Travel options in Paris just got a happy new addition. A scooter taxi service (yes really!) that goes by the name of City Bird has just added a pair of Vectrix electric maxi-scooters to its fleet. Now, instead of riding to your favorite cafe or tourist attraction on the back of a Suzuki Burgman or Honda Goldwing, you can now travel carbon and noise pollution free on a stylishly painted (n'est-ce pas?) Vectrix.

If this whole two-wheel taxi thing seems a little strange to you and your French literacy is adequate (or you have Google translate) you can check out the company blog and learn everything there is to know about the concept. From what we understand, the prices are decent and you don't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic jams like you might in a four-wheeled taxi. You can order up your ride via the Internet or telephone. If you happen to have an excellent knowledge of Paris and its environs and are a licensed and experienced driver looking for a unique employment opportunity you might want to get in contact with them for that too. Thanks to Mike W. for the tip!

[Source: City Bird via Bikes in the Fastlane]

Click above for two shots of the stunting Vectrix

Being big fans of electric vehicles in general, the Vectrix scooter is high on our lists of cool transportation options. Sure, the two-wheeled form factor won't work for everybody, but for those who can make the switch, the Vectrix scooter probably has the lowest cost of entry of any highway-capable zero emission vehicle available. A certain auto executive by the name of Bob Lutz has found the Vectrix to be a cool little machine for getting around town with it , though we doubt he'll be doing too much stunting with his. We're not going to suggest that the Vectrix, with its top speed up around sixty miles per hour, isn't capable of catching some air. Still, something tells us that the pictures you see here were created with a bit of Photoshop trickery. If we happen to be wrong about the photos, somebody has some guts, as the all electric scooter isn't really all that cheap.


[Source: The Biker Gene]

Click for a high-res gallery

GM product development guru Bob Lutz has become particularly enamored of electric drive vehicles recently. As one of the major internal corporate sponsors of the Chevy Volt within GM, Lutz has been even more vocal than usual for the past year about the E-Flex program. Unfortunately even though Lutz has been one of the few to drive the Volt mule or Mali-Volt, it's still a good 30 months (at least) away from Job 1. While biding his time and pushing the Volt engineering team along, he is adding other battery powered vehicles to his collection.

Lutz's latest toy is a new Vectrix electric scooter. The Vectrix launched last fall and according to company treasurer John Schnorr they have built about 2,000 scooters so far and sold about half of the those. While the bike was lauded at launch for stylish looks and decent performance, the original $11,000 price tag was deemed a bit to steep. Vectrix recently reduced the price down to a more reasonable although still not cheap $8,795. Schnorr was on hand at Lutz's home to personally deliver the new machine. Read more and check out the video after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

eBay isn't the only EV auction action that's been going on recently. In a very successful effort to raise money for a British charity that helps young homeless people get their lives together, Eddie Jordan of Formula One fame, put up a pair of white Vectrix maxi-scooters to be sent home to the highest bidders. The event , held at Frankie's Italian Bar & Grill in Knightsbridge, London, featured live music from Jordan's rock band (he's a drummer) as well as an "exclusive dinner" whipped up by Marco Pierre White. While the amounts of the winning bids weren't disclosed, they may well have been records since the event raised over £500,000 for The Amber Foundation.

The record setters? Damon Hill, also of Formula One fame (1996 World Champion) and Roger Taylor, drummer of the iconic rock band Queen (We are the Champions). Now both men, once they receive some scooter-riding instruction from Vectrix, are set to become zero-carbon scooter-riding champions.

[Source: Vectrix via Crash.net]

Click on the image to watch the full video

As the video pasted after the break points out, running a 26 mile marathon is a tough task as it is. Though this writer couldn't hope to complete one anyway, doing so while bracketed by pollution-spewing cars and motorcycles makes it that much harder. So, we love the idea of using Vectrix electric scooters as the pace-setters and support vehicles for the just-finished Boston Marathon.

The video also mentions lighter but higher capacity batteries on the horizon. We can only assume that this refers to lithium ion packs. Take note of the electric MP3-style scooter that we've mentioned before which is slated to go on sale in eight months along with the electric sportsbike that could go on sale within a few years, depending on the interest level. The video concludes by making mention of the Brammo Enertia (see our ride here) and Zero Motorcycles off-road bike.

If you live in California and have a hankerin' for some quality electric maxi-scooter action, it's time to grab your checkbook and head for your nearest Vectrix dealership. The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) has been busy dishing out rebates for a select few rides and there is only so much cash left in the kettle.

