Taipei, Taiwan—KYMCO recently launched its new Ionex Electric Scooters at the Taipei Arena, Taiwan. On the heels of the modern day go-green movement, the company presented its plan and vision for the new wave of electric scooters. With their “Win My Heart” campaign that is said to be built on “distinctions, pride, and persistence,” KYMCO unveiled its platform for a greener and practical reality in electric scooters.
Starting off its portfolio with light-duty vehicles such as the New Many 110 EV and the Nice 110 EV, KYMCO proves its reputation in the electric scooter movement. The Ionex electric scooters feature several lithium type batteries in one unit. One is the core battery, which charges whichever of the other batteries needs charging while you’re on the go.
Weighing in at an ultra-lightweight 15kg, these batteries are not only stylish in design, but also are extremely light, miniature in design, and convenient to transport. It was also said that the Ionex battery system is convenient in that it lends a hefty amount of storage space when compared to similar electric scooters in the market. With a range of about 60km per battery, KYMCO made sure that distance is not an issue when it comes to customers’ hesitance to join the green movement. Furthermore, each battery would only take about an hour to charge if you’re in a hurry and need only a quick stopover.
KYMCO is targeting the stylish and young market with the New Many 100 EV and the light-duty vehicle market with the Nice 100 EV. The remaining goal of KYMCO’s projected portfolio is to unveil a total of 10 different types of Ionex-powered electric scooters and bikes for the medium- and heavy-duty market.
To further jump-start this movement, the company unveiled its Ionex Green Ready Community project. With the help of government subsidies, KYMCO initially plans to have around 1,500 charging bay stations throughout Taiwan, and then 2,000 by the end of 2018. Since each station is the size of just a small vending machine, there are planned charging stations across residential, tourist, and public transportation locations with the help of the aforementioned subsidies. These stations will offer a battery rental service, which lets you rent a battery for just US$10 (around P530).
KYMCO says it has held talks with other international markets to further the green movement to other countries around the world.
Lastly, to ensure its customers its utmost dedication to its product experience, KYMCO will offer consumers unprecedented warranty and service. Every Ionex electric scooter comes with a five-year core battery warranty and a 10-year power motor warranty. Meanwhile, to ensure its users don’t have to pay a high price for the riding mileage, every Ionex electric scooter comes with a lifetime-warranty personal rental battery. Monthly rental that comes with a 1,000km of basic riding mileage costs only $10.
Also, we were treated to another look at one of KYMCO’s other platforms, the Noodoe Navigation system. Noodoe, in simpler terms, is basically the electric scooter’s version of Waze, but more convenient for bike riders. Instead of just navigating the rider by telling them the distance until the next turn, the Noodoe Navigation system simply tells the rider how many stops until the rider will make a turn. The system allows riders simply to focus on the road. Noodoe Navigation system will be available as part of the Ionex electric scooters but is not a requisite.
We were treated to quite a trip as we got to not only be at the press launch but were also treated to a test ride of the Ionex scooter as well as a free visit to KYMCO’s headquarters in Kaoshiung.
Unfortunately, for this rider, I was unable to actually test-ride the Ionex electric scooter due to lack of experience and of frankly being unable to keep my balance upon starting the vehicle. But I was still amazed at how, lightweight, compact, stylish, and cool-looking the scooters were and how there was absolutely no sound that could be heard from the engine while it was in motion—which is another solution to noise-pollution that remains in congested cities. Not to mention how light, compact, and miniature the battery was upon close inspection.
We even got a press interview with KYMCO’s Chairman himself, Allen Ko, and President Danny Wang. We were definitely impressed by their commitment to KYMCO’s drive of its Win My Heart campaign as we could see their willingness and eagerness to win not just our hearts but the hearts of the world who wishes for a brighter and more eco-friendly future.
KYMCO’s Ionex New Many 100 EV is expected to be available in August. With the government subsidy considered, the prices consumers actually pay for the New Many 100 EV with Noodoe Navigation version and Standard versions can be as low as NT$47,800 (around P83,700) and $42,800 (around P74,900). The Nice 100 EV is expected to be available in October. With the government subsidy considered, the prices consumers actually pay can be as low as $29,800 (around P52,100).
