switched from gas to electric

usabikemotors.com sells electric motor kits i know they are very reliable they have a couple of their trikes converted in to gas and electric combine

For simple and cheap the friction drive is the way to go. On mile will be a snap.

Best deal today (going fast) is experimental

Cheapest way is to DIY. Direct drive (chain/belt) is more efficient than friction drive and not really more complicated to built. Since you going from gas to E , I'm assuming that you already have some mechanic skills (ie some minor welding, drilling and screwing) . One mile round trip is achievable with almost anything (even battery drill - properly geared). Kits (new) are upwards $200 (batteries not included) , so you can try to find something second-handed (less money than new and always can be upgraded). SLA are OK for your requirements and won't be much heavy , since you don't really need more than 10-12 AH (and that is a overkill). You can use 24 V system (if you don't need it to go faster than man in a hurry) , but better 36 V system , because you can use less powerful controller (less amps), therefore longer battery life (in your case , batteries will probably die of old age , not from number of cycles).

Cabinfever, I'm with Happy Jack 100% when he says www.ebikes.com. Of course I live 35 miles away but what can you say about a guy that answers your e-mail that you send at 10:30 at night, with in 15 minutes and answers every question you ask in great detail.
There were a lot of questions.

His staff are first rate and knowledgeable as he is. Not inexpensive but I bought the after sales service and it is there in a huge amount. No Chinglish and they have worked with the manufacturers to produce a great product.

My thoughts anyway and welcome to the electric side.

Steve.

chop off the back end and bolt it to the frame you will be up and running in no time

Interesting idea. A combo trike and scooter. The motors and wheels I use are a complete drive unit from a scooter. In other words the motor is attached to the rear wheel. If you rigged up an axle to go into the fork of the rear wheel put a one front scooter wheel on one end and the drive assembly on the other, you should have it. A very stable scooter that would do about ten miles an hour.

You know what would be even better. the supported on both sides trailer with the front of it slipped into the rear forks of the scooter then welded into place. Then you would have a little cargo area. I would like to have one of those myself to run to the park. Jack it up to 36v so the hills wouldn't be impossible to do and you would have something even usable here where I live.

Interesting idea for sure. Has anyone checked APAX ? It is a trike , but narrow and (because of soft tails) it can lean on the corners. Variation on that concept could be made relatively easy.

This is what I had in mind.. ...

But with a scooter frame not a bike. just make a longer scooter jack it up to 36v and off you go. I wonder how long it would be before I got a ticket. You could use all tread for the connector of the two wheel frames and then just make the bolts fit the rear fork. I would then weld it of course to make sure it didn't shake loose but probably wouldn't even need to do that since the wheels don't come off. with the schwinn scooters the motor is attached to the axle of the wheel so no chain to run.

Now I got this 600 watt motor on a spare rhino drive... What if I switched the scooter wheel for a small bike wheel. I have done that before for my pusher trailer so I know how to do it. Pick up two cheap 16" thrift store bikes. Use 16" wheels off the cheap thrift shop bikes and make a scooter no drive pedals. just like we are talking about. Put a cruiser seat on it and see how long it takes the cops to stop me lol Would have to weld the crank in place to use for foot rests. Not to mention to fool the police.

Front wheel caliper brake with cable. I have some big handlebar sets lol/ Run that lil mutha with 36v to make it 900 watts. Heck with that rear end design I could put caliper brakes on all three wheels. Talk about stable. It would be a really low center of gravity vehicle.

CF thanks for the idea. I think I just might build it... I have previously built all the pieces I would just have to put them together is all. I wonder if I should go with a 12.5 inch childrens bike wheels on the rear lol. Really be a strange looking beast then.

If I'm not going to pedal it, I can put the axle farther back between the wheels let the two rear wheel frames move up the scooter some.

Don't think that your speed would alert a snail crossing your path , let alone police. No matter how many wheels.

It's the lack of pedals that throw it out of the ebike status. E scooters are not allowed on the roads here I'm pretty sure.

So go over side walk...How motorized wheelchairs fit in the regulations? There are ones similar to quads (well , with a bit of imagination) , and I sow people driving it in the shopping malls . You have medical excuse to use such a vehicle (and you can claim that whatever you ride, it is just that - motorized transportation for partially disabled person - you never go fast with your devices anyway). Or, check out do you need some sort of certificate from doctor or whatever . **** ,than you can even park it on space reserved for disabled persons.
We have here similar regulations , but nobody pays any attention to it. Those regulations are purely invented to fill up the budget (although ,those regulations have some sort of official reason/excuse for their existence).

well those medical chair are not supposed to be on the road either. The bicycle has a special place in the law. The automobile has a place in the law, as does the motorcycle and more recently the moped. Each has a definition that makes it a motor vehicle even the unmotored bicycle.

However a wheelchair, and electric scooter, a medical scooter, a riding lawn mower they are all NOT motor vehicle and are not legal to have on the road. Cops don't really pay much attention, but they could. We have people in this neighborhood who ride their lawn mower to the grocery store, I think, but they are breaking the law.

There is no medical exemption for a medical scooter, lawnmower, child's scooter, or wheel chair they are not supposed to be on the roads period. That said most of the people who use them, just ignore the law and nobody bothers them because it's too much trouble, unless they have an accident then they are in trouble.

I try to obey the laws even the ones that don't get enforced. When there is no respect for the small laws it just encourages people to disregard any law they don't like.

I think if I built the three wheel e scooter, I could call it an e moped scooter and get away with it. I don't think a moped has to have pedals anymore. However there are new regulations coming soon to require licensing and registration of them I think. State needs the money and once there is a high profile accident with a moped at fault with no insurance, and none do, then they will be able to pass anything they want.

I agree with most of what you say about laws (but not with all of it).Anyway it is political views and waaay of topic , so I'll post next with some commentary or idea in connection with this thread.
And I still think that some sort of trike is a good idea.