Run silent run cheap with an electric scooter

By Giles Elgood

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - It could be the Toyota Prius of the two-wheeled world - transport with green credentials that lets you show off how much you are doing to save the planet.

The Vectrix electric scooter is probably about the quietest thing on display at this year's London Motorcycle Show and it could also be the greenest.

For commuters anxious to minimize their carbon footprint, the Vectrix could be just what they are looking for.

The bulky-looking scooter will take two people and their shopping for a distance of 50 miles before it needs to be plugged into the mains for a charge-up. That takes two hours and will cost 20 pence (40 cents), the company says.

"They are beginning to take off now," says Vectrix's Annette Harris. "It was a slow start."

The company thought they would be selling just to commuters, but their customers also include the police, courier companies and, according to Harris, Leonardo di Caprio, although this could not immediately be independently confirmed.

The bikes are not cheap at 6,930 pounds ($13,860), but they don't cost much to run and, according to Harris, they have a top speed of 62 mph (100 kph)

"It's very quick off the mark at the traffic lights," she said.

The batteries can also be given a little extra charge by rolling the throttle backwards while braking.

Company calculations claim the electric scooter is 20 times more environmentally friendly than the average family car.

The bikes are being sold through London's Harrods and Selfridges department stores, Harris said. And if you want a test ride, they will bring a bike to your house.

An attempt by this reporter to take a Vectrix for an impromptu test run in the cavernous Excel exhibition space was vetoed by Harris on the grounds that the organizers wouldn't stand for it.

"We'd be kicked out," she explained.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)