Three years after their debut Kickstarter campaign, e-scooter brand TAUR has launched their second e-scooter: the TAUR II. At the time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign has surpassed its target of £19,663 with first deliveries expected in May 2024.
The TAUR II will be released in two versions: the TAUR II and the TAUR II Plus (the more premium version). The biggest difference between the two is the battery size and estimated range, which for the II is 415Wh and offers up to 27 miles. The II Plus comes with a 620Wh battery which is said to offer up to 39 miles of range.
Each scooter will be tuned to meet local regulations, which means while in the US the speed may be capped higher, in the UK, they will only be allowed to assist up to 15.5mph – the same as for electric bikes.
The TAUR II will retain the brand’s ‘foot platform’ design, which allows riders to stand on the scooter with both feet side by side to enhance stability. This also means bigger wheels can be used. TAUR has partnered with Unilli to create wide 12.5” tyres to promote comfort especially on pothole-laden roads. Other additions include indicators and a rear light which shines a light up the rider’s back so that drivers can see them more clearly in the dark.
The drive system is a rear-wheel motor which is paired with a planetary gearbox. This is said to offer better acceleration and more help up those pesky hills. The cockpit is equally as sleek, with a built-in Quad Lock mount for your smartphone as well as a 5 LED display which shows the scooter’s battery level.
For UK users, all these stats are well and good, but what does it matter if you’re not allowed you use the e-scooter on the streets? (If you're not up to speed on the law surrounding e-scooters, have a read of our guide to e-scooters and the law in the UK.) Well, TAUR has offered to pay the fines of any customer reprimanded by the police.
CEO and co-founder of the company Richard Adey commented: “We will now reimburse fines for any customer who is stopped for riding their Taur scooter on UK roads. Electric scooters are part of the solution to the climate emergency and cost of living crisis and the government should be encouraging their use.”
UK law does not recognise privately-owned e-scooters as legal to operate on public roads, with only users of the various public sharing schemes allowed to do so. However, there has been plenty of talk around changing this.
The current government has been promising for several years now that it would take a decision to legalise e-scooters and in May 2022 announced that would happen in the next legislative session - only for the promised legislation to evaporate.
> E-scooter brand closes London store citing delay legalising e-scooters
In May of this year, Transport Minister Jesse Norman told the Transport Select Committee that his department still still needed more "non-pandemic large-scale e-scooter usage data" and more public consultation before drafting legislation.
In the meantime, e-scooters remain available for sale, despite manufacturers being given no clear guidance on safety standards. As ebiketips has previously reported, many in the British e-scooter industry have warned that investment is being “choked off” by the ongoing legislative uncertainty.
Several police forces around the country have cracked down on the use of e-scooters on public roads. However, in response to this, TAUR has offered to, “replace any TAUR scooter that is vandalised by the police.”
TAUR isn’t the first to openly call for privately owned e-scooters to be made legal, with Halfords suggesting the UK was “behind the curve” in terms of legalisation as long ago as February 2021.
The TAUR II will be priced from $995 (about £780) for the base model, and first deliveries are expected from May 2024. More information can be found in the TAUR II Kickstarter campaign.
