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transit
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| Photo: Greenwit Technologies |
CHARGED-UP RIDE
YOU'VE probably seen one
lately — an electric scooter
silently zipping through
clogged traffic and down
urban bike lanes. Free of the
noise and exhaust of two stroke
engines, they're considered
bicycles under the
law in most provinces: no
license or registration
required. In city traffic,
they're a scooter,
with turn signals, a
horn and even, in
some cases, art deco
styling. In 2001, the
federal government
classed them as
power-assisted
bicycles, though their
vestigial pedals are
barely functional and
usually removed —
and they're passing
cars in cities across
Canada.
Steve Miloshev is president
of Greenwit Technologies, one
of several electric vehicle
manufacturers building
electric scooters. In 2003,
when they were first on the
market, he says people
viewed them as they would
orthopedic shoes and wheelchairs.
"They'd say, 'Oh, that's
a nice little ride for elderly or
handicapped people.'" But
Miloshev says his typical
customers are young and
active commuters, who like
dodging traffic jams at
speeds up to 32 kilometres
an hour without breaking
a sweat. And sales are up
thanks to public concern
about global warming and
ecology. Five years ago, fewer
than a thousand were sold
across Canada. Last year was
a "turnaround year" with
sales totalling about 20,000.
Priced from $500 to $1,800,
these scooters are becoming
a popular alternative for
drivers looking to downsize
fuel costs, carbon emissions
and parking tickets.
Depending on rider
weight, most electric scooters
run 20 to 50 kilometres
on a charge of one kilowatt
hour. The cost to your utility
bill? Between 5 and 10 cents.
Your carbon contribution for
those kilowatt hours is a tiny
fraction of what comes out
of a car's tailpipe. Most
scooters also run on lead acid
batteries, which are
easily recycled at automotive
repair shops and last
anywhere from one to
three years. (Replacement
batteries cost $100 to $300.)
And because they're considered
a bicycle, you can
park on the sidewalk.
But, back in traffic, are
they a nuisance to bicycle
commuters, who have fought
for their bike lanes and
already mastered a blissfully
silent, emissions-free form
of transit? Not really, says
Arno Schortinghuis of the
Vancouver Area Cycling
Coalition. "My main concern
is the speed differential if
they're in the bike lane going
twice as fast as slower
cyclists. But so far we haven't
heard any complaints."
— Tyee Bridge
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