Friday, April 29, 2011

Volkswagen E-Scooter Reveal

With Volkswagen's latest concept reveal, the auto world's attention is now spotlighted on a lightweight, two-wheeled electric scooter. Volkswagen's E-Scooter concept was revealed last week at the Shanghai Auto Show, rivalling scooters already offered by Smart and MINI.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="559" caption="Volkswagen is setting its sights on the Chinese market where 20 million scooters are sold annually."][/caption]

Weighing in at 44 pounds, the VW E-Scooter has a 350W electric engine powered by a nickel-metal-hydride battery which is removable for easy, at-home charging. The scooter has a 25-mile range with a 30mph top speed, clearly an automotive product aimed at large urban markets such as China.

Volkswagen has not committed to how exactly the E-Scooter will be marketed. Besides being sold directly to consumers, the E-Scooter has the potential for a 'bike-sharing' program where they will be rented out at high-traffic transportation hubs.

The testing phase is tentatively scheduled for 2012 and will take place exclusively in China.

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