3 greener ways to get around town
PUBLISHED July 2nd, 2014 11:04 am | UPDATED March 26th, 2019 06:16 pm
We’ve all had that moment when we’re stuck in an endless traffic jam, late for a meeting or dinner with a new date. Cycling around on a bike is out of the question, because well, what kind of impression would showing up all sweaty and smelly make? Instead, check out these trendy and environmentally-friendly forms of personal transport that are all round greener ways to travel in Singapore.
MYWAY Quick
Developed by local company Falcon PEV, the MYWAY Quick Electric Scooter is a compact and lightweight vehicle that works in both manual and electric mode, the latter allowing you to travel up to 25km at 17km/hr on a single charge. The MYWAY can be used recreationally, designed to take on the hard knocks of the road, equipped with front calliper and rear disc brakes for more security and control. Weighing at 14.5kg, it can be easily folded within seconds to bring up a bus or train. And have we mentioned how stylish it looks (just take a look at the above picture!)? Take that, hipsters.
The MYWAY Quick costs $2000 is available in two colour ways. Head down for a test drive at Falcon PEV’s showroom at 780 Upper Serangoon Road, #02-03 Choon Kim House, Singapore 534649. Contact them at 6774 7518 or see their Facebook page here.
Wheelie
Mention ‘unicycle’ to most people and the first thing that comes to their mind are probably circus troupes, when in fact, the modern unicycles of today are quite different. The Wheelie (a rather strange-looking wheel) is an electric unicycle with a self-stabilised gyroscope, which means to move, all you need is to lean forward to move ahead and lean backwards to slow down or stop going—its maximum speed is 18km/hr. Designed and customised by a group of electric unicycle enthusiasts who call themselves the Wheelies (duh), its small design makes it convenient to carry around anywhere in Singapore — parks, offices etc. Learning to balance takes a little time, but master it and you’ll soon be laughing at those who need two wheels on their bikes.
The Wheelie costs $850 and is available in black or white from the local Wheelies Facebook group here. The community offers training packages and organise weekly activities for customers. Contact them at [email protected].
YikeBike
At first glance, the YikeBike looks like something out of a sci-fi film. Weighing just 10.8kg, the YikeBike is the smallest folding electric bike in the world, with the ability to fold up or unfold in just 20 seconds and travel at 23km/hr. It looks difficult — it actually looks like a reverse bicycle due to its ‘front-wheel drive’—but is actually remarkably easy to learn. You perch on the seat, grasp two ends of the handlebar lightly and squeeze the trigger on the right to move and the other on the left to stop. Before you know it, you’ll feel like you’re floating on air.
The YikeBike costs $4950 for an aluminium frame version and $6950 for a lighter carbon fibre frame version and is available at FSG Mobility Concepts, 28 Jalan Kilang Barat, Singapore 159362. Contact them at 6276 1929 or see their website here.
Note: We recommend that the above mobility devices be ridden responsibly and safely on pedestrian walkways, park connectors, and recreational areas away from fast-moving traffic on public roads.
Written by Grimlay
