Greener Transport and Electric Vehicles
In this section we shall look at greener ways of getting about.
Firstly it should be noted that the stroll and the bicycle are the truest forms of green transport.
Secondly, electric vehicles are only as green as your electricity. If you insist on burning old dead dinosaurs and rain forest from millions of years ago to get your electricity, having an electric vehicle will not help the environment. I use ecotricity’s 100% green tarrif myself to ensure my electricity is greener than the dino burning norm.
Electric Scooter, The Answer?
Over the years I have thought about how electric vehicles could be built, and like any engineer who has tried this, found that the average electric car is slow, heavy and rubbish. Even the best have their flaws, anyone who saw the Tesla on Top Gear will know that. The problem is batteries. To power a large vehicle, they need to be large. Even super efficient, high tech batt packs don’t often live up to their claims (as anyone with experience of the ipod battery scandal in the early noughties will remember). The answer is, smaller vehicles. A number of people have realised this and the market for electric scooters and electric motorcycles is beginning to expand. These range from the super Electric Motorcycle the Monotracer to pioneering homemade Electric Motorcycle projects.
So What About Green Transport for Everyday People?
Well I have been giving this a lot of thought recently. I chose a scooter myself as they are cheaper and greener than driving my van to work. The problem with my petrol scoot is that it uses petrol. For a scooter it has about average fuel consumption (60+mpg). This still means a gallon or so of the world’s least sustainable fuel is used every week.
“So” I hear you say, “what do you suggest we use to get to work smartass? A solar powered skateboard or something?” The answer, not surprisingly is no.
Elecscoot Scooters ready to be unwrapped and unleashed, by me!
I suggest an electric scooter. To prove this I will be packing away my petrol bike for a few weeks and testing some electric alternatives. So, after an email to Ian of elecscoot.co.uk electric scooter suppliers. I have secured a test ride, not of a single bike, but the whole range. If you visit the Elecscoot.co.uk website you will see that there are 4 flavours of scoot to choose from. They range from the Elecscoot 1 electric scooter to the Elecscoot 4 60mph maxi scooter. Furthermore, they are available with mixed battery options to suit your riding needs and budget.
Armed with the tantalising photos of the new scoots that will be making their way to Ecolivingblog Towers I have started a new blog category to let you live through my change from petrol power to electric. I will be using the scooters to replace my petrol scoot for my commute. This means that I won’t be taking a 10 minute spin on each in a car park. I will review each model by subjecting it to the scooter equivalent of torture. 88 miles a week to and from Central London. I will state now that my petrol scoot can barely cope and has let me down a few times. However, due to their high torque motors, quiet ride and simpler mechanicals, I expect the electric scooters to embarrass their petrol counterparts.
Click here for electric vs petrol scooter test thread.
Click here for scooter side by side comparison page.
