Scotland’s first electric scooter company to open showroom at Dalry
A new electric moped company that promises up to 75 miles of green travel for just 50p of electricity charge has arrived in Edinburgh.
NIU has sold more than 1.5 million fully electric smart scooters across the globe, promising an environmentally friendly solution for urban travellers.
Owned by Ross Anderson, the Dalry showroom opened at the end of last year and is the first fully electric scooter company in Scotland.
Ross, 33, from Leith said: "It probably wasn't the best time to open the showroom as we only had three weeks of trading before we were plunged into lockdown again but the initial response to the scooters has been great.
"My last few customers were all staff at Edinburgh Royal Infimary who needed a way to get to work at all hours and avoid the expensive parking charges around the hospital.
"NIU Scooters are charged by just a standard home plug point and they can go for up to 75 miles on one charge. There's added bonuses that parking for scooters in city centres is free and plentiful plus the compact design means they can navigate the narrow city streets easily."
The scooters start from just £27 per month to purchase, with the starter model coming in at £1,996 and the bikes qualify for the UK wide initiative to pay 20 per cent of the vehicle cost through the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles fund.
The smart scooters link with an app on the driver's phone that gives feedback on habits, details how many miles are left before a charge is needed and acts as an anti-theft device, alerting when the vehicle is moved from the parking space.
Ross decided to bring NIU to Scotland after selling his successful Vapour Lounge business in 2019 and was looking for a new challenge.
He added: "It's quite a different business from the e-cigarettes, but I saw the potential and the real need for sustainable travel options.
“I started Vapour Lounge as I could see there was a gap in the market for the product and ended up with eight sites. But NIU Scooters is definitely a passion project.
“Greener travel is something I think we all need to consider and make steps to reduce our carbon footprint.
"After a few trips to European cities, I noticed how effective mopeds were for urban travel in beating congestion and giving people the ability to move more freely around their city.
"In Amsterdam they actually have dedicated lanes for mopeds and motorcycles which got me thinking that this concept could work in Scottish cities that are plagued with congestion and astronomical parking charges."
Edinburgh has just introduced parking charges on Sunday, however mopeds can park for free.
Ross added: “Electric cars are expensive and charge points can be hard to find plus many Edinburgh residents live in flats and installing a home charge point isn't possible. The NIU scooters are charged from a standard plug and it costs around 25p to 50p to charge the unit.
"I want to make green travel possible for people that need their own travel source but don't want to spend £30,000 on an electric car."
Ross will re-open the showroom at 74 Dalry Road on April 5 by appointment only.
More information and appointments can be booked on niuedinburgh.com
You can read the full article online here -
https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/business/scotlands-first-electric-scooter-company-to-open-showroom-at-dalry-3188205
