There are hundreds of seated electric scooters out there these days, and many are hard to tell apart. But Barcelona-based Silence has made a name for itself with high-performance electric scooters that feature the company’s unique roll-along removable batteries. Now the company is teaming up with IRP Systems to upgrade the scooters for even better performance.
We’ve seen Silence’s electric scooters in action before, cruising Barcelona in style.
The scooters can reach highway speeds, which means they need big batteries to maintain decent range at higher speeds. The limiting factor for most electric scooter batteries is weight since riders often remove the batteries to carry indoors for charging. That’s especially true in cities where many riders live in apartments without a garage for charging.
A typical removable electric scooter battery will weigh up to 12 kg (26 lb), limiting them to between 1.5 to 2 kWh. But Silence has batteries with over 5 kWh of capacity. So how do they make such large batteries while still keeping them removable? By adding wheels so that riders can roll them inside without lifting them. The design includes an innovative latch that lets the wheels drop down like an ambulance gurney, meaning the rider never has to lift the weight of the battery.
As if that wasn’t innovative enough, Silence has now announced a new partnership with leading electric powertrain maker IRP Systems to further upgrade its vehicles.
Under the recently announced agreement, Silence will be incorporating IRP’s Dynamic 6 motor controllers into its scooters and other vehicles.
Eduardo Quesada, R&D Director in Silence, shared his thoughts on the partnership:
“The collaboration with IRP Systems has been very close for more than 3 years. Silence and IRP have jointly developed the new motor controller for our vehicles according to the highest safety and quality standards. Proof of the good results of the collaboration is the introduction of these controllers in our range of 4-wheel vehicles.”
Those four-wheeled vehicles Quesada is referring to are likely the new Silence S04, an electric quadricycle that takes the form of a microcar. It features a pair of offset seats, similar to a Citroën Ami, and uses two of Silence’s scooter batteries for power. Silence recently announced the start of the vehicle’s production.
The potential for inclusion of IRP’s motor controller in a variety of different platforms demonstrates the versatility of the design.
IRP Systems CEO Moran Price, shown below with the high-tech controller and a wide range of electric vehicle types powered by IRP’s technology, also spoke about the new partnership, adding that “IRP is very proud to join forces with Silence, Europe’s number 1 e-mobility provider. We are sure that together, the companies will deliver winning electric vehicles that will enable Silence to maintain and strengthen its dominance in the market”.
Keyword: Silence’s innovative rolling battery electric vehicles get a big new upgrade