RTEV, the Ruff & Tuff Electric Vehicle company, is not the first to realize that a battery-powered ATV could be a good seller (we spoke with Electric Vehicle Systems about their ATEV last year). RTEV is now ready to expand into the electric recreational vehicles market with three models - the Cruiser, the 4-wheel drive Hunter, and the Workman - and has high hopes for more EVs down the road.

RTEV's three current models are all Low Speed Vehicles, which means they're OK going 25 mph on roads designated with 35 mph speed limits. Ruff & Tuff sold about 1,000 vehicles last year and will introduce electric scooters and bicycles (branded with the Wheego name) later this year. 2009 should see car-shaped Ruff & Tuff NEVs hit the market and the company is talking about "full-size, full-speed electric vehicles" in 2010. Currently, RTEV vehicles use dry cell sealed (AGM) batteries that can move the vehicles about 70 miles between charges. Check out a video of the Hunter electric ATV in action and see more details on the currently-available LSVs after the break.

Meet the E-Max 110s, a scooter which is now on sale in Western European markets. The EV scooter, which can be recharged at any home power outlet, has the same power and performance as a regular 50cc scooter. Using 13' wheels and silicone batteries, it's got a range of about 90 km (60 miles) and a maximum speed of 45 km/h (30mph), which means it can be driven without a license.

The E-Max 110s is not cheap but it won't break your budget: €3,500. If you'd rather not pay $5,500 for such a ride, don't worry. Importers are preparing an even cheaper version. A new model, which performs like a 125cc bike, will be introduced by the end of this year.

[Source: e-max]

Do you need a small package or documents to be on the other side of the city, like immediately? What do you usually do? You can call your local courier company. They will likely quickly deliver your stuff using a van, a truck, or, in some cities, a motorbike or bicycle. However, if you're in Paris, there's a company that will green up your rush delivery because they only use electric scooters. The company is called Lungta, "Le coursier écolo." The company promises to deliver up to 100kg of documents everywhere in Paris only with electric power without any parking hassles and with no fumes. Lungta claims that their service produces up to 40 times less CO₂ than using a diesel van and their prices are quite decent: €10 to €40 depending on service.

[Source: Lungta (thanks to Dominique for the tip)]

Click on the image to enlarge

Back at the 2007 EICMA show in Milan, Taiwanese scooter company Motive Power Industry Co. Ltd. (PGO) was showing off a new electric scooter. The design of the machine apes a model that they already sell, but the innards are actually pretty intriguing. The scooter uses both lithium ion and lead acid batteries. The lead acids provide the necessary power to move the machine while the lithium ions act as additional storage. When a large lithium ion battery pack is assembled, small cells are placed in both parallel and serial configurations in order to hold enough juice for extended running while also being powerful enough to provide quick bursts of acceleration. In this case, the lead acids could provide the necessary output while the lithium ions could just keep the system "topped-off."

Take a close look at the picture above. Note that the front wheel is powered by an electric motor. We can't confirm this for sure, but this appears to be a two-wheel drive electric scooter, which would be really awesome! There is a small chance that a version of this scooter could make it to U.S. shores, as Genuine Scooters in Chicago currently imports certain models from PGO, including the one that this scooter is based on. In the states, it's called the Buddy.

[Source: Taiwan Economic News via 2 Stroke Buzz]

Back in the day, the Automobile Association in the United Kingdom used two-wheelers to aid stranded motorists. Bicycles were replaced by motorcycles after World War Two.

Now the AA is using Vectrix electric scooters and motorbikes in a three-month trial as part of an effort to bring quicker service and relieve congestion caused by breakdowns. With London traffic flowing at its slowest rate in forty years, AA is hoping this "back to the future" approach will provide some relief. Edmund King, President of the AA, says, "By fixing breakdowns more quickly, we will improve service to members and help reduce congestion and emissions."

Let's hope our own AAA is watching. Replacing exhaust-belching diesel-powered tow trucks with a clean, quiet vehicle for quick fixes such as tire changes would truly spell relief.


[Source: London Telegraph]

Click on the image for more high-res shots

Powered by lithium ion batteries and motivated by dual rear in-hub electric motors, the University of Padova has created the e-Snake electric tilting three-wheeler. The vehicle was entered into the Formula Electric and Hybrid Italy 2007 student competition, where it won awards for acceleration and speed, reaching 31 miles per hour. The e-Snake is capable of traveling 62 miles per charge (that's 100 kilometers for you metric types). Despite looking rather small, the machine reportedly weighs a not-insignificant 357 pounds, about as much as a beginner-friendly motorcycle.

