I got my electric scooter last week. I am very happy.

http://kaishanebikes.com/k500ws.html

It's a cheap chinese bike but it totally works as a proof of concept vehicle. Another $500 in better parts at the factory would produce a pretty amazing little vehicle. I can't wait to see how good they get when Honda takes an interest and starts making these in mass-scale.

I pobably drove 40 miles on the first day, just because I was having so much fun. So the claims of 100 km range are probably true. Another couple batteries, wired up in the storage area would give you close to 80 miles range, or more speed.

I go 32 Km/hr, so I got to work in 10 minutes. With all the stops I kept up with downtown traffic. But a bit more speed would be nice. I can modify the circut board and add batteries. Some people are going 50 Km/hr on these things.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=cl7V5iHOYbQ

From hitting a few bumps in the road I can tell you that anything over 50 Km/hr will be quite scary. Anything over 40 Km/hr will be fast enough and I should be able to do that with just 1 extra $29 battery and a short piece of wire.

The cost to charge the batteries is 6 cents, so even with the cost of replacing batteries, my daily fuel cost for a work commute is 4 cents. So for one day's bus fare, you run this for a month. Because these are classed as a powered bicyle I do not need to insure or licence it. You buy it and pay for electricity and maintenance, that's it.

Over time I will will probably upgrade the motor, front shocks and brakes, but the frame, body and battery configuration are quite good. This will make an excellent test bed.

There really are viable solutions using existing techknowlogy. We could cut down so much.

Use the truck or the minivan when you really need it, but for the nice days in spring, summer and fall, an electric scooter seems like an ideal choice, even if you have to wear a suit like me.

I think I will be able to reduce my gas usage by about 90% and get it down to just a few tanks per year. Imagine how the world could change if more people did this.

I am also happy to report that the people who sell these can't keep them in stock.

I encourage others to jump on this bandwagon...or scooter.