Which Type of Motorized Scooter is Best - Electric Or Gas? - Part 1

One of the questions I receive most often fromENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is absolutely no
someone that wants to purchase a motorized scooterquestion as to the winner in this category - the electric
is, "Which is better, gas or electric?" To be completelyscooter! If your overall goal is to reduce your carbon
honest, there are a lot of things to consider beforefootprint by reducing harmful emissions, then the
making this decision, so it is not a simple question toelectric scooter is clearly the way to go. Gas scooters
answer. To make an educated decision, there areburn fossil fuels, which in-turn produce emissions that
several items you will want to carefully review. Onlyare found to be harmful to our environment.
after understanding the differences between the twoGas scooters do, however, produce far fewer harmful
types of scooter, can you decide which is best foremissions than the standard automobile. If your goal is
your own personal needs.to reduce your emissions by driving a gas scooter as
Here are some of the various pros and cons of eachan alternative to driving your car, then at least you are
type of motorized scooter:looking in the correct direction. If this is the case, try to
COST: When it comes to affordability, the prize goesgo with one of the gas scooters featuring the
to electric scooters. Generally, an electric scooter willCalifornia C.A.R.B. Tier 2 exhaust previously mentioned
be far less expensive than its gas counterpart thatin this article.
features the same specifications.I recently had a reader comment to one of my blog
SPEED: In this category, the gas scooter winspostings arguing that electric scooters are no cleaner
hands-down. In most cases, the average electricto drive than an automobile since the process of
scooter will output top-end speeds between 10 to 25producing the required electricity to drive them resulted
miles per hour. You can find some electric scootersin the need to burn fossil fuels. Yes, I'll agree that in
that go much faster. However, you will pay a premiummany cases fossil fuels are used to produce electricity.
price for these. On the other hand, comparably pricedHowever, there are indeed other methods to produce
gas scooters will generally produce speeds rangingelectricity that are a cleaner alternative. Electricity can
from 20 to 35 miles per hour. Once again, there arealso be produced by solar, wind, or nuclear alternatives
faster gas scooters available too; but usually at anthat do not require the burning of fossil fuels. This
extreme cost.simply cannot be said about driving an automobile!
NOISE LEVELS: The electric scooter is clearly theFurthermore, to drive an automobile, the environment is
winner here. Most gas scooters are considered to beeffected twice; up front when the fuel is refined, and
quite loud, often sounding something like a lawnmowerthen again when the fuel is burned and emissions are
or chainsaw. On the other hand, electric scootersgiven off as an exhaust. Even if your electric scooter
produce a low humming sound. If you are concernedis used with electricity that was produced by a fossil
with noise levels, you should probably decide on thefuel burning plant, the act of using your scooter for
electric motorized scooter. However, if you must havetransportation instead of an automobile, results in less
a gas scooter for any of the other reasons listed here,emission being introduced into our environment.
try one built with a California C.A.R.B. Tier 2 exhaustPlease see "Which Type of Motorized Scooter is Best
emission compliant motor. The gas scooter motors built-- Electric or Gas? - Part 2" for the continuation of
to California C.A.R.B. specifications are a much quieterthisarticle.
choice than the standard gas models.