PGO unveils an interesting electric powered scooter
Click on the image to enlarge
Back at the 2007 EICMA show in Milan, Taiwanese scooter company Motive Power Industry Co. Ltd. (PGO) was showing off a new electric scooter. The design of the machine apes a model that they already sell, but the innards are actually pretty intriguing. The scooter uses both lithium ion and lead acid batteries. The lead acids provide the necessary power to move the machine while the lithium ions act as additional storage. When a large lithium ion battery pack is assembled, small cells are placed in both parallel and serial configurations in order to hold enough juice for extended running while also being powerful enough to provide quick bursts of acceleration. In this case, the lead acids could provide the necessary output while the lithium ions could just keep the system "topped-off."
Take a close look at the picture above. Note that the front wheel is powered by an electric motor. We can't confirm this for sure, but this appears to be a two-wheel drive electric scooter, which would be really awesome! There is a small chance that a version of this scooter could make it to U.S. shores, as Genuine Scooters in Chicago currently imports certain models from PGO, including the one that this scooter is based on. In the states, it's called the Buddy.
[Source: Taiwan Economic News via 2 Stroke Buzz]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
KarenRei 2:48PM (4/18/2008)
That's actually more clever than it at first appears. The charge capacity of lead-acid is very dependant on how much power you draw; the faster you draw it, the fewer total watt hours it will yield. By buffering them with the li-ion packs to soak up peak demand needs, they'll get more range out of the lead-acids.
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Jay 6:41PM (4/18/2008)
I went to Genuine Scooter's website to send them an email asking them to please import this so I can buy it, but I couldn't find a way to contact them. This comment is the best I can manage.
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steve 7:52PM (4/18/2008)
Is that really an electric motor built into the front wheel? More likely its a cheap drum brake?
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Niralisherni 5:25AM (4/19/2008)
Nice, Also look at the nifty Zapino (http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-scooters/zapino-electric-scooter)
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tankd0g 11:58AM (4/19/2008)
Sure that isnt' just for regenerative braking on the front wheel?
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Kevin Nugent 9:40PM (4/19/2008)
i would rather get a vetrix
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davewin 5:36PM (4/21/2008)
That might a battery instead of an electric motor in the front wheel.
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