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Reading about fuel crisis, what are people's thought on where scooters will be in a year or two. We're told theres big advancements on electric and hybrisd scooters, so I'll be interested in what people think, especially dealers, about our options as consumers in the next 12 months.

I know Piaggio have a hybrid - Petrol/Electric engine in refinement at the moment that wil lbe released at the end of the year, and Vectrix, and EMAX are into their electric scooters. I think that we'll all be riding electric scooters within 3 - 4 years.

I would like to think so too Dozer but I just do not think society and industry is that much behind the alternatives YET.

As long as car companies like Toyota still make the Prius, that is the direction more will go.

Scooters will become much more popular but fossil fuels will continue holding centre stage for a fair bit longer and scooters will stay on that path.  We may see a viable hybrid soon but not sure if the mass market will get it for nearer to 5 years.

Of course, the price of petrol has risen so sharply over the last 6 months that maybe it will hasten work on these projects as they can be seen as more viable.

Big guess for anyone.

I wonder what Nostradamus predicted?

I think the Hybrid Scooter is a great idea however it will be interesting to see how the manufacturers try to keep the weight down on the scooter with all the hi tech gear!

 Silent scooter racing with no fumes.  It just wont be the same

dozer:

I think that we'll all be riding electric scooters within 3 - 4 years

If they are like the current crop of electric I think I'll go back to a bicycle..

i`ll give up my 2-stroke scoot when there`s a neuclear alternative.

electricity comes from power stations which in the main are powered by coal.

you can talk about wind power (produces bugger all for huge cost) or solar panels which produce a massive carbon footprint during the manufacturing prosses all you like.

germany spent billions researching, developing and investing in neuclear waste prossesing plants and are asking for the waste that the world produces.

 

 i think the near future will be biofuels.

 

What ever the future holds for us in terms of energy,  count on it being far more expensive  

motorrad:

What ever the future holds for us in terms of energy,  count on it being far more expensive  

 

Yup, I think that's a gimme. 

See, I think a little different from you lot and will adopt a hybrid or electric scoot as soon as performance of battery is better. I think if I can scoot for the week on 10c worth of electricity, coal produced or not, it will certainly be better than petrol. This of it this way, coal is burning to boil water to steam up turbines, and this electricity is online, it is not stored, so the coal is being burnt weather you charge your electric scooter or not.

I'd give Vectrix a go, but cant afford one. Theres 2 on eBay near new from some dude who bought them for a promo going for only $12,000 but still, its too expensive. The current electric scoots are heavy and slow, but the EMAX range from germany is apparently quite good. 

You dealers should be embracing it, because fuel is not going to drop, and scooter popularity is still going to rise.

Just my 2¢ worth. 

silverflyer:

  i think the near future will be biofuels

And I intend to be self sufficient in methane fuel - pass me anther can of beans 

 

I don't know if we'll all be riding electric scooters in 3 years ... possibly 5? Things are starting to move faster towards the electric vehicle ... we'll just have to wait and see if it is killed again though. Oil is running out - its why Dubai is turning their country into an exclusive holiday destination to keep its economy going after they run out in 2010 apparently and why the US is buying oil and pumping it back under US soil. Anyway, more electric vehicle manufacturers are appearing and more people are converting their bikes and cars themselves. My brother has been looking into it a bit and linked me up with some relevant forums and Australian sites like this one: http://www.evmotors.com.au/vehicles/index.html and asked me if I would like to help him in an electric car conversion. So now we keeping an eye out for a classic car (doesn't matter if doesn't run - the engine will be coming out anyway, as long as it looks good and the interior in in good nic - the whole thing should cost us just under 10 grand). I like the Mazda utility on the website ... basically any car will do but rear wheel drive and standard steering is easier for us to work with. Should be fun anyway and then I can really laugh at the long lines at the servos on Tuesday afternoons!

dozer:

Just my 2¢ worth. 

 

... which is how much it'll cost to drive an electric car for 1km. An electric scooter should be even cheaper. 

dozer:

what are people's thought on where scooters will be in a year or two

 

Hopefully at least where they were in Japan six years ago. Yamaha makes a range of electric vehicle, mostly bicycles, but it does include two small scooters. The Passol (released 2002), and the Pocke (2003).

 

My local policeman rides a green Passol like this one, really neat to see him whir off to work. Quite obviously these are small, store & charge in the house machines. Both are capable of the small machine limit of 30km/h, and run to 30km+ on a single Lithium Ion charge. The Pocke carries a spare battery, allowing change-over, or you can leave it at home for more shopping space (2L of milk by the look of it)... 

Curto:

asked me if I would like to help him in an electric car conversion

One of the best machines for this is a VW-Porsche 914. All the boot & motor space you need. CLICK HERE.

 

I worked for CSIRO nearly 30 years ago and I vaguely recall that they were talking about our battery powered future then. Since I'm not currently driving/riding an electric powered vehicle, I'm guessing there's still a bit of research to go.

One of the problems in Australia is "tyranny of distance". If I were an "early adopter" I doubt that I'd be able to recharge my vehicle at (or close to) work (at least until the technology is widely adopted) and I'd need a 40km range plus a reasonable safety margin which I'd suggest would be another 50%. I have a choice of routes to work which would see me in either a 60kph or less zone all the way or up to 90kph along the freeway, so I'd need a vehicle capable of maintaining safe speeds on these roads (remembering that as an "early adopter" I'm having to cohabit these roads with differing technology).

And that just deals with my daily commute. What If I want to travel 100-200km or more? Will the days of private vehicle travel be over? What if I want to travel from Brisbane to Longreach? Perth to Broome? Sydney to anywhere? Kuroneko's "30km/h, and run to 30km+ on a single Lithium Ion charge" doesn't fill me with glee.

Will I see it in my lifetime? I believe so!

Will I still be young enough to avail of it? I'd like to think so (remembering that there are a LOT of Scooter Community members that are younger than me...)

That's enough of my ramblings...