Somewhere between a normal pedal-powered bicycle and an electric scooter lies a class of vehicle which keeps the ability to pedal and adds some assisted power via a small battery pack. This new generation of vehicle is just as useful as the good old moped, except that the electric motor is free of pollution, which is something that most certainly cannot be said of the older two-stroke 'peds and even the newest four-strokers.

Ultra Motor has a new machine on the market known as the A2B which fits nicely into this category. Using a small electric motor integrated into the hub, the machine retains the look and feel of a normal bicycle. Constructed of aluminum, the full-suspension electric vehicle features a small lithium ion battery and is capable of traveling up to twenty miles on electricity alone. A second battery can be added, doubling the range. Of course, pedaling increases the miles between charges to as far as your legs can take you.

[Source: Ultra Motor via Hell For Leather]

I swear, The Scooter Scoop and their super-astute reader named Dudel are on fire when it comes to new electric happenings on two wheels. Yesterday, we showed you the Piaggio electric moped which allows pedaling in addition to electric wheel motors in the front and rear wheels. Now, it seems that Honda is getting in the electric scooter game with this new patent. From the cryptic description on the patent, it seems that the rear wheel has a drum brake which is driven by an electric motor. Apparently, the drum brake is finned to allow efficient heat transfer from the brake and the electric motor. As I am sure you know, the cooler most mechanical things are kept, the longer they last. Will they release this vehicle to the unsuspecting public? Meh, not sure... but it's certainly a good thing that they are experimenting with them!

[Source: The Scooter Scoop]

Piaggio has gone a slightly different route with their newest moped design. In fact, they have taken two different routes; the machine includes electric motors in both the front and rear wheels. Piaggio and their wholly-owned Vespa have produced mopeds and sold them in America before, but not for many years. After recently seeing success bringing their scooter models back to America and helping to kick-start the scooter scene again, is it time for them to attempt the same with the humble moped?

Thanks to Steve Guzman from The Scooter Scoop, we have seen a link directly to the patent application (sub. required, in .pdf). Steve has a loyal reader named Dudel who finds these patents, so we should be thanking him too. This machine, like other mopeds, is really a hybrid which allows pedaling along with the battery power. Speed is 25 miles per hour with both wheels powered, 15 with just the rear. Your mileage will depend on how much you want to pedal. Sound cool? Unfortunately, we don't have a release date yet, but we'll be keeping our eyes and ears open.

[Source: The Scooter Scoop, thanks Steve]