Four years ago, designer Andrew Davidge started building electric bikes in his parents? garage in California, helped by a couple of friends. Today, he runs a Silicon Valley company with 15 employees, a permanent factory in Santa Clara, and a global dealer network stretching from England to New Zealand.
In the tumultuous world of electric transportation, that?s a success story. Davidge puts it down to selling bikes that put a smile on the faces of their owners?like this new ?Scrambler.?

Let?s get one thing straight, right away: the Vintage Electric Scrambler is not designed to replace your Harley-Davidson Road King. It?s designed for short commutes, scooting over to a friend?s house on a sunny evening, or zooming down a twisty fire road.
The heart of the bike is a 702 watt-hour lithium battery, housed in a tough casing sand cast just up the road in San Jose, CA. It takes around two hours to recharge, at an estimated cost of 18 cents.
Boosted by a regenerative braking system, you get a range of 35 miles (56 kilometers) in the regular ?Street Mode,? which has a top speed of 20 miles an hour (32 kph). That might seem slow?heck, it is slow?but it means that the Scrambler can be ridden on public roads in the USA and EU without a license.
At the flick of a switch, you can enter ?Race Mode,? which engages a 3,000 watt rear hub motor and takes you up to 40 mph. But that?s only for when you?re on private property.

The specs are good: a lightweight hydro formed aluminum frame...