Charge to experience

Craned necks, puzzled stares, pointed fingers, quizzical looks… I was slow enough to see them, but fast enough to escape. A kid on a mountain bike got alongside me as I did about 15 kph on the main subdivision road somewhere in Cainta. He did a once over and seemed to want to ask me something, even as he tried his darnedest to look uninterested.

Yeah, right.

I squeezed down on the throttle. The blue vehicle whined in satisfaction and zoomed faster. Goodbye, kid.

Later, my cousins, mom, titos, titas, lolo, and even girlfriend got in the act and tried out the Mini Off Road — everyone in agreement of the utter enjoyment of the experience.

That’s pretty much how a Saturday afternoon aboard a four-wheel Smart Bikes Mini Off Road went. I enjoyed the fresh air and unfamiliar scenery even more sans exhaust fumes and the roar of an engine. I was having a blast and doing something for the cause of global warming and air and noise pollution.

Imagine, for 800 kilometers you use the e-bike, you save some 95 liters of gas, even as you prevent 3.42 pounds of hydrocarbons, 1.77 pounds of nitrogen oxides, and a whopping 25.28 pounds of carbon monoxide from being released into the air. So there.

You see, Smart Bikes models are totally electric — in the literal and figurative sense. Plug them into a standard 220-volt socket for four to six hours, then hop aboard and zoom off in style and head-turning abandon.

"It’s perfect for destinations too far to walk and too near to drive," says Benedict Go, GM of Hummer Philippines, Inc., exclusive Smart Bikes distributor. The units are made in Taiwan and China, and the brand is proudly Canadian. "These are the exact same units you’d see in Canada and the US, so we can vouch for their quality."

Electric bikes fall under a category called light electric vehicles (LEVs) — designed for the transportation of a single person, plus limited cargo. As one would expect, range is limited (below 50 kilometers), but this is something that can be addressed by a spare battery (around P4,500). And besides, one doubts that the electric bike was ever conceived to drive among the smoke-belching buses on EDSA.

Benedict Go first imported and distributed Smart Bikes some two years ago, after he and dad Bernard saw the Taiwan factory where the electric bikes were made. They knew the product would click in the Philippines. And they were right.

What started as a novel toy for kids has now become a transportation and recreational vehicle for all ages. While Benedict avers that the Smart Bike is not a replacement for the automobile, children of all ages have found an engaging pastime in riding the battery-powered machines while outstretching a middle finger to skyrocketing fuel prices.

Not surprisingly, the Smart Bikes have become stars in exhibits and fairs as well. And because Smart Bikes are emissions-free, a whole world of applications — and playgrounds — has been opened to owners.

Even seasoned auto racers have ordered bikes to cover the distance from their car to their pits. A number of the elderly benefit from the Smart Bikes as they go malling in hip style. The top-selling Torq Bike has seen both recreational and functional uses on village roads and the factory floor. "Supervisors find it a great way to make rounds in factories," shares Benedict.

Go even donated a couple of Torq Bikes to the San Juan Police department — surely a gas-saving boost to the cause of crime fighting.

Then there’s the story of a whole family, yaya included, who all bought Smart Bikes — riding in convoy in their exclusive village.

And the most unforgettable story of them all for Benedict: "Someone told me that the bike is perfect for transporting a case of beer," he says with a laugh.

According to Smart Bikes, the Mini Off Road can cover approximately 20 kilometers on a single charge, and reach 20 kph. It runs on a 450-watt motor, which in turn gets its juice from a sealed 36-volt lead acid battery. The tough frame can bear a human payload of up to 90 kilograms, even as it tips the scales at only 45 kilograms.

Its ATV-like wheels provide great grip that can accommodate some amateur off-road adventures. I coaxed the bike successfully on some pretty challenging grades and surfaces, and it performed well. It willingly climbed sidewalks, too. I learned to conquer some understeer by leaning when I made gnarly-tight turns.

But it is best used on village roads if you have to run a short errand to, say, the neighborhood sari-sari store on pandesalan. Surprisingly, the Mini Off Road takes speed bumps well — provided you don’t go taking them at full throttle, of course.

The Mini Off Road’s steering is limited in tall riders as you find the handlebars squarely hitting your legs on extreme turns. And don’t go expecting a full-on off roader, especially if the battery charge dips. But overall, it’s certainly a good buy at P42,000 (the most expensive of the Smart Bikes line; the cheapest is the P22,000 Scoot Bike).

The Smart Bikes brand has a diverse array of models for every application or inclination. There’s even the miniature Race Bike that looks like a bonsai Ducati. Benedict says it can reach 50 kph in its purely electric glory. There are some scooter look-alikes, too, which often befuddle law enforcers when owners take them to national roads. "In reality, Smart Bikes should be treated as a bicycle. Even if I had wanted them registered, we can’t because there’s no engine. And because there’s no engine, there’s no motor number."

So that means you’re covered if your friendly neighborhood MMDA traffic enforcer asks you why your Smart Bike doesn’t have plates.

Still, use your electric bike with extreme caution on public roads, if at all. They’re really at home on safer village roads — even if they come with headlights and a mean Road Runner honk.

It’s easy to forget that your Smart Bike is a toy, and easy to forget, too, that gas now costs an arm and a leg.

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For more information, call Hummer Philippines at 714-65-00 or 713-1998 or visit www.hummerphilippines.com.