greentechZONE Products for the week of October 22, 2007
Fast, Fun and Eco-Friendly: Test Driving the Vectrix Electric Super Scooter
Pile on behind EN-Genius editor Lee Goldberg for a hands-on, geek’s-eye-view of this quad-processor, asphalt-toasting, 20 kW smart bike
What if breaking the oil habit didn’t require sacrifice, just a motorcycle license and a willingness to arrive at work every morning with a silly grin on your face? That’s what the folks at Vectrix were claiming a back in 2005 when I reviewed the prototype of their sexed-up, high-tech, high-style electric scooter. They also promised me a test ride once the cycles were in production, apologizing that the two hand-built prototypes they were showing off at high-profile events were off-limits to non-company personnel for insurance reasons. The test drive I’d been begging for finally materialized when Chris Davies, a local Vectrix representative (and my wingman for the test drive), arrived at my house with a pair of shiny new scooters and a full charge on their 30 A-h, 125 V NiMH batteries. After two years of waiting, it was time to get off my keyboard and into the saddle to see if Vectrix lofty claims for a fast, fun, practical eco-cycle were anywhere close to true.
 I’ve driven a several EVs before and always enjoyed them -- despite their quirks, relatively short range, and universally un-sporty demeanor (no, nobody’s allowed me to drive the bullet-class Tesla Roadster or the minimalist Wrightspeed prototype yet). Being the granola-munching geek that I am, I would probably consider one of those odd-looking electric turtles to supplement our primary car (a 40 mpg VW Diesel Jetta) when my beloved 1993 Saturn SCII (also around 40+ mpg on the highway) finally wears out, but I had yet to find an EV that would appeal to anything close to the average consumer (at least those in moderate, sunny parts of the country). While the weather that New Jersey dishes out to its residents would make a two-wheeled EV only useful for six-to nine months (depending on how hardy you are) worth of secondary transportation, the Vectrix drive system looked to be a good test of the technology that might make a small enclosed two-seater practical in the next couple of years.
The big questions I wanted to explore on the test drive were whether the bike was a vehicle that the average driver would actually want to use for the many short drives which most so-called second cars spend most of their lives doing, and if there was enough value in the machine to justify its steep $11 k price tag. I was also interested to see how it stacked up against the 60 mpg, 250 cc 1986 Honda Helix that I use for most of my sub-20 mile trips whenever weather permits (See below for a side-by-side photo of the to bikes). Of course a good chunk of me just wanted to see if the damned thing was really as fast as it looked. Looking at it sitting in my driveway, I figured that would have to be awfully fast.
 Fortunately, beauty isn’t skin-deep on the Vectrix. Of course that’s not surprising since the company maintains a design center in Italy, the global hub of scooter culture, and hired the former president of Ducati Motorcycles as their European CEO. Whereas most of the other electric scooters I’ve driven were re-worked, lead-acid powered versions of the cheaply-made Asian gas-burners you buy for your kid at the auto parts store, the Vectrix fit, finish and engineering rivals anything I’ve seen from traditional high-end Italian manufacturers like Aprilla, Benelli, or Vespa. To complement its forged aluminum frame and unique body style that sleekly accommodates its large battery pack, Vectrix engineers equipped the bike with a custom-designed Mazoki front fork, Brembo brakes, Spax shocks, and, of course, Pirelli tires. Chris also told me that they worked closely with designers of high-performance motorcycles to determine rake, trail, and shock rates to optimize handling and road feel. Now I was itching to get that shiny little beast between my legs.
 My first flight on the Vectrix was delayed for a few minutes while I waited for my 11-year-old daughter Anwyn to get home from school as I’d promised her she could join me on the test ride. Chris used that time to familiarize me with the bike and the unusual features Vectrix has cleverly packed into the standard motorcycle controls. To prevent someone from accidentally hitting the throttle on a silent-but active bike, Vectrix employs a two-stage sequence to make the bike road-ready. A conventional key wakes up the scooter with all systems at the ready but you must hold the left brake lever and tap the right one to engage the interlock that delivers power to the drive system.
Other small things, like a trigger-shaped high beam switch and a bi-level smart horn give you the impression that there has been some deep thought given to every aspect of the Vectrix design. This is especially evident in the ordinary-looking throttle grip which also acts as a regenerative brake when twisted forward past the normal idle position. Twisting the throttle forward is also used to engage the bike’s reverse mode -- a feature I found very handy when backing the 500-lb machine out from downhill parking slots. For safety reasons, engaging reverse requires a special control sequence (hold either brake and give the throttle a little twist) but it only took using it a couple of times to commit this handy little feature to memory.
With Anwyn back from school and in her biking clothes we saddled up and headed out on a route I’d chosen for its mix of urban stop-and-go, suburban combat, and country back road driving. We putted out of our neighborhood and eased effortlessly into the tightly-packed 50 - 60 mph traffic of Rt 1 with as much, or more, pep as my trusty 250 cc Helix delivers. Its solid feel, easy maneuverability, and comfortable power reserves should allow the Vectrix to handle everyday commuting tasks as well as any gas-burner. Much like the Toyota Prius, the scooter’s three embedded microcontrollers and single embedded DSP (all from TI) give the bike enough intelligence to mask all the complicated stuff going on within its guts so that the only surprising things are how nicely it drives and how it silently pulls away from a light.
