Electric scooters are everywhere in much of Europe and Asia, but they’ve always remained something of an oddity in the US market. While American riders have recently embraced electric bicycles and, to a measurably smaller extent, electric motorcycles, traditional seated scooters have struggled to gain traction in North America. Now San Francisco-based HMP Bikes is hoping to change that with its new HMP Flash, a high-performance electric scooter designed from the ground up for riders who rack up serious mileage.
Unlike many electric two-wheelers that focus on recreational riding, the Flash was designed with delivery riders in mind. That means an emphasis on practical features like real-world range, fast charging, removable batteries, and durability.
In addition to boasting a highway-capable 75 mph (120 km/h) top speed, perhaps the biggest figure for everyday commuter riders is the 70-mile (112 km) tested range. HMP says that figure comes from real-world riding on San Francisco city streets with a 200 lb (91 kg) rider and an approximately 80/20 split for city/highway riding. The company notably points out that it only publishes tested numbers instead of optimistic laboratory estimates.
Performance is also well beyond what most Americans think of when they hear “electric scooter.” For example, compared to the more urban-only moped-style entrants in the market, the Flash’s top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) places it firmly in electric motorcycle territory. In HMP’s home state of California, the company notes that the Flash is registered as a motorcycle, meaning riders will need an M1 motorcycle license and a DOT-approved helmet.
The two-seater scooter is available in either single- or dual-battery configurations. The removable battery packs each store 3.3 kWh, with the dual-battery version offering a total capacity of 6.6 kWh to achieve that 70-mile (112 km) max range figure.
Buyers can also choose whether to equip the scooter with an onboard 2 kW charger that uses a J1772 charging connector, allowing charging directly on the scooter. HMP says that configuration can recharge the dual-battery model from 20% to 80% in around two hours. Alternatively, owners can remove the batteries for off-bike charging or use the included 840 W portable charger from a standard household outlet.
Pricing starts at $4,799 for the single-battery model without the onboard charger and reaches $5,999 for the fully-optioned dual-battery version equipped with the integrated charger.
Beyond the drivetrain, HMP has packed in an impressive list of standard equipment. ABS brakes, traction control, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a built-in dash cam, keyless start, center stand for stable parking, and a rear cargo rack all come standard.
Heated grips are also included on versions equipped with the onboard charger, while IoT GPS tracking and a companion app are planned for a future update.
Electrek’s Take
I’ve always thought it was a shame that electric scooters never really caught on in the US the way they have across Europe and Asia. My wife and I use a Gogoro scooter as our daily driver, and it’s great for the city and for hopping on urban highways. We can park anywhere for free, and our “fuel” costs for the month are less than the cost of a cup of coffee.
There’s something incredibly practical about the scooter format. You get water protection for your legs (no splashing when you hit a puddle), a comfortable upright seating position, built-in storage opportunities, and a step-through frame that’s easy to hop on and off dozens of times a day. It’s no surprise that delivery riders around the world gravitate toward scooters, and designing an electric model specifically for that kind of high-mileage, hard-use riding seems like a smart approach. Plus, it means that the rest of us who use it for normal commuting instead of all-day deliveries know it will be overbuilt for us.
The US market has largely skipped over scooters and gone straight from e-bikes to motorcycles, leaving a fairly significant gap in the middle. That’s especially true for electric models. There simply aren’t many highway-capable electric scooters available here, making the HMP Flash a fairly unique offering. The only other reasonably available alternative in the US market is the BMW CE04, a nice scooter, but one that costs nearly US $13,000. At around a third of the price, the HMP Flash has a lot going for it.
Will it become a mainstream success? That’s hard to say. Americans have historically turned a blind eye to scooters, while e-bikes have filled much of the urban mobility niche. But as cities continue looking for cleaner and more efficient transportation options and some commuters look for the ease and comfort of e-bikes combined with higher speeds for faster roads, I wouldn’t be surprised if products like the Flash start carving out a larger audience.
If nothing else, it’s refreshing to see another company trying something different in a US electric two-wheeler market that could certainly use a bit more variety.
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