In-Depth Analysis as to Why the Flux EM1 is the RVer's Local Ride

By: Matt Brueggeman (8 minute read)

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I never thought it made sense to drive a 4,000 pound vehicle a mile to get a quart a milk but at that time there was no other real option. A car was it. After graduating from college, I moved to Beijing, China where I lived for six years experiencing a completely different world. I saw that for many people the primary method of transportation was the electric moped which was more fun, more efficient, and way less expensive than a car. Consequently, I thought we could do that in the U.S. too! Based on that simple idea, Flux Mopeds was born.

 
 

TALKING WITH PEOPLE WAS THE FIRST STEP

We started by opening a dealership near downtown Madison, Wisconsin with the goal to sell but, more specifically, to explore how small electric vehicles would be received by the market. What we found could not have been more frustrating. We gave hundreds of test rides and each test ride ended basically the same way. “Congratulations on your new business. This is a fantastic idea and it is great for Madison (listing off various generic benefits for the town). I wish you the best of luck. I know you’ll be a great success!” With that we’d get a pat on the back and the person would leave never to be heard from again. After much consternation, we deduced that although people liked the idea of electric vehicles in general, the individuals we were speaking to did not have a specific problem in their life that needed a new solution.

 
 

A FATEFUL CONVERSATION HONED OUR FOCUS

Around that time, I received a phone call that turned out to be enlightening. The gentleman’s name was Dennis Siemsen and he was a doctor from Minnesota. He told me that he and his wife had purchased a motorhome (Winnebago Navion). It had been their dream for many years to be able to drop everything on a Friday after work, get in the RV and go have an adventure. They primarily camped at private campgrounds and they were looking for a way to cruise the backroads, explore new towns and ride around the campground to meet up with friends but couldn’t find a good way to do that. They tried towing a car once and it did not go well at all. Dennis said he felt really walled in because an RV can’t reverse when towing a car, which even forced him to unhook the car once when he got stuck and had to turn around. It also was more difficult and expensive to book a good campsite because he had a tow vehicle. He and his wife thought about e-bikes but didn’t feel comfortable riding on roads where they were not able to keep up with traffic. They looked into a golf cart too but decided against it because golf carts aren’t allowed at all campgrounds and are hard to tow. They even tried Uber for a while but the cost added up quickly and the service wasn’t available everywhere.

He was sort of at a loss. He said that although towing a vehicle was a challenge, breaking camp and driving the Winnebago just to get to town was a waste of time when they should be spending that time relaxing. He wanted to have the best of both worlds. He wanted to be more nimble without having to plan his driving routes like he did when he was towing a car, but he also wanted to carry a street-legal motor vehicle that would be fun to ride around and explore on. He thought the Flux EM1 could be a good fit.

At the time I didn’t know anything about the RV industry but that’s when I decided to start learning.

 
 

THERE IS A BETTER WAY FOR PEOPLE WHO RV TO GET AROUND SHORT DISTANCES

Over the years, we have interacted with RVers of all types to better understand the problems people are facing. We discovered that Dennis Siemsen’s experiences were quite common and when RVing, getting around short distances can be a pain. It doesn’t make sense to break camp just to go to the store and towing a car can be a hassle.

Our flagship product is the Flux EM1, an electric moped that tops out at 38mph and gets up to 50 miles per charge. The Flux EM1 solves this problem because it is the perfect balance of range, charge time and speed for short-distance transportation. It is easy to park, easy to haul, and extremely low maintenance. The Flux EM1 is Your Local Ride around the campground and to town.

We have learned from our clients that using the Flux EM1 as their Local Ride offers a number of benefits that addresses the specific needs of RVers. Please see below for the benefits our clients have told us they find to have the most value.

  • Convenient: You work hard to be able to have your time off. The Flux EM1 is ready to go when you are. It is a blast to ride, easy to park and easy to haul.

  • The perfect level of performance: With its hub mounted motor, the Flux EM1 is very responsive. Topping out at 38mph, it is perfect for both neighborhood streets and keeping up with cars on busier roads.

  • Literally free to operate: Lately, gas prices are out of control and watching that price at the pump go up is just a killer. Riding the Flux EM1 around the campground and to town is actually free because many campgrounds do not charge for electricity.

  • Helps with campsite selection: There are a number of factors that can restrict your ability to select the particular campsite you want at a campground, one of which is if you have a tow vehicle or a trailer. The Flux EM1 takes up very little room around the campsite and the MotoTote MTX m3 motorcycle carrier is about the same size as a bicycle, which means you can have the convenience of a Local Ride while being able to say you don’t have a trailer or a tow vehicle when booking your campsite.

  • Extremely Low Maintenance: Changing the oil on a gas moped isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. Because the Flux EM1’s power train is electric, the Flux EM1 is extremely low maintenance, which means that besides filling tires and winterizing the battery, annual maintenance is not required.

  • Easy to charge: Many electric cars require a charging station to charge. The Flux EM1’s battery is removable, easy to handle at only 20 pounds, and charges at any normal outlet. That means you can just bring it inside the motorhome and don’t ever have to look for a place to charge or have unsightly wires hanging out of windows.

