RMartin EVD Electric Scooter

I just test rode various models of the EVD scooter this afternoon at Rmartin and it seems to be a solid ride. I only rode it about 20 minutes and just around the residential area near Rmartin. My experience with electric scooters is confined to an EGo and an Oxygen Lepton and the EVD/eFun D is in a totally different class. It feels more like a motorcycle i.e. heavier and more stable. The residential streets I rode on during my first test drive were flat and the EVD accelerated smartly to 30mph and cruised very smoothly - once I got going. The only complaint I have with this scooter in this initial ride is that the throttle is very sensitive; it took me a good dozen stops and starts to finally not feel like I was going to get thrown off the back of the bike.

On relatively level roads and smaller hills, the EVD is a great scooter. The acceleration is pretty amazing on city streets - I easily kept up with cars from traffic light to traffic light. Cruising between 35 and 40mph seemed effortless for the EVD. It felt firm and stable. The rear shocks worked well to smooth out the occasional irregularities in the road.

The real test for me was going up and down serious hills. Early on in the road test is a hill that I would estimate at approximately 30-35 degrees with a fairly hard right turn leading to it so I couldn't really get a running start to begin the climb. Glancing down at the speedometer, I saw I was entering the hill at about 25 mph and by the time I was up about 3/4 of the hill, my speed was down to about 15 mph and held steady at that speed to the top. Climbing smaller hills in the range of 20-30 degrees, the EVD seemed to find a sweet spot of about 20mph. Going down the hills was fun and the EVD's disk brakes worked very well.

One small but thoughtful feature I really liked about the EVD is the turn signal beep when it's turned on. It reminded me turn off the signal after each turn. I can't count the number of times I've forgotten to turn the signal off on my current scooter. The seat is also very comfortable. The build quality is very good as far as I can tell.

My most important criteria in selecting a scooter is its hill climbing ability. I would buy the EVD in a heartbeat if I didn't live in the hilly part of town. But I would feel much better (safer) if the scooter can give me about 5 more mph in ascending the hills in my neighborhood. Randy Martin, who has really been very helpful and accommodating in my testing has agreed to let me test the EVD+, which has a motor that has even more torque. If that does give me the extra push I'm looking for, I will be a happy camper.

I did test the EVD+, the higher torque version also. I rode it on the exact same route with very similar weather conditions. Unfortunately, I did not see any noticeable increase in performance on the hills. I'll have to wait until something else comes along.

After my test rides of the EVD and EVD+ and to satisfy my own curiosity, I did test ride the lithium battery version of this scooter.

This version was a significant improvement over the SLA battery equipped scooter. Again on the same test route, I was able to get to about 20 mph going up the steepest hill. This lithium EVD was able to climb the other, less steep hills with no problems hitting between 25-30 mph consistently over the top. On flat city streets, I was able to keep up with traffic easily managing a smooth 45 mph for one stretch between traffic lights. I felt the scooter truly had more speed to give if I had needed it.

This scooter will fit the needs of anyone looking for an urban commuter.

Disclaimer: I'm a rank amateur in the electric scooter field so everything in this review should be taken with that in mind. I've tried my best to be as accurate as I can in my estimate of speed (using only the EVD's speedometer) and steepness of hills. Other opinions I've expressed are strictly personal.

I purchased the RMartin EVD because I was interested in electric vehicles, and quickly became convinced that 2 wheelers were a much more efficient and cost effective entry point, and there were actually brand new products available right now. I have looked at the Vectrix, which is a very high end scooter with an equally high end price of about $10,000. I nearly purchased a Extreme XM-3500, but I found the EVD and quickly cancelled my order. Both bikes have very similar appearance, but the specs vary in a few key areas:

XM-3500
20 x 40 aH Thundersky Lithium Phosphate batteries
3500 watt, 3 phase brushless DC motor
Chinese made ABS hydraulic disc brakes made in Taiwan

R. Martin EVD Lithium
21 x 60 aH Thundersky Lithium Phosphate batteries
3000 watt, 6 phase brushless DC motor
Improved ABS hydraulic disc brakes made in Taiwan

I currently have approximately 1100 miles on my EVD, which I use to commute to work about 3 days a week. I have never ridden or seen an XM-3500 in person, but I can't stress enough that I feel the 40 aH batteries would be undersized for the XM-3500, especially with a higher watt rating on the motor. With the EVD I see some voltage droop when accelerating or going up hills, but it is very moderate. On colder days expecially, I would think that wiht the XM-3500 you would get a huge voltage drop when you accelerate. It would also cut down your range considerably. The 6 phase motor is marketed by R. Martin as a big advantage because it is smoother, and it seems smooth to me. I have seen several complaints about soft or mushy brakes on the XM-3500, but am quite pleased with the EVD's brakes. So far my experience with the Thundersky batteries and charger have been very good.

