 48 volts x 12 amp-hrs = 576 watts). Note that most of the advertised ranges for electric bikes and mopeds are based on very slow starts, no stop-and-go, and half throttle speeds. Of course, most tend to ride these bikes and mopeds at full throttle from the start, and when you throw in stop-and-go and modest slopes, the actual mileage is always well less than the advertised range. Based on our customers' feedback on the XB-600 and XB-610 moped bike which have four 20 amp-hr 12 volt batteries, driven full throttle, these will typically make 30+ miles at the top speed of 20 mph (or, again, about 1.5 miles per amp hr).

Using 1.5 miles per amp-hr for the EW-600 with its four 14 amp-hr batteries, we would therefore expect a realistic 21 or 22 miles when driven flat out at 20 mph on flat terrain by a 170 lb person with modest stop-and-go. If driven at half throttle, you might get 30 or more miles but of course few will drive it that way. Bottom-line, I wouldn't expect the advertised 43 miles in typical use from these bikes. Electric Vehicle Mall will be updating its webpage on the EW-600 and EW-500 with more information as we learn more from our testing and from our customers. There's already more information there right now than other places and we will be updating it with our top speed and other findings soon. What I'm giving you here is just the very latest we have.

I also am interested in buying an EW-600 but my MAJOR concern is the websites selling these make absolutely no mention of any support for these things. They just want you to give them $1000 and can't even tell you if there are any parts available for them. The other lengthly response to your question was from Electric Vehicle Mall, the seller of these scooters. He didn't give you any worthwhile information. I have not been able to find anywhere on the internet you can buy any parts if something breaks. $1000 is a lot to spend on a throwaway if you can't get parts. Their shipping is very high too.

I didn't give any worthwhile information????? Gee whiz... I responded exactly to what the original poster was asking about with considerable detail on actual test results on top speed and estimates of the realistic range you can expect based on experience and battery power. But since jbnsd is asking about something entirely different, like where to get replacement parts, I can tell you that the distributor, E-Wheels in Texas, stocks replacement parts and any authorized dealer such as myself can get those parts for our customers. And there is a 6 months parts warranty on both the EW-500 and EW-600. There's more information at www.electricvehiclemall.com/productinfo/ew600.htm. P.S. This link will come down shortly due to mandates coming from X-Treme so recommend you save the complete page.

Pretty much true but all the information asked above can be seen on Electric Vehicle Mall website. I still don't see and support information on this website. I have emailed them several times and gotten no response. In fact I CAN'T even find the EW-600 on their website. I assume they don't even sell the EW-600 any more. I found one other site that claims to have this scooter but they won't tell you what the shipping cost is before you give them all of your information, address, phone. Plus they don't even have any contact, email, information. I don't deal with sites like theirs.

As much as I would like to buy one,it seems pretty much impossible to buy this scooter with any support for it. Electric Vehicle Mall doesn't even list EW-600 now. They give no support links or information. They won't answer their email. All of these websites just want your money and don't provide any support.

I would like to know if anyone has actually ridden one of these scooters? Especially pedaling one. If you notice the pedals have been shoved about 8" or more toward the back of the scooter. The EW-500 has pedals located similar to a normal bike. This EW-600 looks like the pedals are more suited for a monkey or gorilla rather than a human pedaling. Take a close look at where the pedals are. It looks like a poor afterthought in design.

I have ridden both of these mopeds, the EW-500 and EW-600. The position of the pedals on the EW-600 is similar to that on the X-Treme XB-502, XB-610 and XB-700Li. The seat is much wider than any bicycle seat -- more like a gas scooter or motorcycle seat. If you lose electrical power, you CAN pedal the EW-600. But, with the wide seat, the substantial weight of the bike, the position of the pedals and the low gearing, unless you're an athlete, you are not going to go very fast or very far before you get off and start walking it.

The E-Wheels EW-500 electric moped bike is very different. The position of the pedals and the narrowness of the seat coupled with a different mechanical gearing system (from the models discussed above), makes this electric moped relatively easy to pedal. That being said, obviously, any bike that weighs 136 lbs is not going to pedal as easy as a bicycle that weights 30 lbs. In addition, the EW-500 has also a pedal assist sensor as well as the standard twist throttle on the handlebars. So, you can save on battery power and get some exercise by pedaling the EW-500 with the battery power turned on. It's very much like any pedal-assist electric bicycle in that you get a very substantial assist to your pedaling from the electric engine.

