I’ve been considering getting a scooter for quite some time, and this new product might be the one to push me over the edge (if it gets exported to this market). Am I having I mid-life crisis? I don’t think so, I’m just tired of burning fuel to drive my 2,500 lb car every single time I leave the house – often it’s just to play sports or pick up one or two items from the store. I work from home, most of my journeys are less than 4 miles each way and the weather here makes riding a scooter viable year round (if limited to early in the morning July-September). I currently drive about 5,000 miles a year and I’d like to reduce that by 40-60%. Although I get 32mpg I still think I can do more to reduce my carbon footprint.

So…now we have the Econogo Yogo Scooter and while its not the first electric scooter it is the first one that runs off of a lithium battery. One of  the complaints about electric vehicles is due to the reduced range just where can you recharge it if no electric charging station is available? The answer with the Yogo is extremely simple, the battery detaches and you can just carry it to your desk and recharge it there. That might just be enough to win more converts to the entire concept of an electric scooter. Speaking for the town that I live in, while there are some electric recharging stations in the civic centre, and at a few large shopping districts they are by no means located in most places. Thus an electric vehicle with low range still doesn’t pass that critical factor that any mode of transport must – feasibility. However if you used the scooter for a short commute to work the option of under the desk recharging of the battery would put that concern to rest for once and for all. As for that battery – the lithium battery is expected to last approximately two years with normal use and weighs in at a not insubstantial 11kg (22lbs) a little heavier than a case of 24 cans of soda.

A full charge of the battery gives the Yogo an advertised range of 22 miles, which for inner city commuting is quite reasonable and lends itself to the possibility of just needing to be charged at home for the most part. The scooter is also designed to carry a spare battery onboard if the peace of mind of having extra range (on board so to speak) is of concern to you. This isn’t a racing bike of course but a top speed of 38mph will get you where you need to be in most urban traffic and the engine power is advertised to be equivalent to a traditional 100cc bike. Needless to say if they can develop an electric scooter (or even motorcycle) with increased range and power I can see the population of electric bikes increasing rapidly.

The Yogo is initially being aimed at the European market where about half of all scooters in use have an engine size and capability quite near to this electric version. Coupled with an essentially silent ride, zero emissions (naturally) and the potential for a high resale value it will be interesting to see how well the little scooter does this year. Finally – battery recharge time – only an hour according to the manufacturer which is pretty reasonable. List price on today’s exchange rate – about $3,050 US – maybe I will get that scooter after all! Did I mention gasoline prices are expected to increase 20-40% in the coming 12 months?

My Quadrophenia reference (apart from the Scooter) – the Yogo comes from the same place as The Who – West London.

Tags: carbon emissions, carbon footprint, co2 emissions, econogo yogo, electric scooter, electric vehicles, gasoline prices, green commuting, green urban living, lithium battery, planet forward, quadrophenia, the who, yogo scooter