Closer Look - The Vectrix VX-1 Electric Moped

Mopeds have come a long way from their early dayselectric for most daily users:
as glorified bicycles and nerd-haulers. They aren't just- Max Speed: 62mph / 100km/h
for geeks anymore, but have grown up into stylish and- Acceleration: 0-31mph (50km/h) in 3.6 seconds
sleek performance machines. The Vectrix VX-1 is one- Range: 68 miles under optimum conditions (35 miles
of the top machines on this list and is fast becomingaverage)
the world's leader in all-electric, road worthy electric- Battery recharge time: 80% charge in 2 hours (110v)
mopeds. Even the NYPD is fielding them!- Estimated battery life: 10 years or 50,000 miles
These mopeds (they look more like a small motorcycle(80,000 km)
to me) debuted in America in 2006 and went intoThose numbers will probably decide it for you. For
broader national sales in 2008 and are now available insome of us, an all-electric is not likely because of
most major cities in both the U.S.A. and the EU. Therange restrictions, but for suburban and urban
'08 and '09 models retail for about $11,000 (beforecommuters, this little moped is a very likely candidate.
rebates or incentives) with all the trimmings and areThis is also one of the very few all-electrics available
made (for the most part) in the company'sright now that is federally highway and freeway rated.
Massachusetts plant while EU models are madeThat's an important consideration for many.
primarily in Poland.The VX-1 has a lot of other impressive features
Sounds pretty expensive. Right? It is, all at once, for abesides it's core specs. It's really friendly LCD
"moped." Consider this, though: if you continue to driveinstrumentation is one. These can be seen in most light
your car, what will that cost? Let's do some quickconditions and tell you at a glance where you are in
math. Over a year, the average person will drive theirterms of speed, battery power, etc. There's even a
car to work about 250 days of the year. At a"backwards mileage counter" on the display that
commute of about 30 miles round trip, gas prices atshows you about how many more miles you can go
$2.50/gallon, and miles per gallon at 25 in-city, thatunder your current riding conditions.
works out to $750 in gas (7500 miles, 300 gallons).The whole bike weighs about 450 pounds and has a
That's an optimistic set of numbers and does not"trunk" (under the seat) big enough for a full-face
include maintenance costs, but it gets the point across.helmet to fit into, plus a small glove box at the front big
A VX-1 moped, under the same conditions, wouldenough for a cell phone, iPod, etc. (even with
have less than half the maintenance costs of a caraccessories). An optional cargo box ads even more
and zero gasoline purchases. Ad in the other errandsstorage. This means no nerdy backpack required while
you use a car for and you can see why these areriding your moped.
becoming so desirable to people.Other great ideas like regenerative braking, where you
Models have been test-driven and adopted by severalturn the throttle forwards (rather than back) to
large groups, including the New York City Policedecelerate without using your physical brakes, can ad
Department and police departments in Scotland, Italy,up to 15% of the power returning to the moped. This
France, and others. So these aren't fly-by-nightform of braking still activates the brake lights, so it's not
machines, but real workhorses. Their 24-monthdangerous to use it in traffic. Standard hand brakes
warranty is standard. Of course, that means nothing(working like a motorcycle's disc brakes) are also on
without specs. Right?the moped.
Exactly. So let's look at how these electric mopedsSo there you have it, the Vectrix VX-1 electric moped.
stack up. The VX-1 2009 model specifications areWatch for further developments too, as they test
pretty impressive for an electric moped. We'll start withmarket their new three-wheeled model, which has
the fast numbers, the ones that will make-or-break thisbetter stability and handling.