NOTE: The old link I posted for EW-600 information was at our Electric Vehicle Mall website. Since then, all information on E-Wheels products have been moved to a brand new separate website, www.high5scooters.com which feature all of E-Wheels' products. The new link for EW=600 information is www.high5scooters.com/productinfo/ew600.htm . The new link for EW=500 information is www.high5scooters.com/productinfo/ew500.htm .

Lastly, I have previously scoured my computer for email from jbnsd, not finding any, and even sent a private message to him clarifying my email address in case that was the problem. This is not to say he didn't send me an email. I just can't find it and can't explain why. All I can say is that we do answer all emails. I agree that a lot of websites just want your money and provide no support. But that is definitely NOT the case with Electric Vehicle Mall and High 5 Scooters. Unlike others, we have a dedicated and expert customer service manager that provides timely support to all our customers. It is really the manufacturer, e.g., X-Treme and E-Wheels, that is responsible for technical support to their products. But, we have nevertheless found it very helpful to our customers to provide our own technical support. So, we do.

i got the ew-600 in early march i had problem with the batterys and no one will get back to me, its a great looking scooter but you get no support

THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I HAVEN'T BOUGHT ONE. I wanted one really bad I when I found these scooters on the internet but when I tried to contact the sellers about support I constantly got "NO" responses to my emails. I found this board and posted some messages but all I get is sales pitches from the sellers.

I'm not going to throw away $1000 for a scooter with no support at all and sellers who are to ignorant to even answer your emails. These people are stupid and crazy.

Good luck getting these a__holes to answer you.

I have a few questions somebody might be able to answer about both the EW-500 & EW-600. I am seriously considering both models because of the removable battery packs. (I live on the 2nd Floor) I am a heavier guy so I was leaning towards the EW-600 since it has a bigger motor, but in reading Rodmans review it sounds like he actually had better speeds on the EW-500 however. I like the fact that you can actually pedal the EW-500 if needed or to extend your range. I am not expecting to get over 20MPH as long as I can get at least 15MPH and 15 mile range per charge I will be a happy camper. (My daily commute will be 99% on level ground) Any advise would be most welcome! (Also does anybody know how much the battery packs weigh? and can you buy additional battery packs separately? If so rough cost?) Thanks!

i have the ew-600 you can pedal this model as well. as far as speed and distance i am 180# i hooked up a odometer that also has a spedometer also . i hit 37 mph and got 40 miles on a charge. jazzy go with the ew-600 its bigger longer and has a wider seat. if you order new batterys from e-wheels they cost $250.00 plus shipping. at a batteries plus store you will pay $183.00. the battery pack weights 43#

Did you do any mods to get 37 mph and 40-mile range on your EW-600? How do you like it otherwise? Thanks.

One possible explanation for the lower top speed of the EW-600 is that it was, presumably, brand new, while the 500 may have been used a bit. It takes a few charge/discharge cycles for a battery pack to reach full capacity. If both bikes were new, though, disregard what I just wrote. ;-)

The EW-600 is kind of a chintzy piece of crap. I just received it and the front tire is flat, which is a shipping problem, not manufacturing. But there are no bolts for holding the pedals on, indeed, no way to hold the pedals on at all. The entire machine feels like a child's toy, rather than an alternative means for commuting. I already have a sinking suspicion that I will end up spending more trying to maintain it over the next year than I did initially purchasing it.
This machine is a joke. You are better off trying to ride your vacuum cleaner.

The following instruction is provided to customers who purchase the EW-600 from High5Scooters.com:

"The pedals simply snap on. Installation of the pedals requires no tools. Each pedal is marked with an “L” or an “R” on the end of the pedal where it screws into the crank arm. This tells you whether it is left or right pedal from the frame of reference of the person driving the bike. The crank arms are also marked with an “L” or an “R”. Match and attach the pedals to the crank arms. There is a shaft on either side of the bike that has a square end to which the pedals attach. If you look closely, you can see that one side of this square shaft has a ball-bearing sticking up slightly. Match this ball-bearing to the hole in the pedal crank when attaching the pedals. The pedals simply push on. You may need a rubber mallet or a whack with the palm of your hand if the pedal does not push on easily."

