Sunday, July 18, 2010

A two-wheeled pickup truck

ZEV's dual purpose electric scooter

Sounds cool

The Trail was originally intended to be a delivery and police-usage vehicle, but park rangers soon took a liking to it because it didn’t have a hot tail pipe that could cause forest fires. Hunters also reportedly like the fact that its quiet motor makes it stealthy, and allows them to access land that is closed to traditional combustion-engined vehicles. The first bikes sold went to residents of the Rocky Mountains, who appreciated how it didn’t lose power at higher elevations, unlike gas-powered vehicles. ZEV also suggests it could be used as a runabout for yacht and RV owners who don’t want to deal with transporting flammable gasoline.

There are two models of the Trail, the 5100 and the 6100. So, what makes the bike rough n’ tough, apart from an optional camo paint job? For one thing, there’s a big-ass lithium battery - 4.32 Kw on the 5100, and 5.04 on the 6100. These batteries give the bike the maximum range of any electric scooter according to ZEV. The 5100 can travel up to 70 miles (113 km) on one charge, while the 6100 manages 85 miles (137 km)