Foldable Electric Scooter Made for Sharing

Dec. 6, 2007 -- Dense cities are notorious for traffic congestion and pollution. But now, an energy-efficient, compact scooter could offer a mass transit option almost as convenient as a car.

The electrically powered scooter folds to half its size, which could make it easier to park, store or carry onto subways or buses. City transportation authorities could make thousands of the scooters available to commuters at conveniently located, one-way rental racks -- similar to bicycle-share programs that have recently popped up in Lyon and Paris, France and other European cites.

"This vehicle provides a clean, green solution that has potentially very high utilization rates. If it's used a lot, it could reduce the need for private vehicles on the road," said Ryan Chin, design leader and Ph.D. candidate in media, arts and sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab.

Chin is part of the Media Lab's Smart Cities Group, and the scooter is an off-shoot of the group's City Car, a sharable, stackable electric concept car.

In many ways, the MIT electric scooter looks similar to a conventional one. It has two wheels, a frame, handlebars and a seat. But most scooters are gas-powered, so they have a tank, a combustion engine, a drive train, a clutch, a transmission and all the parts that go along with that setup -- about 1,000 in all.

MIT's scooter has just 150 parts. The electricity comes from a battery that gets recharged each time the vehicle is replaced to its rack. There is no conventional drive train, because the motorbike has specially designed wheels, each with their own motor and suspension system.

Fewer parts make the scooter cheaper and lighter. Although he has no cost estimates, Chin is confident the electric motorbike will be cheaper than a comparable gas-powered one. He also thinks the final vehicle will weigh around 85 pounds, as opposed to conventional scooters, which weigh about 265 pounds with fuel in the tank.

Fewer parts also free up the vehicle's design. The battery can be placed anywhere, and the frame can accommodate a joint that allows the bike to be folded to about the size of a medium piece of luggage.

The idea is that hundreds or thousands of these scooters could be provided in racks near subway stops, bus stations, convenience stores or parks. Riders would swipe a credit card to remove a vehicle from the rack, where it is charging. The commuter would eventually deposit the scooter at another rack at the end of their destination.