Drivers turn to electric scooters

As cost-of-living pressures rise, drivers are increasingly turning to electric scooters as a cheap and sustainable mode of transport.

Hayley Middleton from Brendale’s Scooter Society says they are also fun and easy to ride.

She and her mechanic husband Matt launched their business in July 2022, keen to embrace the technology they believe has enormous potential.

“We were thinking about the future of automotive and the transition to electric over the next 15-20 years. This along with the growing population and increasing road congestion, we just wanted to get into something that was part of that electric mobility up-and-coming industry,” Hayley explains.

“The quality is excellent. Matt had researched many different brands over many months and found that with Bosch motors, Samsung and LG batteries and two-year or 10,000km warranty, Benzina Zero is set apart from other manufacturers’.

“We believe that one of the best features is the versatility.. There are 14 different attachments you can get – different baskets, boxes, surfboard racks, seats to make it a two-person ride … giving so many ways people can personalise to suit their own style and purpose from an Uber Eats rider to a couple who like to picnic at the beach”.

Scooter Society is Moreton Bay region’s only authorised Benzina Zero electric scooter dealer.

Unlike old-school mopeds and petrol-powered scooters, electric scooters are low-maintenance, zero-emission vehicles. Benzina means ‘zero fuel’ in Italian but the brand and model range have been designed in Queensland for the Australian lifestyle.

They have powerful disc brakes for quick, on demand stopping; light-weight frames for agile handling; and bright, sleek LED lighting to ensure these quiet vehicles are easily seen by other motorists.

Where can you ride them?

The scooters are registered to be ridden on the road, obeying the same rules as all other vehicles. Another key consideration factor is that Riders only need a standard car licence to operate most models in the range for example the Duo model which goes a top speed of 50km/h.

The Duo+ model has a top speed of 65km/h in which Riders do need a motorcycle licence to operate this faster, more powerful model.

“When you look at suburban speed limits or coastal roads, the speed limits have reduced significantly to 40km/h and 50km/h so realistically you would never go faster than that anyway,” Hayley says.

“When you look at commuters in the city, they’re never going to go over 50km/h … during peak times from Eatons Hill to the city I don’t think I would go over 40km/h in my car.

“It is an alternative if people want to have a sustainable transport option, which costs as little as 86 cents per 100km. You can’t even compare it to fuel.

“From an overall running costs perspective, there’s next to none because they don’t require a whole lot of servicing either. It’s just once a year they get a battery and tyre check.”

Range or uses

The scooters can be attached to the back of caravans, RVs or utilities and are a handy mode of transport for people travelling who need something small and easy for sight-seeing and shopping.

Weighing in at only 87kg, making them easy to manoeuvre – even for those with small builds.

Hayley says the scooters are a great option for people who are living by the water or in built-up areas where parking can be scarce.

“For people who have never ridden before, it only takes them 10 minutes to learn. We give people half an hour or hour-long lessons when they purchase so they feel comfortable and making sure they are 100 per cent confident before they take to the road,” she says.

Most of the scooters cost about $5500 ride-away, with the vespa-style City model priced about $4500.

They are easy to charge, plugging in to a standard power point and taking three hours to charge from empty to full charge.

“To put the charge time into perspective, If you’re just running errands or you’re going to work that’s 5km away, you might only even have to charge it once a fortnight,” Hayley says.

Find out more

Scooter Society’s showroom is at Unit 4, 21 Deakin St, Brendale.

For more information, head to the website or phone (07) 3487 2600.