In our recent segment of Ask the EcoGeek, a reader asked "where's my electric car?" Well, we gave him some options...but one thing we didn't mention was ditching the roof and a couple of the wheels. Electric bikes and scooters have been around for ages. And a company by the name of Vectrix has launched here in the United States what it is a calling a high-performance two-wheel electric vehicle (err...yeah. It's a scooter).
The Vectrix zero emission vehicle wants to offer us performance, style, comfort, and convenience. It has a top speed of 62 miles per hour and can accelerate from 0-50 in 6.8 seconds. It's rated to have an average range of 40-60 miles with a maximum range of 68 miles on a single charge.
Power is generated to the Vectrix in two different ways. The primary method is an on-board charger which plugs into any standard 110/220V electrical outlet for a full charge within a reported two hours. Plus a regenerative braking system helps extend battery life. The battery pack itself has an estimated life of 10 years.
Is America ready for a high performance electric scooter? It may well be a hit in urban areas but most folks will probably still want the convenience (and range) of a regular old car. Plus, at over $10,000, you'll definitely feel the cost of emissions-free transportation.
See Also:-Simple Sexy Electric Motorcycle-
-Stealth Motorcycle-
-Yamaha Fuel Cell Scooter-
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Comments (7)
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written by EV, August 04, 2007
Dam. If this thing were under five grand, it would sell like hotcakes. As is, it's too expensive. I' buy a 75mpg motorcycle before considering one of these at.
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written by Matt, August 04, 2007
That would be great for New York. A lot of people still buzz around in scooters, but gas powered ones. These could save a lot.
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written by Gianfranco Chicco, August 04, 2007
i don't own a car (i live in milan, italy), and vectrix would have been a perfect solution for moving in the intense traffic of the city. but as the previous posters have noted, a 10k price is hard to pay premium. i could have accepted a 30-50% on a normal scooter. besides, being it an innovative technology, the resale price would be surely low, as i expect to see in the following years better electric vehicles (smaller, more autonomy, etc)
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written by Kyle, August 05, 2007
Seems like a very steep price for a scooter, but those are some impressive stats.
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written by intensive driving, August 09, 2007
Until we learn more and develop better battery technology I think the hybrids are the best option.
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written by geoff, January 10, 2008
I live rurally in the UK. couple of miles in either direction and its 70-80mph on the motorway/dual carrage (our adverage drving speeds on fast roads). A scooter with top speed 60mph - only maininable for a short stint, and 60miles range at 25-30mph is still only a toy. And at £6K I wolud have to demand more for my money. Eg - the CG125 has simular performance and goes 120mpg! If only they had made the bike modular and upgradable to take a future fuel cell, it might have been a sounder investment for somone with adverage income. Keep it up vectrix! fantastic tech, you've got rid of the geeek electic vehical image, now you have to work harder and get rid of the toy electric vehical imagne. I want to see 250miles range 80mph top speed and deals with petrol stations and local councils to have charging on site! you can do it!
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written by geoff, January 10, 2008
sorry thats 250 miles range at 80mph and 250miles at less than 70-80mph.
have batteries charging at petol stations, having the charged ones exchanged with used ones from bikes as they run out of power. the riders wont have to replace batteries, the stations wolud and all costs wolud be included in the service.
Take advantage of renuable means to charge those batteries (looks great in news!).
working with councils and making charging accsesable is as (if not more) important than the battery tech (do this outside london as well - all major cities, not just surry)!
make the parts more accsessable and have other companies making parts for the vectrix (parts more avaiable and advertise the fact).
Get the vectirx into regular show rooms, not many people who arent EV enthusiasts know anything about it! having the police using them is great confidence though!
good luck to them!
have batteries charging at petol stations, having the charged ones exchanged with used ones from bikes as they run out of power. the riders wont have to replace batteries, the stations wolud and all costs wolud be included in the service.
Take advantage of renuable means to charge those batteries (looks great in news!).
working with councils and making charging accsesable is as (if not more) important than the battery tech (do this outside london as well - all major cities, not just surry)!
make the parts more accsessable and have other companies making parts for the vectrix (parts more avaiable and advertise the fact).
Get the vectirx into regular show rooms, not many people who arent EV enthusiasts know anything about it! having the police using them is great confidence though!
good luck to them!
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AUG 03
"sorry thats 250 miles range at 80mph and 250miles at less than 70-80m..."
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