The specs on the new XM-4000 and XM-5000 models seem closer to the EVD (with the exception of the motor wattage), but they are considerably more expensive than the $4500 + shipping that I paid for the EVD.

Another big difference between the two is that I have seen countless online posts about bad customer experience with Extreme, where my personal experience with Randall at R. Martin has been very positive so far.

I am very pleased with the appearance of my scooter, which I got in the Red/Black option. Several other people have mentioned that it looks cool as well.

The performance of my scooter is very good. It is actually a lot of fun to ride. Acceleration is brisk below 30 mph, and slows down as you approach the top speed of 50 mph on the flat (measured by gps, speedo indication is approx 4 mph higher at 50 mph actual). Range varies dramatically with speed, but I have gone 44 miles on a single charge, and much of that was going 40-50 mph and stopping at frequent stoplights along the way. Based on my calculations and some estimates, a 60 mph range would be possible if you could minimize stopping and accelerating, and kept the speed down to 30-35 mph.

In actual day to day usage, I have been recording the power used to charge the scooter with a Kill-a-Watt meter. So var I'm averaging 1.03 cents per mile in actual cost from my electric utility company. So driving 1100 miles cost me about $11 in electricity.

The only issues I have had so far were a small plastic panel that was cracked (I believe during shipping, although I'm not sure, because I didn't notice it until I'd had it about 2 months) which cost $15 to replace, and a circuit breaker which failed, and cost $12 to replace. The only thing that I would caution someone about is the need to ensure that the battery cells are kept equalized (at the same state of charge). I will say that I have a system of checking the batteries on my scooter that is quick and easy, but if you aren't familiar with circuits and don't own a multimeter, this type of vehicle may not be for you.

I'd definitely recommend checking out the EVD if you are looking at a high performance electric maxi scooter at a reasonable price.

Hi

 

I wanted to add a quick review from the UK on this bike. Over here its called the elecscoot and has roughly the same spec as what is available in the US. My model has a battery management system that allows you to set output voltages from the batteries etc and the usual switchgear, underseat storage etc.

 

What has prompted me to start using the bike for commuting is the current tube strike in london. There has been grislock on the streets, hunreds of people at bus stops and lengthy commutes for a lot of people. I figured, 'get on my bike' and made my way in. Without getting into stats and measurements etc, i would just like to say that the performace of this bike is equivalent to a 80-100cc petrol scooter. Its just got a different propulsion method. I kept up with london traffic no problem (average speed is 7mph, ha ha) and when there was some open road, the bike kept going past 40 mph and i would have easily got to 50mph if i had the chance.

 

My only gripe at this stage is range. On high power i only get around 30 miles range, which is more than enough for my commute and local trips. I think it may improve with more recharges and as the battery becomes more efficient but its the only thing i can fault on the bike. The fact is, until battery technology becomes smaller, lighter and higher capacity, this is about the best you can get when it comes to electric personal transport. I would think you could upgrade the battery pack fairly easily once better versions are available, try doing that with a petrol bike!

 

I think this type of bike will become a success as it would enable people who ride scooters to make a painless transition to electric, and entice people, like me, who wanted to trade in their car for a eco friendlier alternative.

 

Cheers

I own two RMartin Limited EVD scooters, a lead-acid battery powered EVD scooter and a 40 AH lithium battery powered EVD scooter.  The range is good for both scooters, although to go 50 miles on a charge one has to be very conservative with speed and acceleration.  When driving at a speed of 40 MPH to 45 MPH, I normally can expect a range of approximately 30 miles. 

 

The top speed is approximately 50 MPH on level ground with a 250 pound rider.  Both scooters have good acceleration, but the scooter with lithium batteries has better acceleration than the scooter with lead-acid batteries.  I live in an area that is quite hilly, with some hills having a rather steep grade.  The lead-acid battery powered EVD scooter seems limited in power to pull hills.  However, the 40 AH lithium battery powered EVD scooter pulls hills quite well.  Therefore, I will assume that the new 60 AH lithium battery powered EVD scooter should pull most hills very well while holding a reasonable speed.