The "Fueling Alternatives" program lists a small number of natural gas-powered vehicles that qualify for the rebate but apparently the money reserved for those has already run out. The only other eligible vehicle manufacturers left are GEM and Vectrix and, unless you live in a gated community or on a golf course, I would go with the 62 mph-capable Vectrix.

If you live in Northern California, there is a San Francisco-based dealer, British Motor Cars Distributors, who would be happy to take your order and, according to their website, they deliver. San Rafael residents might want to give Marin BMW Motorcycles a ring. For the rest of California, hang tight, help may soon be on the way. More info after the jump.

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]

Anyone who knows even a little about Jay Leno knows that not only is he a car nut, but he's also environmentally aware. His large vehicle collection includes a 1909 Baker Electric and many of us know he has a biofueled super car project under way. It's not a surprise then, that on his video-centric website, Jay Leno's Garage, the Tesla Roadster is now being featured. Leno also, not so long ago, did a segment with the Vectrix two-wheel and three-wheeled maxi-scooters.

Leno starts the presentation by chatting with Tesla Big Cheese Elon Musk and goes over lots of basic information about the electric Roadster such as the origin of the chassis, the battery pack, the transmission situation and so on. The best part is when he hits the road. Because the car is so quiet, Jay can easily be heard by the camera in the chase car as he tells and shows us how much fun the thing is to drive. He quickly leaves the camera behind. Again and again.

In the Vectrix clip, Leno talks with chief marketing officer, Jeff Morrill while Dana (family name unknown), head of service, hangs out in the background ready to pounce into action should he be needed. He isn't. They cover everything from range and speed, to the starting procedure and then finally go for a drive on a couple of two-wheelers and the soon-to-be-released three wheeler. Jay admits, "I didn't want to like it but I do." He seems to have a good time but does voice a desire for a bit more speed and range. He doesn't try out the three-wheeler as he thinks it's a little dorky but allows it is fascinating engineering. I think he was just being nice.

[Source: Jay' Leno's Garage]

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]

It isn't all depressing news for Vectrix these days. I mean, colorful sailboats make everyone happy, right? If the electric scooter company can't sell (many) of the expensive rides, then perhaps they can give them away. This is what happened in Melbourne, Australia on Monday when, according to Sail World, twenty sail teams competed in the "Vectrix King of the Docklands Regatta." The prize? Why, none other than a MAXI Scooter. Sail World doesn't say who won the race and Google didn't help either, but I like the consistency of a zero-emission race for a zero-emission scooter.

[Source: Sail World, h/t to Domenick]

On January 15, Vectrix released a regulatory announcement titled "Preliminary Results." Thanks to some ABG reader comments that pointed out some just how bad the news is in this report, I thought it'd be a good idea to mention this on the front page. The short version: In 2007, Vectrix built 2,002 vehicles (the $12,000 scooter seen above) but sold just 123 of them and now has had a lot of debt.

Here are some key quotes from the statement:

During the 2007 financial year, we built 1,775 vehicles and sold in to dealers 462 of which 68 sold out to consumers. Through calendar 2007, we have built 2,002 vehicles and sold in 550 to dealers of which 123 sold out to consumers. The key financial impact of this is that for financial 2007 production and sales were not aligned and, as a result, both accounts receivable and inventory are much higher than expected. As we began financial 2008, we adjusted production due to slower than expected sales and we are increasing the number of dealers in our distribution network to accelerate vehicle sell through. [...]

While the Company has launched an innovative vehicle and created significant product awareness with consumers, dealers and government officials in the EU, North America and Australia, we have been slow to convert enthusiasm into consumer sales and as a consequence our sales results are running significantly below management's pre-IPO expectations. As a result of lower than expected sales and higher that [sic] expected inventories and a U.S. GAAP requirement that we forecast in a manner consistent with historical sales and trends, we incurred a US$9.1 million charge in cost of goods sold related to batteries and finished goods.

You can read the entire thing at the London Stock Exchange website. The question for us is, how long should we wait before we put Vectrix in the has-been pile? 2007 saw the launch of the MAXI Scooter, and Vectrix does have dealerships in seven countries now - will 2008 be the year these expensive but cool electric scooters catch on? And what's happening with the 1,879 unsold scooters?

Related:

• NYPD to test Vectrix electric scooters next month
• Free enterprise wingers attack Vectrix for using a diesel truck
• Cycle World rides the Vectrix

[Source: London Stock Exchange.com]

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]