A few miles later, we departed the congested highway and made our way to a favorite road that runs along the wooded banks of the Delaware-Raritan Canal. With a clear road and gently twisting curves ahead, Chris encouraged me to push the bike a bit. Strangely, the silent electric operation made it tough to get a gut feel for just how quick the bike was. Nevertheless, a couple of full-throttle moments gave me the impression that it was at least a bit faster than my Helix and makes me confident that the factory’s claims that its performance compares nicely with other 350 - 400 cc machines. I hardly had to touch the brakes at the stop signs we occasionally encountered as I became more accustomed to using the regenerative braking system.
We settled down to a comfortable 50 mph cruise along a prolonged stretch of gently-curving back road where I was able to get a better sense of the Vectrix’ overall feel and behavior. Its comfortable seat and short café-style handle bars put you in an upright riding position that’s a good compromise between the laid-back, feet-forward cruising stance I get on the Helix and the uncomfortable semi-prone tuck that’s all the rage on today’s superbikes. Rolling the bike from side to side took a bit more effort than my Helix, mostly I suspect, due to the mass of the batteries tucked at the low point in its frame. Once the right amount of body English is applied, Vectrix rolls in and out of lane changes like a champ and Chris says that the stability I initially found fault with makes the bike very stable in gusty wind conditions.
This long stretch also gave me time to discover a few small things that did not compare well with my everyday scooter. For one thing, the windshield is too short to keep most of the wind out of the average rider’s face. Above 40 mph, the resulting rush of air around your helmet makes the subjective noise level about the same as a gas scooter and necessitates keeping my face shield down, something I don’t have to bother with at moderate speeds on the Helix. Chris says that he likes to get his head out of the slipstream by moving to the rear seat and tucking himself into the fairing but I did not have that option with Anwyn riding along with me. I was also not happy that Vectrix sturdy frame puts a low but wide hump between my feet, giving it a more motorcycle-like feel than a traditional scooter. My Helix has a similar hump but it’s much narrower, giving me a wider choice of riding positions.
Both the seat and the windshield are more a matter of personal taste than real flaws but the Vectrix high-style, low-function rearview mirrors are not. While they really do complement the bike’s beautiful lines, the mirrors are too small and placed too closely to serve any purpose other than satisfying DOT legal requirements. Fortunately, it would take only a few minutes and a few dollars to swap out these useless ornaments for something a bit less sexy and much more useful. It’s a very good sign that, other than its relatively limited range, these relatively minor gripes were the only real issues I could uncover on the first edition of such a complex and radically-innovative vehicle.
The bike’s range did turn out to be an issue during our test drive as our machines unexpectedly slipped into a limp-home mode about three miles away from the house. The reduced acceleration and top speed that the processor-controller power management system delivers when the batteries slip below 5% of their available capacity helps prevent the battery from damage and provides a strong psychological incentive to pay attention to your state of charge.
Since we’d put on a tad less than 30 miles, both of us were surprised when the bikes began to slow down but Chris realized that they had less than 100 miles on them and their batteries had not been cycled enough times to develop the full charge depth they would enjoy for their 10-year warranted lifetime -- a figure that should provide around 35,000 miles of trouble-free driving. This, and the fact that we’d been far more liberal in our use of the throttle than any sensible commuter would be made me confident that I’d be able to get the 40 - 50 mile typical range Vectrix says most users are able to enjoy. Chris and another experienced Vectrix rider I talked to report that once they’d gotten good at moderating acceleration and conserving momentum they often see 55 miles per charge during in-town driving, or cruising at 30 - 40 mph.
 For most of the missions I’d use the bike for this relatively short range is not as big a problem -- especially since the bike’s onboard charging system allows it to be fully recharged in around thee hours from a standard 110 V wall outlet. Things could get even better in a year or so as improved batteries become available (Vectrix says it’s constantly working with several major battery vendors on this) and when a long-awaited optional fuel cell becomes available. At 500 W, the cell is not intended to run the bike completely but instead serve as a range extender and a way to recharge whenever you’re parked. The Vectrix charging system is already designed to accept power from both an ac power main and a dc fuel cell so it’s just a matter of when the fuel cell vendor (Parker- Hannifin) is able to provide something that’s commercially viable.
After we limped the bikes back home, I asked Anwyn how she enjoyed her ride. The big grin on her face pretty much said it all and she asked me when we’d be buying one of our own. She was a bit disappointed when I told her we’d be driving our Helix for at least another year or so. Glancing longingly at the Vectrix's sleek lines, she pulled me aside and whispered “That’s OK, just please don’t tell the Helix what I said: I don’t’ want it to be jealous.”
 If I could afford the $11 k price tag I’d be happy to use the Vectrix for most of the chores I use the Helix for, other than the long weekend rides I take with my daughter. That being said, I think Vectrix will find its real market in industrial and fleet applications (delivery, meter reading, parking meter enforcement, etc…) where its dramatically lower cost of maintenance and fuel would quickly pay back the $3 k - $5 k price differential over a comparable gasoline powered scooter.
If you look at it another way, the Vectrix is a downright bargain. Where else can you get a gorgeous, premium-quality, fun-to-drive vehicle that’s software upgradeable (via a parallel port in the glove box) and turns heads wherever you go? At $11 k, it’s 10% of the cost of a Tesla Roadster and probably at least half as much fun.
The Vectrix Maxi Scooter is available for immediate delivery from several dealers in the United States, Europe and Asia. More information may be obtained here.
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