Groovy, Baby! Vectrix Maxi Scooter Is Why Cool People Ride Electric...
The scooter is being marketed worldwide
By Roxana Deduleasa, Gadget News Editor
18th of September 2007, 09:26 GMT
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Scooters are slowly but surely replacing the big cars on the road. To improve the quality of this kind of vehicle, the manufacturers try different engine technology everyday.
A clear example of the fact is given by the Vectrix Electric Maxi-Scooter, an Italian/American beauty with a 100kph top speed, a 110km commuting range, and a two-way throttle that engages a very handy regenerative braking system. The manufacturing process lasted for ten years.
Hopefully, the battery technology improves,
and it seems almost certain that these clean, zero-maintenance machines will eventually become mainstream transport options. All for the sake of the environment.
Besides the environmental issue, the vehicle is incredibly cheap to run, incredibly silent and emissions-free, on paper they've got a lot going for them. But what's it like to ride one of these next-gen machines?
Who are the manufacturers? According to Gizmag, Vectrix is a well-known American company, making electric two and three-wheelers using exclusively Italian componentry.
As for the vehicle itself, the Vectrix Maxi scooter runs a 20.2kW direct drive brush less DC motor, carefully mounted directly on the rear wheel. The engine powers the bike through a planetary CVT, also mounted on the rear wheel, and draws power from a bank of Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries mounted in a cradle between the rider's legs, as Gizmag found out.
In case you're wondering why they used the older NiMH batteries instead of more powerful Lithium-ion and Lithium-polymer batteries that are so powerful today, sales Manager Frank Papa explains: "Nickel Metal Hydride is a well-understood and safe battery technology. Current Lithium batteries have some potential safety issues. Vectrix is very experienced with Nickel Metal Hydride, there's a lot of very sophisticated battery and thermal management technology in the Maxi to get the most out of it."
Just as the company's representatives explain, the recharging is simple. It requires the user to simply open up the generous storage compartment, pull out a long power cord and plug it into a power point to recharge the battery. The recharging process should last around 2-3 hours (from dead to full charge).
But it's worth the waiting, as a full charge is sufficient for up to 110km at 40kmh city speeds, or half that if you ride it up to its maximum 100kmh speed on the freeway.
Additional information about the electric device regards the start up, which is said to be unusually silent. Moreover, the Vectrix is available in most major cities in Europe and America, with a starting price of around 8000 euros.
Could all of the above be enough reasons for the "cool people to ride electric"? Check out the video for more details:
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