 

Both scooters hold the road well, track well, and brake well.  The fuel efficiency is great.  I am in the process of purchasing a 60 AH lithium battery powered EVD scooter for extended range and even better hill climbing ability.

I work at a dealer for these scooters and have loved them ever since.  Sadly the first time I rode one, I dropped it.  I am only 5' 3" and was following my boss (he was on one too) he decided to pull over and wait for some others, I tried to pull over behind him, and without realizing it, tried to put my foot down, right in the gutter.  By the time I realized that I couldn't reach the ground, it was leaning too far for me to keep it up.  I eventually got over my fear and humiliation and bought it.  I have been riding it for a week now every day to work.  I am a lot more confident and I enjoy it so much.  There are a few issues as with any newish technology (something about the two controllers not synching up and all the torque was gone until I restarted it- only happened once and its an easy fix).  I would definitely recommend this to anyone though!  Look at it this way, the monthly payment on the bike is the same amount as a tank of gas!

BELOW is an update after driving for ONE YEAR:

I still love it, drive it every day.  Keep in mind these bikes are not the highest quality and things tend to break on them.  So far I have replaced a brake lever (probably could have just fixed the one I had but since I work at the dealer, I was able to swap the part for free).  I also had to replace the brake light switch (which is important because your throttle is connected to the brake light so that if the light is on, the throttle is disengaged) it broke after someone pulled out in front of me and I had to squeeze the brakes really hard.  Again, easy fix if you have the part on hand.  So far, any issues I have had have just taken a little time and some good screw drivers to figure out.  That being said, I recommend this bike to people who are "tinkerers" and don't mind taking something apart every now and then. Also within a month I had to replace a blinker bulb, but it is sold at any auto parts store so that was easy (I think it was a volvo tail light).

Of course, my issues may result in the fact that the bike was driven as a demo for a few months, and now it is a daily driver.  Out of the other bikes we have sold, only one has required service and it was under warranty, needed a new controller.


 

Heads up to anyone who may have found this view a search engine while looking for a reliable electric vehicle - the R Martin EVD is NOT for you.

I purchased the EVD from Randall Martin (via his website) last year after reading the sparse reviews out there that seemed mostly positive.  From the minute it arrived things went poorly.

First, the company he uses (SAIA shipping) to deliver the bikes fails utterly.  They could not deliver the bike to our door because they only use semi trucks and our residential street had wires too low.  That means they left the bike, wrapped in a box wrapped in a banged up, rusted metal cage, 1 block from our house, in the middle of the street, with only my husband (I was at work) to unpack and move the bike down to the house (which I might mention is at the bottom of a large hill).  Oh, and it was mid summer in Florida, so 95+ degrees and humid.  The driver happily left him alone to do what is clearly (as stated in the manual, conveniently located INSIDE the giant contraption) a two person job.  After several trips up and down the hill to get various tools, my husband was finally able to free the bike from its packaging, but in the process ended up with it falling on him once and almost another time (and they are heavy - almost 400 lb).

We charged it that day and come evening tried it out - only to find out it was not capable of even driving up our hill (it literally stopped midway up, on a full battery, and made a dragging sound near the rear brakes.

To make a long, aggravating story short, after contacting the dealer on a near daily basis (and then him contracting the manufacturer, in Japan), performing hours of labor ourselves on it (trying to replace the brakes several times, etc. - he wouldn't pay for labor, would only provide replacement parts based on our amateur description of what seemed to be wrong and some videos we emailed) and even eventually taking it to a shop for brake replacement, the thing still does not work as intended (sometimes can make it up the hill, sometimes can not - even on a full charge and on the same day) and Randall Martin eventually ignored my emails until we were forced to contact a lawyer (never had a reason to do that before). 

He now states it is too far past the time frame for return, but it was he who refused to return my email and never offered to return the bike.

Mind you, I was somewhat skeptical of making such a large purchase online, but there were no dealers of fast, fully electric bikes like the EVD in our area.  Also, I emailed him twice before making the purchase to ask questions and even specifically asked about shipping and whether he would take the bike back should it have any problems.  He assured us that he would try to fix it via parts but if that didn't work, would have it returned (and also stated he had never had a shipping problem). 

Summary:  I truly hope no one has to fall for this money trap like my husband and I did.  Find a local dealer if you want an electric  vehicle, test drive it well and know the return policy backwards and forwards.  And whatever you do, I implore you not to purchase from Randall Martin (at least for his larger vehicles such as the EVD).