May 17, 2007
Electric Scooters Coming to the States ... Eventually
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The Clean Energy Venture Summit, which took place in Austin earlier this week, brought together civic leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and energy industry experts to promote the so-called "Utility of the Future."
Yesterday, one of the vendors participating in the summit showed off a radical new all-electric scooter that's taking a cue from the latest batch of electric cars to hit the market. The Vectrix electric "Maxi-Scooter" is touted as the first electric scooter to offer the benefits of its traditional gasoline-powered counterpart, sans "noise, pollution, expensive maintenance, frequent oil changes, and regular trips to the gas station."
"We want to be the first zero-emission, high-performance, street-legal consumer electric vehicle," said Jeff Morrill, the company's director of marketing in the Americas.
According to Vectrix, the Maxi-Scooter achieves top speeds of 62 mph, accelerates from 0-30 mph in 3.5 seconds, and can travel up to 70 miles on a single charge. Recharging is a simple matter of plugging into any standard electrical outlet.
According to CNet, the Maxi has been available for purchase in Italy since last November, and recently began selling in London. The company is still in the process of coordinating with distributors and retailers in the United States.
Photo from Vectrix website
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Vectrix said during their presentation at the conference on Tuesday that the zero-emission motorcycle will be on display at Alien Scooters on S.Lamar if anyone wants to check it out.
Plug-in vehicles are hot!
why kaint i comment
I really hate to be "that guy", but there is no way I'm giving up my Harley for one of these things. Maintenance and oil changes (wrenching) are all part of owning a motorcycle.
And I wouldn't give up my loud pipes for anything. The last thing a motorcycle rider wants is a bike so whisper quiet that the driver in the car next to them, undoubtedly talking on their cell phone, doesn't realize they are in the lane next to them.
I really hate to be "that guy", but there is no way I'm giving up my Harley for one of these things. Maintenance and oil changes (wrenching) are all part of owning a motorcycle.
And I wouldn't give up my loud pipes for anything. The last thing a motorcycle rider wants is a bike so whisper quiet that the driver in the car next to them, undoubtedly talking on their cell phone, doesn't realize they are in the lane next to them.
I had an electric scooter and it was okay. I live about 500 yards from my office but any farther than that and I would look for an alternative. I would take it down the bike paths because I was scared of regular traffic routes. My alternative is a Ducati.
I really hate to be "that guy", but there is no way I'm giving up my Harley for one of these things. Maintenance and oil changes (wrenching) are all part of owning a motorcycle.
I understand that, but for the most part I don't think electric scooters are really intended to compete with motorcycles, so I don't suspect you're (necessarily) the intended audience. One doesn't buy a scooter for a motorcycle experience, they buy a scooter for utility.
Although, as cool as electric vehicles are, I'm pretty weary of how good for the environment or whatever they really are. I mean, that power has to come from somewhere, and if you're putting additional drain on a power source that more then likely is derived from either gas or coal in the first place... does that really help? I honestly don't know, but it's something that troubles me.
I'd love to get one of these if my company ends up getting an office here (and I have to go in, as appears likely in the long-term), BUT I have my doubts as to the long-term battery life. Remember, the way Toyota could ensure long battery life on their hybrid battery was to tightly restrict the charge band to something like 30-70%. This scooter, and others like it, are likely to allow full charge and full drain in order to have a decent range, which would make me suspect battery life/performance would be more like a cell phone or laptop (i.e. dead in 3 years, like the FUD people spread about hybrid cars).
Patrick, even the dirtiest coal plant is still cleaner per watt than the equivalent amount of energy from a gasoline engine in a reasonably clean car. Economies of scale.
Loud pipes..?
I take a big monkey wrench and bend that pipe shut
Ever heard of a horn ?
I hope to god gas goes to $10 a gallon