Scooters have been around for a 100 years or so and come in all shapes and sizes. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, popularity of the foldable scooter sky rocketed and it seemed like everybody owned a scooter. I was never into scooters because there was way too much energy required on my part and I’d rather just use a bicycle and be a lot more efficient.
But if it’s a motorized scooter, bring them on! I’ve seen small gasoline engines mounted to scooters and they look fun but are loud and annoying. A Solar Electric Scooter on the other hand is silent and uses the power of the sun to charge its batteries. Surprisingly, the solar panels are located exactly where you’d stand on the scooter. The panels are capable of bearing the weight of a person up to 348 pounds (158 kg).
Solar Electric Scooter in Action
The Solar Electric Scooter is capable of reaching 20 miles (32 kilometers), and can reach a top speed of 15mph (24 kilometers) which is more than enough for my place of work. The entire scooter weighs in at 65 pounds which isn’t all that light but most of that weight is from the battery. The entire unit can be folded and carried. The steering column is adjustable so riders of various ages can safely operate the solar electric scooter.
Charge time for the battery via a wall socket can take anywhere from two hours to eight hours depending on how depleted the battery is. When it comes to charging via the sun, the system will replenish one mile of travel per hour of exposure to full sun. So if you want to only charge via the solar panels, hopefully you live in a place where the sun is plentiful. If it happens to be a cloudy day, you can also remove the 11lb battery and charge it indoors via an external charger.
The Solar Electric Scooter can be yours for $1,499 plus shipping and tax. If you live in an area where the sun shines non-stop, this could be a nice mode of transportation for local errands and work. If used everyday, you can apparently recover the cost of the unit in about a year.
