The Vectrix electric scooter, a production plug in battery-electric vehicle, is coming to the United States soon. While I'm not too happy with the $11,000 price tag, I do like the idea of a streetable electric scooter. This would be great for commuting gas-free.
Photos: All-electric scooter | CNET News.com
It really is over-priced though, by a factor of at least 3. While this device is very pretty I would bet that it would not be difficult to build an electric motorcycle oneself from off the shelf parts for $3000. It might not be as efficient, but that $8000 difference (not including finance charges) covers a heck of a lot of inefficiency.
Now, considering that mass production normally reduces the price of things, one could imagine that a mass produced electric motorcycle would be much cheaper than a home built rig. Nissan would agree. They are working on producing a $3000 car:
Under $3000: The Race To Build Really Cheap Cars (TreeHugger)
Of course it is gasoline, with a massive 33HP powerplant, but I would imagine that if it ever makes it to the American market it would be a popular car for electric conversions. A typical conversion uses some fairly sophisticated power controllers and a large electric motor, the combined price of which exceeds the purchase price of this vehicle.
Photos: All-electric scooter | CNET News.com
It really is over-priced though, by a factor of at least 3. While this device is very pretty I would bet that it would not be difficult to build an electric motorcycle oneself from off the shelf parts for $3000. It might not be as efficient, but that $8000 difference (not including finance charges) covers a heck of a lot of inefficiency.
Now, considering that mass production normally reduces the price of things, one could imagine that a mass produced electric motorcycle would be much cheaper than a home built rig. Nissan would agree. They are working on producing a $3000 car:
Under $3000: The Race To Build Really Cheap Cars (TreeHugger)
Of course it is gasoline, with a massive 33HP powerplant, but I would imagine that if it ever makes it to the American market it would be a popular car for electric conversions. A typical conversion uses some fairly sophisticated power controllers and a large electric motor, the combined price of which exceeds the purchase price of this vehicle.
No comments:
Post a Comment