Watch some of the videos here see the e-Snake in action, emitting green grass as it slithers down the road. This vehicle is pretty cool, and if you are in the market for an electric leaning three-wheeler, keep waiting just a little while longer as Vectrix is expected to introduce theirs shortly.


[Source: The Scooter Scoop]

Senator Kerry usually likes to drive his Harley-Davidson Wide Glide when he feels the need for the wind in his bouffant and bugs in his teeth. (Someone get that Senator a helmet!) Monday though, found him on the back of a Vectrix scooter while visiting their New Bedford, Massachusetts operations where, according to a report on SouthCoastToday, he spoke of going "beyond fossil fuels" and "really exciting great possibilities" and "a Vectrix for every blogger". (Ok, I made that last one up.) He reportedly did proclaim the bike a "vehicle of the future." Whether or not there was an electric scooter in his future went unstated.

What I'm sure really got his audience excited was his discussion of potential future federal tax incentives for zero-emissions vehicles. Vectrix wants an amendment on legislation ensuring that such an incentive extends to include two and three wheel vehicles. They are serious enough about it to include a new political outreach section to their website. And serious they should be since they need to get these bikes out of the factory and onto the streets!

[Source: SouthCoastToday]

According to a news item posted on the Vectrix website, California will be offering a $1,500 rebate for purchasers of the electric Vectrix scooter. Early adopters will not be punished either, as the rebate is retroactive to purchases of these $11,000 EVs made as far back as May 2007.

In other news, and as a follow-up to our recent article regarding police in the U.K. riding on Vectrix scooters to patrol parking lots, we decided to let you know that the city of Sacramento, CA, has also chosen to use the all electric maxi-scooter for certain enforcement duties. We imagine that the choice was made easier by the fact that the scooters were practically given to them, cosing only $1 each for four months, but whatever. The City of Sacramento is the first to take advantage of the offer from Vectrix but, at that price, they may not be the last.

[Source: Vectrix]

Despite the fact that Vectrix has posted extremely disapointing sales numbers so far, there are certain uses for the electric scooter which just make too much sense to ignore. Ask the NYPD, for one. Or take, for instance, as a parking lot enforcement vehicle. The police in Strathclyde, U.K, have found that the Vectrix suits them perfectly as a runabout to enforce parking measures and control traffic at the Glasgow Airport. They like the fact that the machine can be recharged in an hour using a 13 amp plug, along with being able to reach 62 miles per hour, more than fast enough for this scenario. "We have two other motor scooters just now which are both petrol driven but they are coming to end of their life. We felt that to go for the green option would be the proper thing to do," says Inspector Colin Pearson, chief of Glasgow Airport Police Unit. Right on.

[Source: The Press Association via 2 Stroke Buzz]

Popular Mechanics has done a bit of a follow up on a little scooter from the labs of MIT we originally told you about back in the beginning of January. In a good news/bad news story with enough new detail to make it worth the read, we learn, among other things, that the the scooter is "going to make it" but that, contrary to its name, "it's not very robotic". So, although you could one day find yourself whizzing through downtown traffic on this little machine you just rented from your neighborhood scooter vending rack, you are still going to have to steer it with traditional handlebars. It won't fold itself back up and put itself away once you reach your destination and it won't talk to and protect you from the evil ones a la Johnny Five either.

But, on the upside, it will feature a handy, removable li-ion battery (no mention of the specific chemistry) and should be available in Asian markets in about a year. The delivery date of the first working prototype from MIT Smart Cities group to Taiwanese scooter maker, SYM, is April 1st.

[Source: Popular Mechanics with a h/t to Matt S.]

Our friends over at Ecorazzi are reporting that, according to sources, Leonardo DiCaprio bought a Vectrix plug-in electric scooter. Ecorazzi loves them up some Leo, writing about when he graced the cover of Vanity Fair's green issue and later produced the very green documentary the 11th Hour (see trailer below the fold). Leo on a Vectrix is really not that surprising if you remember that Ecorazzi caught Leo on a scooter before.

