Vectrix Readies its Electric and Fuel Cell Hybrid Scooters for Market
20 March 2005
Car Buyer’s Notebook reports that Vectrix is preparing to launch its VXe plug-in electric scooter internationally. The $10,000 rechargeable electric scooter will go on sale in Europe first, late this year or early in 2006.
The VXe combines a 30 Ah, 125 volt Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery pack and a 20 kW electric motor that delivers 65 Nm (48 lb-ft) torque. The battery pack has a rated capacity of 3.7 Kwh and is designed for up to 1,700 full charging cycles.
The scooter also uses a throttle-activated regenerative braking system to capture some of the braking energy.
The VXe offers a top speed of 60 mph and a range of about 68 miles (110 km) at 30 mph. Recharge time is about two hours.
The company is also developing a fuel-cell series-hybrid scooter, the VXfce, using components and systems from the VXe mated with a Protonex NGen fuel cell.
The 500-watt NGen continuously tops off the charge of the battery, which in turn provides the power for the electric motor. The fuel cell shuts off automatically when the battery is fully charged.
With its on-board fuel cell, the VXfce should have more than twice the range of the VXe—155 miles (250 km) instead of 68 miles.
Protonex specializes in portable fuel cell applications, especially for military use. In partnership with Millenium Cell, for example, Protoenx just delivered to the U.S. Air Force the industry’s first fully-integrated 30 Watt portable fuel cell power system fueled by chemical hydride cartridges.
Vectrix is working with both hydrogen-fueled and methanol-fueled versions of the NGen stack, although currently the methanol-fueled stack produces only up to 200 watts.
WOW REA! COOL...my next question is ,??? will they ever install an on-board hi power electricly driven & rechargeable...vibrating...heated seat for the...GP{general publics}with bose speakers...Fallin' In Love (1995)http://music.yahoo.com/ar-254213-discography--La-Bouche
Posted by: MomMesh | 20 March 2005 at 11:18 PM
$10,000 for a Vectrix?
For about twice that I can get a Honda Impact!
I think that is a little too expensive for even a Vectrix.
Then again, we will see when it comes out, whether people accept that sticker price.
Thank you.
Posted by: Rafael Lopez | 18 April 2005 at 10:47 PM
We have a number of electric vehicles at work and also use battery packs in remote weather stations so I know a bit about these type of batteries. If you were comuting 40Km a day you would have to recharge 3-4 times a week. Given this sort recharge rate the battery would only last a couple of years and it costs almost 1/3 the cost of the bike to replace the battery. I have seen battery life rates mentioned in other reviews but no one has mentioned that well before the battery dies
the performance drops strongly and your vectrix would be going slower and covering less distance than scooters like the "oxygen" or the EC-02.
Posted by: Danny | 20 February 2006 at 05:46 AM
I have followed this bike for quite a while, I noted that one of the news articles on the vectrix UK site is now saying this bike is now going to be 6900UK pounds this is over 13000US not the 10000 mentioned above.
Posted by: Andy Quinn | 30 August 2006 at 07:50 AM
What ever happened to this scooter, I thought they where launching Nov, its Dec and the homepage hasn't been updated in months
Posted by: Jamie T | 07 December 2006 at 05:18 AM
Forget the vectrex, the link below is for the ev-x7 which is from Japan has (from their specs) almost 3 times the speed and twice the range of the Vectrex.
The Vectrex people have taken so long to get to market, they have been passed by in the technology stakes.
Yes, they have been ten years in development, mainly that means they using technology that is mostly ten years old.
The video also (briefly shows a scooter they plan to launch in 07 for ~2100US using the same motor.
The ev-x7 (if it lives up to the blurbs) is also much better than the fuel cell vectrex which is still at least 2 years away.
http://cyclesantamonica.blogspot.com/2006/08/axle-ev-x7.html
Posted by: Mondo | 31 December 2006 at 06:23 AM