I have a friend (weighing about 250 lbs) in California that rides his EW-600 to and from work (about 10 miles) daily, who loves how quiet and smooth it is, how it requires no gasoline to run, and brags about his bike. And I have heard equally happy comments from other EW-600 owners. Yes, the support from the distributor, E-Wheels, has been inconsistent in the past but even that seems to be rapidly improving.

AS ALWAYS..U GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
dont believe the specs
range is calculated going downhill maybe ???

I finally bought an EW-600 after thinking about it for 6 months and I am really impressed with its design. It is better than I thought it would be. I don't know about the mileage yet. I bought it because of my physical health so I can get around the neighborhood. I also weigh more than I like to for the same reason so, if I can get 25-30 miles on a charge I will be happy.

I was a design engineer before retiring and was surprised at the details and quality of the design of this scooter. It is really nice for a scooter in this price range. I am getting a Mainnav Bike GPS so I can get an accurate range of how far I can go with it. Hopefully with the GPS I won't get stuck to far away from home. I have taken it on a couple of outings of approximately 20 miles so far and still had some power left. I will update this when I get some accurate data.

The biggest drawback I see is you don't ever want to have to use the pedals. They are mostly for looks to keep it classified as a bicycle. You would have to be in much better shape than I am to use them. They just snap on and off with aircraft type ball bearings and are best stored in the scooters box.

Storing those pedals in the box WILL get you a ticket soon enough, you are better off to put them on, even if they arent used.. (if they will stay on while you ride)

Yes, best to keep the pedals on so that law enforcement knows that it is an electric bike. Also, best way to ride these is with your feet on the pedals as you ride. This has the advantage of making it obvious (to police) that it is in fact an electric bike. And it allows you to rotate the position of the pedals as you do with a regular bike when leaning into a corner to avoid scraping the pedal on the pavement. One last IMPORTANT thing: recommend you put a tag where the license plate would otherwise go that says "E-Bike" in large letters. That alone will save you stops by the police since it otherwise appears that you are riding a scooter without a license plate. Excerpts from Laws pertaining to Electric Bicycles can be found here.

Well don't be impressed by the range. It's all bullshit, it's dead at almost 15 miles (with Garmin GPS). I live near the beach and everywhere I ride is flat. One reason is mine has 12-12amp batteries not 12-14amp that is in the sales description. I'm going to call ewheels and see what they are going to do about this. I have 3 true TD12-14amp deep cycle batteries from a 36v scooter I had. I figure they should pay for my 4th battery since what I got is not what I paid for. Either that or send me 4, 12-14amp batteries that I paid for.

The scooter is great though. It's well designed and rides good. It's better than I expected. They should put better pictures on their website.

Looks like we have a bunch of cops with no life here. Actually California has laws better than that fed stuff. You can go up to 1000w and 30mph. I would rather have a since-less conversation with a cop that has nothing better to do than hang a pedal and dump the scooter and maybe get hurt. I did that the first time I rode it except I didn't dump it. The pedals have been in the box since. I carry a copy of the CA DMV laws with it. Plus I have a letter from my VA doctor stating that I am using it for disability reasons.

I wonder what the range would be with the batteries that are supposed to be in it? Flat out top speed with full charge is 20mph. Range with GPS and low speeds is 15mi max. The only way this would go 30mi is remoted with no driver onboard.

Hey. I am also well interested in getting the ew 600. This has been the only page I have found with any reviews for it. Thanks you for your detail on your personal experience. However, how reliable and sturdy is the bike? And how many times do you use it? Did you have to do any maintenance work in the 2 months you have owned it? Oh and did they replace or compensate for the wrong batteries? I hope you are enjoying your bike and Appreciate your attention on this matter. Happy HolidAys! Thanks in advance!

Note: live in nj and would like to use everyday for work which is about 1 mile away with a couple of slopes.

I've had my EW-600 for eight months now and it works very nicely. The only problem so far was popping a solder joint off of one of the battery connections. That was because the wire got pinched and I hit a hard bump. Other than that it has worked perfectly. It is designed and built well on a 2" steel tube frame. All the support brackets are welded to this singular tube. It's suspension rides comfortably considering relatively light weight. It's really fun to ride and I can snap the pedals on and ride it on the boardwalk by the beaches in my area. I'm looking forward to riding it more when the weather get warmer.