Along with being very green, the design of the Vectrix is almost bike like. From certain angles, you could mistake it for a bullet bike. Hey Leo, when it's released, we recommend also picking up an Enertia, the electric bike that AutoblogGreen took Enertia for a test drive and we really liked it. You should also check out the Tesla Roadster. They are starting to hit the roads and Matt Damon is getting one.

Related:

• Video: Brangelina and the kids riding bikes
• Tom Cruise first to receive $72,500 carbon-fibre superbike
• Green celebrity sighting: Former EV1 driver Danny DeVito has a Prius
• Paris Hilton: "I'm buying a hybrid car right now"
• Brad Pitt thinks BMW's Hydrogen 7 is perfect for Ocean's 13 premiere
• So, who wants to get into Daryl Hannah's biodiesel El Camino?
• Videos: Hard Rock cafe concert for Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance
• Cameron Diaz in the Tesla Roadster = porn?
• Celebrity watch: Thandie Newton gets hybrid; wants more Hollywood types to join green movement

[Source: Ecorazzi, Reuters]

Cycle World already wrote a little online piece about the Vectrix scooter, which we showed you here. I checked their site today and was rewarded with another short article about the machine, this time from David Edwards on their staff blog page. According to the article, Edwards will be writing something up for an upcoming print edition of the magazine, which is great. Unfortunately, he regurgitated most of the same points that are mentioned over and over whenever electric vehicles are written about, namely the fact that carbon emissions are still produced when the machine is built and that the batteries still need to be charged using a powerplant. These issues have been covered a few times already, as you're probably aware. Those points should continue to be made, of course, but it would be nice to see an article which mentions those issues and their solutions... but, oh well.

[Source: Cycle World]

The New York Police Department will road test four Vectrix electric scooters next month reports Newsday. Vectrix scooters have a range of 60 miles, a top speed of 60 MPH and, as Vectrix president Andrew MacGowen tells Newsday, his scooters are the first all-electric vehicles to be certified to travel on any highway, street or road.

The NYPD currently has a handful of hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles but they are planning more ways to go green. Vectrix's silent running, plug-in scooters has advantages other than zero emissions though: "You could easily sneak up on somebody if they don't expect it" says Detective Derek Siconola, the happy guy on the Vectrix in the picture.

Related:

• Alt Car Expo 2007: Vectrix Scooter smiles for the ABG camera (VIDEO)
• Vectrix Electric Superbike Concept bows at Milan
• Electric Vectrix maxi-scooter review
• First U.S. resident to receive Vectrix scooter today
• Vectrix electric bikes coming in early 2007

[Source: Newsday]

Our good friend Steve from The Scooter Scoop has found himself swamped with news of electric scooters over the past few weeks, so his last few posts have all been on that subject. Of course, scooters already are savers of gas, but as many of you probably already know, they often pollute more than cars. The good news is that for the same reason that scooters save on gas (light weight, smaller engines) they also save on electricity when using electron power instead of dead dinos. So, take a look here at (*deep breath*) a possible all electric Genuine Buddy, the iMobility electric LEV, the MIT/SYM electric scooter concept, Germany's Emax electric scooter, the Axle Group's EV-X7 and the Mitka from Vendenbrink.

Whew... that's a lot of electrons there. Which is a good thing. Stay tuned for an exclusive first ride of the Quantya electric dirtbike, which we were able to hitch a ride on last week.

[Source: The Scooter Scoop]

When AutoblogGreen reported on the new $11,000+ Vectrix Scooter from the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo, people rightly whet "whew" when they saw the price (a quick side note, as a freelance writer for the past 17+ years, I doubt I have ever written three "whe" words in a row. OK, that's quite geeky enough, I'd say). But, what do you get for your money? For $11,850 you not only get what Vectrix calls "this year's hottest form of transportation," you get it delivered at your house (in the state of California, anyway). Just watch the video above and congratulate Vectrix for entering the same realm as furniture delivery people. One difference between a couch and this scooter: the couch doesn't stay plugged in during the ride and arrive at your home ready to go 0-50 in under seven seconds.

For more on the Vectrix Scooter and Vectrix in general, check out the links below or read the email announcing this delivery service (with pics) after the jump.

Related:

• Alt Car Expo 2007: Vectrix Scooter smiles for the ABG camera (VIDEO)
• Vectrix Electric Superbike Concept bows at Milan
• Coming soon: exciting news from Vectrix?

[Source: Vectrix]