Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SMARTEST WAY TO GET AHEAD AT UNI
With fuel prices showing no sign of slowing down, sales of electric two wheelers continue to rise.
Figures for April from the Motorcycle Industry Association show a 68% hike in battery-powered bike registrations in the year so far, compared to 2021.
Leading the field in electric sales are machines in the 1-4kw category – the equivalent of 50cc. Bikes this size are much more affordable than bigger electrics. They are also primarily bought by new, younger riders who have no attachment to the combustion engine.
New to the 1-4kw market is this CU Mini by leading electric bike maker Super Soco. It’s a great-looking little step-through scooter, powered by a 600w motor. It can be ridden by 16-year-olds, as a learner, or if you got your full car licence before 2001.
It is aimed at first-time and younger riders, with the folk at Super Soco touring unis this year extolling its virtues.
And what are they? Well, it’s the best-priced machine in its category at just £1,699. It’s extremely rider-friendly and easy to use, with keyless ignition, a built-in alarm and tracking capability. It has LED lighting and a good-sized LED dash with speed, odometer and battery percentage meter.
Ride position and the seat are comfortable. It’s very light, at just 50kg, 7kg of which are taken up by the 1.1kw battery. This can be easily lifted out and plugged into an ordinary socket via the charger.
Range is around 25 miles. That doesn’t sound much, but this scoot is intended for short jaunts into town – like from your student digs to that lecture you should have been at 10 minutes ago.
Charging from 15% to 100% takes three hours. As with all mopeds, top speed is restricted to 28mph.
I’ve ridden all of Super Soco’s range and have been impressed. But I was disappointed here. Whereas the others are lightning quick off the mark, with instant torque, the CU Mini was surprisingly slow to pick up speed. It struggles with gradients and on one steep section dropped to below 10mph. It still beats walking and perhaps my expectations were too high.
It’s cheaper than some e-bicycles, low-maintenance and with virtually no running costs – especially if you charge it at uni. For short, relatively flat journeys it’s a lightweight, easy-to-use, affordable option.