{"id":3229,"date":"2025-10-30T07:36:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T07:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markus-schall.de\/?p=3229"},"modified":"2026-01-04T18:54:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T18:54:52","slug":"future-with-charger-mr-von-loreot-buys-an-e-scooter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markus-schall.de\/en\/2025\/10\/future-with-charger-mr-von-loreot-buys-an-e-scooter\/","title":{"rendered":"Future with a charger - Mr. von L'oreot buys an e-scooter"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was one of those quiet mornings when the sun shone through the fine curtains of my study and the smell of freshly brewed Darjeeling mingled with that of newspaper ink - a smell that always reminds me of the orderly times when paper was still considered the carrier of thought and not the packaging for bananas.<\/p>\n

As usual, I had neatly arranged my breakfast: two slices of gray bread, butter in a geometric arrangement, and a boiled egg with the familiar crack that always appears in the same place - a mystery that even progress cannot explain.<\/p>\n

Turning to the third page, between a report on the promotion of sustainable mobility and an advertisement for protein-enriched insect bars, my eyes were caught by a headline:<\/p>\n

\"With small wheels to the big turnaround.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The article praised the future of urban transportation in those words that always carry the tone of promise, but rarely that of reason. There was talk of climate targets, mobility concepts and a new freedom on two electric wheels.<\/p>\n

I put the spoon aside, adjusted my glasses and thought:<\/p>\n

\"A means of transportation with a rechargeable battery... that certainly sounds forward-looking.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

A sentence that I uttered quietly and almost solemnly - as if I were extending an invitation to modernity itself.<\/p>\n

\"Mr.<\/p>\n

Act I - The idea for modernization<\/h2>\n

Scene 1: The decision<\/h3>\n

It was a clear morning, and the rustling of the newspaper had faded away, when the thought formed in my mind to no longer just watch progress, but to go against it - even if on wheels of modest size.<\/p>\n

I decided to cover my daily 750 meters to the bakery on an e-scooter in future. An act of adaptation, so to speak. After all, they say, saving the world always starts on your own doorstep.<\/p>\n

The thought flattered me. I imagined how I would glide past the row of parked cars - gracefully and ecologically correct - while the neighbors nodded approvingly.<\/p>\n

\"Well then\"<\/em>I noted in my diary,<\/p>\n

\"if mankind is rolling electrically into the future, I don't want to be stuck in neutral.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

I opened the catalog that was thrown at me from the Internet like a shiny trade fair of the future:<\/p>\n

EcoCruiser Urban 2.1 - in pale green.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The name sounded trustworthy. Pale green<\/em> - a color that, I thought, was perfect for showing an unobtrusive attitude. The model promised \"sustainable materials\", \"European production\" and \"climate-neutral packaging\".<\/p>\n

I ordered. Without hesitation.<\/p>\n

I wrote in my diary:<\/p>\n

\"Ordered on March 14, 11:37 am. Model: EcoCruiser Urban 2.1 - in pale green. You want to set an example.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

Then I folded up the newspaper, opened the window and looked out onto the street. A quiet smile came over me. It was the quiet triumph of joining in - that rare moment when you think the world is moving because you are doing it yourself.<\/p>\n

I drank the last sip of tea and thought:<\/p>\n

\"Well done - let's give the future a spin.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Mr.<\/p>\n

Act II - The arrival of the future<\/h2>\n

Scene 2: Delivery & unpacking<\/h3>\n

Six weeks later, on one of those unspectacular Tuesdays when even the clock seems to yawn, it arrived - the future. A truck stopped in front of my house, so big that I initially assumed the driver wanted to deliver the new bypass personally.<\/p>\n

The man in the orange vest placed a package in the hallway, the size of which was strikingly disproportionate to the announced contents.<\/p>\n

\"Scooter\"<\/em>he said tersely, as if the word carried enough weight to explain itself. Then he disappeared before I could scribble my signature in the electronic box, which probably consumed more electricity than my new contribution to sustainability would ever save.<\/p>\n

I looked at the box in awe. Two layers of polystyrene, carefully wrapped in plastic banderoles, their sheen almost festive in the morning light.<\/p>\n

A piece of paper fell to the floor. Operating instructions<\/em> - in Chinese.<\/p>\n

Including an English supplement: \"Final Assembly in EU\"<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I nodded.<\/p>\n

\"Well - at least it's final\"<\/em>I mumbled.<\/p>\n

Unpacking took longer than it had taken mankind to invent the diesel. I found screws, a bell that looked like a medical instrument and a charger that reminded me of old television aerials.<\/p>\n

Plus a plug that was obviously designed for another continent.<\/p>\n

I looked for the adapter - found it in a small bag, lovingly wrapped in three layers of plastic.<\/p>\n

After an hour, I sat on my sofa, the manual in front of me, and tried to make sense of the device.<\/p>\n

\"Charging process: 8-10 hours before use. Temperature range: ideal between 22 and 24 degrees.\"<\/em><\/p>\n

I put the device in the hallway, next to the umbrella stand. The battery should rest overnight, like a pilgrim before setting off.<\/p>\n

I made a note in my diary:<\/p>\n

\"Day 43 of the future: packaging larger than the contents. Energy consumption: estimated at half a power socket.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Mr.<\/p>\n

Scene 3: First exit<\/h3>\n

The next morning, the sky was that kind of pale blue that promises nothing but demands nothing. I pushed the scooter out onto the sidewalk - it whirred quietly as if to whisper to me: I'm ready to save the world.<\/p>\n

I climbed up, groping, dignified, trying to maintain an attitude between exploratory spirit and balance.<\/p>\n

A quick press of the button - and the appliance started moving.<\/p>\n

It buzzed, no, it hummed - in the kind of pitch that is otherwise only familiar from electric toothbrushes.<\/p>\n

The first few meters were promising. I glided - or rather, I tried to glide - past the front gardens. The neighbor's cat looked after me in astonishment, which I took as a silent sign of social acceptance.<\/p>\n

But after just a few minutes, the battery light started to flash. Red. The first indication that progress also needs breaks.<\/p>\n

I reached the bakery, rolled onto the sidewalk with a deliberate whir and parked the scooter.<\/p>\n

The baker, a woman of that friendly realism that you only find in old trades, looked up.<\/p>\n

\"Oh, Mr. von L'oreot! I thought you usually walked so beautifully.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I raised my index finger as if to chisel a thought.<\/p>\n

\"Today\"<\/em>I said, \"I wanted to try out the future.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She laughed. It wasn't a mocking laugh, but one of those honest ones that have survived through the generations. I ordered my sandwich, paid in cash - out of old habit - and looked through the shop window at the little green scooter standing there like an exotic bird that had strayed into the wrong climate zone.<\/p>\n

\n

Current survey on electromobility<\/h3>\n
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Which electric vehicles do you already have experience with?<\/h5><\/div>