December 2007 | On Our Radar
Get Your Motor Running
Scooter… Not quite a sexy word, it’s more likely to conjure up images of Dennis the Menace than Easy Rider.
At least until the all-electric Vectrix Maxi-Scooter hits the road. Before the Vectrix, scooterphiles in the U.S. had only a short list of eco-conscious rides to choose from. With most all-electrics topping out at 30mph, it was no wonder why most people chose gas. The highway-legal Vectrix, on the other hand, has a maximum speed of 62 mph, does zero to 50 mph in 6.8 seconds, and has a range of 68 miles per charge (which is twice the average person’s daily roundtrip commute). The onboard charger plugs into any standard electrical outlet and takes about two hours to charge to 80 percent capacity. The Vectrix employs regenerative braking and uses dependable Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries that will last about ten years. And because it’s all-electric and uses ten times fewer parts than a gas scooter, your maintenance costs will be low. The Vectrix could cost you 48 percent less to own over four years than an equivalent gas scooter.
If you’re ready to drop this magazine and run out the door to buy one, don’t forget your checkbook; The Vectrix Maxi-Scooter retails at $11,000. But before that number puts your whole world into a tailspin, imagine lower maintenance costs, tax incentives, paying a fraction of what you would pay for gas, and the added benefit of having zero tailpipe emissions — and you might just find yourself silently speeding off into the sunset.
— Damien Somerset
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