| There was a time when electric vehicles of all kinds | | | | the price come down. |
| were laughed at. There did not seem to be a | | | | In the U.K. the 'Ego Electric Scoota' went on sale in |
| breakthrough on the horizon when it came to price, | | | | September. Like traditional 50cc scooters, its speed is |
| battery technology and speed. But with the recent | | | | capped at 30 m.p.h. which means you can ride it with a |
| launch of the Ego Electric Scoota, things are changing | | | | normal driving licence. It's very light and can accelerate |
| fast. | | | | at the same rate as a normal scooter. |
| When Sir Clive Sinclair launched his C5 electric vehicle | | | | The cost of running the machine actually beats the |
| in 1985 he was, in many ways, ahead of the game. | | | | already very economical petrol scooter. A traditional |
| The design, however, was not good. Never before | | | | petrol scooter has an economy rate of about 90 m.p.g. |
| have so many cartoonists gone to town on one | | | | With current fuel prices in the U.K. that gallon will cost |
| subject. It was ridiculed like no other vehicle before or | | | | £4.96. For the same 90 mile journey, the electric |
| since. And, to be fair, it looked awful. | | | | scooter will cost less than 20p. Admittedly the Ego |
| Little did he know that it would be over twenty years | | | | needs to be recharged every 40 miles but, for |
| before electric vehicles would be taken seriously. It's | | | | commuting about town, that's more than enough |
| only now that battery technology has progressed far | | | | mileage. And there are no carbon emissions. |
| enough. | | | | What has really made the difference, is the price of |
| The electric car that can rival its petrol counterpart has | | | | buying one. Previously, electric scooters were around |
| yet to be invented. Manufacturers are fast developing | | | | £3000. The Ego costs £999.95 to buy, |
| hybrids that use both petrol and electricity. But we're a | | | | which is still three hundred pounds more than a |
| long way from producing purely electric cars that | | | | half-decent petrol scooter. But at 0.25p per mile it won't |
| aren't looked down on. | | | | be long before you're recouping your money. |
| But if you look at scooters the game is already on. | | | | The electric scooter has finally turned the corner. At |
| Electric scooters have rivalled their 50cc petrol-driven | | | | last it may be cheaper to go green with no loss in |
| cousins for a couple of years. But only recently has | | | | performance. |