The Peugeot e-Vivacity electric scooter concept was at the EICMA 2009 show, and if all goes to plan it will debut on the market in 2011. The e-Vivacity is a 50cc electric scooter using lithium ion battery technology.

It’s another example of just how far motorcycling is coming in terms of electric technology, especially in the scooter segment. The Peugeot e-Vivacity has power of about 4000W and a comfortable range of approximately 100 km.

The e-Vivacity batteries take about four hours to recharge, separated into two hours of actual recharging and another two hours to ensure the batteries will run at maximum efficiency. In what’s a first for me, because a lot of companies don’t do this, Peugeot has released figures that indicate battery life. It’s a good thing because often it isn’t concerns about range, but about battery life and cost that don’t get people on board with hybrid technology.

Peugeot e-Vivacity scooter

Continue reading: Peugeot e-Vivacity hybrid in "a scooter a day" part two

In reports from the Soloscooter site, it looks like BMW might be introducing an electric scooter to the market as early as 2011. This is after reports last year of BMW working on a Rotax-powered scooter.

Piaggio has just released its MP3 hybrid scooter and these reports of an electric BMW scooter can be seen as further proof that urban motoring is seriously taking on the challenge of less emissions and more environmentally friendly options. The BMW development may mean that the company abandons its twin-cylinder, petrol, and F800 modified engines.

While no official news is available, the lithium ion batteries would apparently produce a 200 km range and a speed of about 120 km/hr. We might see a prototype produced this autumn, while the vehicle wouldn’t be ready for the market until late 2010, early 2011. The above image has been designed by Oberdan Bezzi.

Source | Motoblog

Continue reading: A future BMW electric scooter?

This unusual contraption is an electric scooter that was presented for the Lucky Strike J. Designer Award Italy, one of the most prestigious design awards for students and graduates. It’s called the “½ Equino” and reached the finals with an honorary mention.

It was presented by Marcello Pirovano from the Milan Polytechnic University, and is a scooter designed to recharge while riding it like a bicycle. This makes it a kind of assisted bike, and the ½ Equino (half horse) stores energy, maintaining the energy reserves at a constant level.

The riding mechanism works when the riding stands up on the pedals, weighing down the rear suspension in brief stints of one to two minutes. The energy produced in this way is collected by a generator that transforms it for battery use.

Continue reading: Scooter sharing: ½ Equino electric scooter design with big ideas

The slogan of Italy’s latest scooter model is “are you smarty?” Smarty scooter is the company that produces this electric scooter, which is 100 percent electric and has no emissions. It’s even designed for two people.

Apparently fast and powerful, it can get uphill with plenty of pull and is manageable in city traffic, with double disc brakes. Figures show that it costs one euro for 200 km thanks to revolutionary batteries, and has a range of more than 80 km with a fast recharge.

The battery pack has a system that manages energy flow based on speed, and the overall power is 4hp. Smarty has no transmission or clutch and the electric motor is incorporated into the back wheel, with its axis being that of the wheel itself.

It doesn’t appear to be currently on sale or have any distributor network but we’ve asked for some extra info and the change to try one, so stay tuned.

Continue reading: Electric scooter: introducing Smarty from Italy

Here is a preview of an electric scooter on sale in Milan, which needs to be seen in person to get a proper idea of it. While the brochure makes no mention of the country of production, you could probably make an educated guess.

The electric scooter is on sale under the Country Lion brand, imported by an Italian company from Verona and available in two different “Elettra” models of 1,500W and 2000W. Both have a top speed of 45 km/hr, while the former has a range of 60km and the latter a range of 55km.

The weight of the scooters is 160 kg, due to the 8×12V battery (20Ah). Battery recharge time is four hours. Other features include a front disc brake and rear drum brakes.

While the range of these kinds of scooters is still quite scarse, the advantages are obvious: no polluting emissions, access to city centres with a non-pollutant vehicle, and registration deals. The price starts at 1,920 euros with registration included. For more details, see the Country Lion site.

Continue reading: Country Lion electric scooter: Elettra