The biggest complaints are the actual range and the very poor assembly which was done by these people in Arizona. You can cut these milage numbers in half. Their claims are total bullshit and every nut, bolt and screw was finger tight when I got mine. Plus my scooter came with very cheap 12v 12amp batteries not 12v 14amp that they claimed.

Hey. I am also well interested in getting the ew 600. This has been the only page I have found with any reviews for it. Thanks you for your detail on your personal experience. However, how reliable and sturdy is the bike? And how many times do you use it? Did you have to do any maintenance work in the 2 months you have owned it? Oh and did they replace or compensate for the wrong batteries? I hope you are enjoying your bike and Appreciate your attention on this matter. Happy HolidAys! Thanks in advance!

Note: live in nj and would like to use everyday for work which is about 1 mile away with a couple of slopes.

I just had to relist my Oxygen Lepton scooter for sale. A guy really wanted to but it for his wife, sold his truck to pay for it, and was then unable to come up with a way to transport it. If you have a driver's license and can transport it home from upstate New York, this scooter will do much more then the EW600, for less money, and it's built like a tank. Here's a link to the listing: http://albany.craigslist.org/mcy/3032692460.html

I totally agree with the half-assed assembly, mine's missing screws & one mirror didn't fit. The threads were messed up. I've had mine over a year now & so far all that went out was the headlight switch a month ago, easy fix. And now it totally died on me, power went out while riding. The battery charger had been blinking red, so I ordered some batteries, soldered them together, & thought I was good to go. But still no power. Hoping someone reads this and had a similar problem & can give some insight...th Ewheels service dept. is no help.

turns out, it was an inline fuse under the seat compartment.

Thanks to everyone here for contributing - this is one of the few places online there's ANY info on the EW-600. I actually just purchased one a few weeks ago and am loving it (fast, sturdy, pretty), with one exception: it can't climb hills AT ALL!! I test drove a Veloteq before making this purchase, and while it wasn't quite as fast as the EW-600 and it certainly wasn't as cute, it definitely outperformed on hills. So what to do? There's plenty of info online about the shunt mod for Gios and X-Treme XB scooters - would this work for the EW-600? The lack of standard specs available for these things is really discouraging. I already took the plunge, though, crossing my fingers that it would do as well as the Veloteq, so now I'm stuck. And without knowing ANYTHING about the motor - or whether to even believe the few specs that are available - I'm not sure how/whether to proceed with any upgrades.

To be clear, it DOES make it up most hills, but at an absolute crawl (maybe 5 or 6 mph). Starting from stopped if I'm pointed up-hill is nearly impossible; the motor gets loud, but nothing much happens as far as acceleration. Riding around downtown, however, where it's flat, is a total joy. I can keep up with traffic, and acceleration from stopped on flat ground is reasonable. It's a really nice ride. The only problem is that it's embarrassingly (and dangerously) slow climbing hills. The "turbo" button, or whatever they call it, helps with top speed, but doesn't seem to affect acceleration at all.

A few more details: I intended to purchase the EW-500, thinking it would be easier to pedal, and knowing that would come in handy since I do need hill-climbing ability for my commute. Unfortunately, they don't make those anymore, so they sent me the new 600. I was bummed, but I do like it. The working brake lights are very cool, and I feel safe riding at night. Within the first week, however, a fuse blew (actually melted the whole fuse case all over the wire so I had to cut it out). I replaced it easily and upgraded to a standard U-shaped 30A auto fuse with a nice rubber case. I also relocated it to inside the seat storage area so I don't have to take the thing apart again if it blows. Other than that small hiccup, it's been smooth scooting. I now carry some extra fuses with me, just in case, but I'm pretty sure the problem was the crappy stock fuse. (At least I hope that's all it was.) When I took it apart to get to the fuse, I noticed almost all the screws were stripped, so I replaced them all. There were a few missing, too. One unfortunate issue is that the two screws that hold the lower-most portion of the plastic body onto the steel frame (located directly under the battery pack) are completely destroyed. One is stripped beyond recognition, and the other I think must have met some strange fate because what's there looks like a pile of solder rather than a screw head. It looks like these would need to be removed if I want to access the controller, so that will be a pain, but I'd be willing to take on the challenge if I had a good feeling about the shunt mod (or any other way to get more power up hills!).

Any advice will be much appreciated!

i bought this bike last summer, it lasted a week before mysteriously shutting down, all electronics,lights, horn, etc, still work but will not move under power! anybody else have this problem? any ideas?