Electric Scooter Can Go 60MPH

CNN:

When you think scooter, you might think of something a child would ride.
electric scooter

The Vectrix VX-1 maxi scooter, which weighs much more than a typical bike at 515 pounds, is anything but a kid's toy. It requires a motorcycle license to drive.

Read the whole story: CNN

Comments

[TallonZek]

I ride an electric bicycle. cost me $350 (from walmart.com, meh they were cheapest) and I love it. goes just under 20mph so I don't have to mess with insurance or registration etc. far less maintenance and gets me where I need to go with no hassle.

[Motes]

As many other people have mentioned electric bikes have been around for awhile. I have a technical question that I hope someone can answer on how people convert to an effective miles per gallon for electric vehicles.

The amount of energy in one US gallon is typically listed as 121MJ. Does this value assume the amount of energy given of in the chemical combustion itself, or is this a 'typical' value include the 'typical' efficiency of an IC engine in converting the chemical potential energy to a mechanical energy useable by a vehicle. My guess is that this is a chemical energy, but would like verification. Depending on the answer your 'effective miles per gallon' can vary probably by a factor of 2.5.

[Tommygun264]

I don't know about electric bikes, but I've seen sites for the small electric cars (NEV) that have calculator programs - you enter how many miles you travel in a given week and the cost per kilowatt hour your local electric company charges and it provides you with an approximation of the equivalent price per gallon of gasoline to do the same amount of work, based on a 48 volt system. For instance, my NEV costs me in electricity the equivalent of $ 0.20 per gallon.

[research]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPGe

it 's just heat energy of gasoline, 33% is typical efficiency large installation, 15-20 for vehicles.

so about 40MJ usable energy per gallon, or about 11 KWH, at about 3 kg. or ABOUT 4 KWH/kg

Best commercial Sion Li Sulfur cells get about 1/3 KW/kg.

So gasoline is still about 12 times higher energy density than the best batteries.

[Dutschke]

OK, first of all this isn't news because the VECTRIX has been on the market for over 5 years now. Secondly, Vectricx is about to go bankrupt. I have talked to several scooter dealers. Their quote: The Vectrix will make a nice boat ancor. one ex-sales rep (he and other sales reps have just been layed off) of Vectrix told me, that Vectrix is toast.
So I think plugging an outdate article of an electric scooter, which's company is about to go under is not very smart, especially since the VECTRIX costs over $12,000.00!!
There are plenty of good scooter companies out there, that make terrific products (SYM, Vespa, Aprilia and Kymco for example) and their gasoline mileages are outstanding (appx. 70mpg-100mpg). Their costs are also way below the costs of the VECTRIX. (Prices around $2,500.00 to $5,500.00).
While your insurance costs run around $50.00 and $200.00 ANNUALLY.
I don't understand, why places like the Huff Post don't help show more of these scooters and help educate the public more about the viability of standard motor scooters, instead of plugging for a company, that's close to bankruptcy.
There is lots to be learned about the scooter industry and motor scooters, without having to rely on wild stories.

[ddDinah]

It'll go 60 mph, for about a 1/2 block...just kidding.

[KPinSEA]

Go go early adopters .....

Meanwhile people living on a budget that have 8 grand for a vehicle and care about the environment are probably going to buy a used Civic and get good gas mileage without spending the energy it takes to manufacture an electric superbike.

[wadenelson1]

Thanks, but I've got a 20 year old Honda scooter that gets 50mpg, only weighs 300#, and will easily do 70mph.

Oh, and it cost me $700.

If you're looking for a scooter, the Yamaha Vino 125cc @ around $3000 is the hot ticket, unless you can afford the $6000 Vespa 250cc, fuel injected machine.

Stay away from the crappy Chinese scooters even if they're free.

[frug]

I ride a Honda scooter that gets 100mpg and goes 140 miles between fill ups. It does sip a little gasoline, but it's my main means of transportation here in the suburbs. At 49cc I don't take it on big highways, but for getting around the neighborhood it's fine. Florida is scooter crazy. There should be no problem transitioning to electric, when the prices (and weight) come down.

[VanillaSeven]

Is the battery safe for environment?

http://vanillaseven.com/

[JnrNorman]

We could have NIMH powered bikes.
Chevron holds the patent to make NIMH batteries for cars & hybrid cars
half the weight they are now.
Someone should produce the batteries and let Chevron sue them to stop. The bad publicity would kill them

[deepintheheartoftejas]

You mean like the way Toyota produced NiMH batteries for its RAV4 EV, until Chevron sued them? Toyota got fined $30 million, and the bad publicity didn't hurt Chevron's bottom line at all.

[rektruax]

This is pretty "old hat"...

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/
http://www.enertiabike.com/

This one you can build yourself, and in some ways, out-performs this expensive production "scooter".

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-72Volt-electric-motorcycle/

So there...

[AbeMartin]

Even at 515 lbs, the scooter is still very light by motorcycle standards. Scooters work fine for city commuting because they generally operate on streets and avenues with a speed limit of under 45 MPH. However, at highway speeds, the weight of the bike becomes critical when semi-trailers, large trucks or buses create either a wake which must be navigated from the rear or side or a shock wave that hits head on. Light bikes like light cars get blown all over the place. The risk is compounded during wet or snow conditions, by morons who refuse to wear protective helmets and riding gear, and by inexperienced drivers, who have not taken motorcycle safety courses. Add in, the silence of an electric bike ("loud pipes save lives") and you have all sorts of potentials for disaster.

Commuting executives would be better off riding a decent bicycle. At least they would get the benefit of aerobics exercise and probably would arrive at the office no more than ten minutes later than they would on their Smug and Go Scooter.

[mamacat]

There should be plenty of people for whom this bike is practical, and as the technology gets better and the price comes down, it will become even more practical.

[frantaylor]

I am curious to see the accident rate of a totally silent motorcycle.

The Harley crowd here in New Hampshire says that they ride with straight pipes instead of a legal exhaust system because they say that the added noise is a safety feature, people notice them.

It would be awesome to put this really lame excuse to bed once and for all.

[petphotos]

When I was a kid and many had Mustang and Cushman scooters, those with loud pipes always seemed to be safer. Most auto pilots had no clue unless they heard "one of those damn motorscooters."

[OB-GYN]

Very good point. With the cacophony of our cities and suburbs, silence can be deadly.

[KillTheMessenger]

I have seen these on sale years ago in Italy. What's the news value?

[petphotos]

Not sure if I am ready for an electric scooter. In japan had an 80cc bike that would go 60 (plenty fast there) and it only weighed 135 ibs. Guess if you never went on an interstate it might be OK.