Motoring on the cheap: UGO electric scooters

It costs 15 cent to fill up aid It doesn’t need oil. It has zero Co2 emissions because it has no exhaust. Annual Road tax is €31 per year and you get 4000km for about €10. A shiny new one costs €1480 and there is no need to sit in traffic because this bad boy just nips around it. Is it a unicorn? Even better. It’s a UGO electric scooter.

UGO scooters look a lot like any other scooter, but that’s where the similarity ends. They are powered by a virtually silent electric motor which will transport you at a speed of up to 45km/h. Not much good for the Galway to Dublin commute, but faster than practically everything sitting in static city traffic.

The UGO’s low maintenance engine doesn’t require any petrol and there is oil involved. You plug it in and charge it like a lap-top or mobile phone. You don’t even need a special socket – they use the same 3 pin as your kettle. These could be the next big thing and councils in the main cities are putting in pay-as-you-go charge points all over the shop.

Trees and dolphins

The zero emissions aspect is great for the environment but let’s face it – your bank balance is more important than trees and dolphins and other such rubbish. The UGO’s lead acid battery takes eight hours to fully charge or you can opt for a three hour fast charge which will top you up as far as 80 per cent. And how much to fully juice your motor? 16 cent.  That 16 cent will then take you 65km before you need to plug in again. Motor insurance meanwhile is in the lowest bracket and car tax is a sensational €31 per annum.

They are super practical and turbo cheap, but they do look a little bit girly. Especially the pink one. That said, you can buy one new for €1480.00 and then can use the money you saved on gender reassignment surgery. Everybody’s happy. They come in a range of different colours, many of which are more gender neutral than the one with Phantom DJ and model Michelle Doherty drapped seductively across it.

If you buy one of these badboys UGO throw in a one-year warranty and one year roadside recovery. Could be helpful if you forget to charge the thing before going to bed. If you have the inner confidence to shrug off the stick you will get from your mates for driving one, then an UGO is a recession-busting must-have.

Robert Carry