Monday, October 4, 2010

Electric Vehicles Moving Toward Highway Use


vectric-vx1
NEW BEDFORD, Massachusetts (CNN)
The Vectrix VX-1 maxi scooter, which weighs 515 pounds,  requires a motorcycle license to drive.  Part of that weight is the  180-pound battery – for the Vectrix is electric.
In 2008, the  Vectrix VX-1 cost $8,000.
“The cost of new technology is always higher than old technology,” explains Mike Boyle, Vectrix’s CEO. “You may win [people's] minds and hearts through the understanding of what an electric vehicle can bring to them. You then have to win their pocketbooks as well.”
There’s stimuli in Obama’s stimulus plan for the electric vehicle – there are proposed tax credits for those who buy plug-in electric vehicles. Depending on the size of the battery, the credit can reach up to $7,500.
Peter Hughes, Vectrix’s chief technology officer, said the scooter was designed to suit the needs of a commuting executive.
“Think about the lawyer; think about the businessman, the banker, the engineer who doesn’t want to take his car into the city. He has about a 20- to 40-mile round-trip commute.”
The scooter can go about 50 to 60 miles when fully charged and can reach speeds up to about 60 mph. It’s also the only electric scooter on the market that’s highway legal.

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Posted on 28 July 2009 

Posted by Lubo Ebiker at 4:33 PM