The reason for the electric scooter vs scooter 125 confrontation
There are no absolute truths. A substance goes from medicine to poison depending on the dose. The same goes for our comparison today. You may prefer the quiet, smooth ride of an electric scooter or the exhaust sound of a 125 sport scooter. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages and you will find defenders and detractors with a multitude of arguments. What everyone will always agree on is wanting to scratch their pockets as little as possible.
With the advent of electric vehicles, the market has shown that, among electric vehicles, the best relationship between weight and range is optimal for small and light short and medium range vehicles. The more autonomy, the more weight it requires: the reason is that it needs additional batteries, since maintaining a constant speed is the worst scenario for electricity consumption. That doesn’t happen in the city; On the contrary, city tours consist of constant starts and interruptions. That is where the benefits of the electric motor and the weaknesses of the thermal engine in terms of consumption and wear of its elements come to light.
Electric scooter vs scooter 125: New realities
The phenomenon of moto sharing has emerged around the electric scooter. It obeys reality and the sensitivity of society regarding the use of available resources. But they also use electric vehicles because they are more profitable. Of course, economies of scale apply; Furthermore, companies have infrastructure that individuals cannot access. Until now.
The network of battery exchange points (Battery Stations) is growing enormously to serve users who are choosing to purchase their Silence S01 motorcycle with subscription battery service. To give you an idea, we are talking about more than 120 Battery Stations spread throughout Spain, meaning that currently in Madrid and Barcelona there are more Battery Stations than gas stations.
These battery exchange points eliminate the great challenge of autonomy in electric cars in less than a minute. For Silence, it simply ceases to exist, since there is no need to wait for recharging and there is no “”I’m out of battery». In the Battery Station APP, reserve a battery at the point closest to where you are and exchange it.
With this move by Silence the rules are different, so the private client in large cities now has reasons to read this comparison and see that what we understood until now by mobility has changed.
Electric scooter vs scooter 125: The playing field
Thinking of a 100% urban use, the 40 kilometer route runs entirely through the city of Madrid. If you use the scooter to go to work and run errands, it is a daily distance greater than that of the average user (if you are not a delivery person, of course). Since I cannot drive two scooters at the same time, the routes were made at different times, that is, they are not the same traffic conditions stricto sensu, but the distance is enough to draw reliable conclusions.
The tour begins and ends at the same point, a service station on Calle María de Molina heading south, looking for the Puerta de Alcalá, Atocha Station, Puerta de Toledo, Royal Palace, Plaza de España, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium , Civitas Metropolitano Stadium, Las Ventas bullring and return to the service station, crossing old Madrid and crossing ring roads. A little bit of everything.
Electric scooter vs scooter 125: The results
To reach any conclusion we needed a unit of measurement. The price per kilometer seems the most appropriate, because it can be extrapolated to the different routes. But it must also be clear that, to arrive at the price per kilometer, a value must be assigned to some variables, such as the price of gasoline and the price of electricity, whether it is the Acciona Battery Station rate or the that you have contracted in your house. As you can see, in some cases we can give you figures for a specific moment, but in all cases you will be able to get an idea of where the shots are going.
It is curious that, after the route, the figure recorded on the odometers of both motorcycles differs by almost 2 kilometers in distance, almost 5%; As a margin of error, it is quite a lot. Neither of the two figures coincided with the almost 40 kilometers that Google Maps indicates it is. Ultimately, we cannot know which of the three is correct, if any, because we also do not know from which point to which point Google measures when measuring the distance between destinations. We will accept the figure of 40 kilometers as good.
We have calculated the annual cost of both motorcycles for users who travel 500 kilometers per month and for users who travel 1000 kilometers per month. In both cases there is a fixed annual inspection cost of €150 for the 125 (service, oil, filters and labor), which may vary depending on the brand, model or workshop. In the case of electricity, the annual review is priced at €60 per year in Silence. From here, the differences begin, because the increase in cost is linear in the case of the 125 cc, but not so in the Silence, since with the Silence Subscription Battery system, the energy of the first 4 recharges ( more than 500 km), it is free for the first three years.
The 125 cc scooter
In this case we have had a Suzuki Burgman 125. Calculating the cost per kilometer is simple: I fill the motorcycle and after the route, I fill it again. The amount that enters the tank will be what it has consumed for 40 kilometers. As only 1.33 liters entered the tank and 95 gasoline was €1.779 per liter on the day of the test, the 40 km cost €2.37. Divided by the 40 km of travel, it gives a cost of €0.059/km.
The annual cost of a 125, including inspection and fuel (taxes and insurance are not included, because they vary depending on location and driver) amounts to €505.50/year if 500 km are traveled per month. The cost increases to €861/year for 1,000 km/month.
Add the purchase cost of a 125 cc citizen scooter, which we can estimate at €3,000 on average. Including the purchase cost and traveling 500 km per month, we can estimate the cost over 1, 3 and 5 years at €3,505.50, €4,516.50 and €5,527.50 respectively. If we increase the mileage traveled to 1,000 km per month, the cost becomes €3,861 at 1 year, €5,583 at 3 years and €7,305 at 5 years.
The electric scooter
The Silence S01 and the Burgman finished the course with little difference in terms of time spent. After 40 kilometers in City mode, the Silence still had 51% of its battery capacity, but it is not so easy to calculate the cost per kilometer. because there are quite a few cases, depending on how much distance it is estimated to be traveled. If 500 kilometers are traveled per month, the cost per kilometer is €0 for the first three years (the first four recharges per month are free at Acciona Battery Stations). From there, there are monthly plans between €20 for three full cycle charges and €30 for six full charges. If you need more charges after the first 500 kilometers, you can go to the Acciona Battery Station, where a full cycle charge costs €5. Changing batteries only takes 30 seconds.
You can also choose to charge the motorcycle (or the removable battery) at home, in which case it will depend on the contracted rate, but it will never exceed (at current prices) €1 per recharge, probably less. It then depends on the charging mix we carry out if we exceed 500 km per month. We will look for an average figure between the most expensive case (going to the Battery Station, faster but more expensive) or charging at home (slower, also cheaper).
Regarding the purchase price, the Silence S01 without battery (and attached to the Battery Subscription plan) costs €3,200. The Moves III Plan (until July 31) includes aid of up to €1,300 (if another vehicle is scrapped). Let’s say that the acquisition cost of the Silence S01 remains at €2,000. They are already €1,000 less than a 125 cc.
The annual cost of a Silence S01 that travels 500 km per month is €60, corresponding to the annual review, because you pay €0 for energy. It represents a saving of €445.50 compared to the 125 cc. If 1,000 km are traveled per month, the annual cost is €427.50, a saving of €433.50 per year compared to the 125 cc. If we look at the difference including the acquisition cost, the advantage increases by €1,000. The differences increase to €2,336 and €3,227 at 3 and 5 years respectively if we drive 500 km per month, acquisition cost included. If we talk about 1,000 km per month, the differences after 3 and 5 years are €2,300.50 and €3,167.50 respectively.