  • Charges quickly: With the portable 5 amp charger, the Flux EM1’s battery charges in 3 to 5 hours.

  • Quiet around the campsite: The Flux EM1’s motor is literally whisper quiet which is nice because some campgrounds have a “quiet time” after 10 p.m.

  • Great storage: You can carry up to 330 pounds, including a rider, a passenger and cargo for errands

  • Built for two: Many of our clients are couples who RV together, which makes the Flux EM1 a good fit because it is built for two people.

  • Clean: There are no leaking fluids or smells of gasoline so hauling the Flux EM1 in a Toy Hauler will not create a mess.

  • Nimble: On a hitch-mounted carrier, hauling the Flux EM1 is inexpensive, easy and allows RVers to use the reverse gear. This has a number of added benefits that result in RVers ability to have a Local Ride around the campsite while being able to drive their motorhome RV “more like a car”.

  • The range you need: With a range of up to 50 miles per charge, the Flux EM1 provides the range to get to town and explore. However, many of our clients just use it around the campground and we’ve been told that it feels like it “lasts forever.”

  • A solution to range anxiety: Many of our clients have told us that “range anxiety”, the feeling that a person can get stuck, makes them uncomfortable so we have developed a low tech but very effective solution to that problem. With two batteries, one in use and one full but not plugged in, there is zero chance you will get stuck anywhere.

 
 

RV LOVE ENDORSES THE FLUX EM1 AS THEIR LOCAL RIDE

Marc and Julie Bennett are authors of the bestselling books Living the RV Life - Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road and RV Hacks - 400+ Ways to Make Life on the Road Easier, Safer and More Fun! as well as co-creators of RV Love, RV Success School and Hit the Road RV Summit. They are all around RV lovers who share their time-tested advice so RVers can spend less time searching the web more time exploring in an RV. Marc and Julie recommend the Flux EM1 for RVers because it is a fun and hassle-free solution to the problem of short distance transportation around the campground and to town. Check out their video and written review of the Flux EM1 below:

THE FLUX EM1 TURNS AN EVERYDAY ERRAND INTO AN EXCITING LITTLE ADVENTURE

Because the Flux EM1 is electric, it is both quiet and high performing which gives a fun, free, out in the air feeling that facilitates a connection with your environment that is impossible in a car. I have been told by a number of clients that when riding the Flux EM1 as their Local Ride they routinely slow down to enjoy wildlife in a way they never have in other motorized vehicles. Our clients have told me they don’t want to travel the country in a motorhome only to have to be tied to the campground when they arrive. Our clients like to have the freedom to do what they feel like. Whether it be discovering small towns, cruising backroads, visiting with their neighbors, picking up firewood or just grabbing a cup of coffee, riding the Flux EM1 as Your Local Ride is both practical and fancy-free at the same time. I think Marc Bennett said it best: “Riding the Flux EM1 turns an everyday errand into an exciting little adventure because on the Flux EM1 [he] now enjoys the scenery instead of just driving by it.”

 
 

WORTH THE WAIT

To keep our price as low as possible and to maintain our independence, we manufacture to order which means there can be a lead time of up to 70 days. To find out why we manufacture to order please read our story. You may wonder how a new brand has built a reputation manufacturing to order. It’s simple. We believe the reason someone buys a product from a company is to get a complete solution to a problem from expert professionals. We do what we say we will and we stand behind our product.

 
 

THE FLUX GUARANTEE

We are so confident that the Flux EM1 will be a great fit as Your Local Ride that we guarantee your satisfaction. We provide you with a one-week money-back guarantee so you have time to test the Flux EM1 out. We also provide a 3-year warranty for the motor and controller and a 2-year warranty for everything else.

 
 

THE VEHICLE IS ONLY PART OF THE SOLUTION

We continued to get feedback that the Flux EM1 was a great fit for RVers but along the way, we learned that to many RVers a moped just represented more work to do.

  • How to register?

  • How to haul?

  • Does the vehicle have enough storage?

  • How to charge?

  • How to insure?

The Flux EM1 in and of itself does not solve the problem. Only combined with the proper accessories and training is it truly Your Local Ride. That is why we developed the Flux EM1 Local Ride packages as the turnkey short-distance transportation solution for around the campground and to town. We did the work for you so you can get out and explore quickly without having to waste time and do any research on your own.

 
 

The Flux EM1 and all accessories can be purchased a la carte if you prefer but we have found that the needs of clients who drive similar RV types tend to look for similar solutions so we have developed our packages accordingly for your convenience. Our most popular package is developed specifically for motorhome RVers, the Motorhome Local Ride package:

$5017

Flux’s Approach

I believe that the purpose of a business is to solve a problem for its customers and that is how we approached the development of Flux. We learned that we could help RVers get around short distances in a fun way, we researched how specifically we could help and then developed turnkey packages that made implementing the solution easy for our clients. If you would like to find out more please contact us.