This week the Vectrix electric maxi-scooter has proven itself in the CWC and the company has announced a smaller version of the ‘zero-emissions’ (near you) scooter. Autobloggreen says the VX-2 is slightly smaller and likened performance to a 50cc scooter. Top speed is claimed at 30 mph with a range of 45-50 miles. The numbers don’t seem like anything new in the electric scooter world. Old EVT Yamaha Vino clone scooters (warning: sound on page) had similar specifications. The literal lingua franca scooter website, Scooter-Station.com, has a photo posted and reports that the scooter will weigh in at over 400 lbs. Again nothing new in the weighty world of electric scooters.
In more inspiring news, Soundspeed Scooters in Seattle is offering a Lithium polymer battery pack for the EVT 168 (linked above) and 4000e scooters. The Li polymer power plant is supposed to reduce the weight of the scooter by 100 lbs. I’d imagine the battery could also make the proposition of their Electric Vespa conversion system a bit more attractive as well.
The two developments leave a shopper for a small electric scooter with two general choices. Neither choice is an inexpensive option with the Lithium version of the EVT 168 coming in at around 4200.00 and the Vectrix VX-2 at around 5200.00. But it will come down to choosing a novel chassis design with a heavy curb weight or a slightly more svelte scooter with dated, less inspiring design approach.
I wish you could be a bit more up-beat toward these companies that are putting their heart and soul into their product. The technology just isn’t that affordable yet but they’re trying really hard and that alone is worth getting excited about. $5200.oo is a lot of money to me so I can’t afford to be that green but I’m sure there are others who can afford and would like to buy such a vehicle . I’m personally waiting for more Hybrid 2 wheelers.
I am upbeat. I made the effort to report on their efforts. To leave out remaining barriers to widespread success of electric scooters would be to just write and adverstisement (and we have yet to recieve the check from them).
Brooke’s more upbeat than me, ha.
I’m generally sarcastic in nature, but the fact that I even cover the Vectrix says a lot, there are dozens, maybe hundreds of other electric scooter manufacturers, and Vectrix is probably the only one with a real product that can compete with scooters at all.
That said, the price and the technology just isn’t quite there yet. I applaud their engineering and determination, though I’m too cynical to believe it’s totally altruistic.
Bob Hedstrom’s experience and endorsement of the bike means a lot, sure he’s a dealer, but he’s one of the most dedicated, successful, and knowledgeable dealers out there, and someone like that won’t touch a product that’s not solid. I know a few other dealers of his stature that aren’t sold on the Vectrix, but again, they concede it’s light-years beyond any competing product.
If I read Brooke correctly, he’s insinuating that the new Vectrix models have more in common with a lot of the ho-hum electric bikes out there. I thought the same thing when I saw them. I see the point of launching a more affordable product to flesh out their line, but if these new bikes are no better than the chinese stuff out there, it won’t do them any favors. Time will tell, and I’m sure we’ll all learn more at DealerExpo.
As far as hybrids, I just can’t get behind ’em, I’d rather see that effort going into new technologies, though it has its merits, I guess.
Bb.