Green Transport Solutions Ltd

THE first Vectrix electric maxi¬scooter in Worcester has been delivered to its new owner.

Vectrix and local Mega Multi¬Truck dealer, Green Transport Solutions Ltd in Malvern, delivered the tornado red model to Barbourne architect, Anthony Clerici.

Launched in 2007, the Vectrix, which because of its zero emissions enjoys exemption from road fund licence duty, no congestion charges and requires considerably less maintenance than its Petrol powered competitors, means the average owner can travel up to 68 miles - without guilt - on a charge costing just 20p.

Anyone with the CBT qualification can drive the Vectrix. It has performance similar to a 400cc petrol powered bike, is near silent to ride and produces no carbon emissions. With seating for two, a long wheelbase and a low centre of gravity, the vehicle is easy to drive, comfortable to ride, can accelerate to 50mph in just 6.8 seconds and will reach a top speed of 62mph.

All this makes it the ultimate urban commuter; delivery vehicle.

To find out more about the Vectrix, or to book a demonstration, contact Colin Webster at Green Transport Solutions on 01689 576540 or visit www.greentransportsolutions.co.uk

Featured in the Worcester News February 29th 2008.

Ant Clerics, WHAM observer and environmental warrior has been playing around with an electric bike. Maybe we will all be riding these soon. Or maybe we’ll take up golf instead.
Here are Ant’s impressions.

Batteries included….

Before Christmas the news was all about Bali, not because Cliff, WHAM’s Chief Instructor, had arrived there for a few weeks holiday but for the climate change conference and the political circus that inevitably surrounds such events. Around the same time I had spent a day at the Bike Show and had seen the new Vectrix scooter and was sufficiently interested in its “green” credentials to arrange for a test ride.

Surprise!

The first surprise was that they bring the bike to you!

The test ride

So on a chilly December morning a bright red scooter appeared and after a short briefing I was sat on this innovative electric powered bike. The only indication that it’s “on” is the “GO” indicator on the dash: no throbbing engine, no vibration; only silence.
Twist n go
It’s a `twist and go’ without clutch or gear box but with two interesting features operated
by turning the throttle in the opposite direction: when stationary it’s a reverse that adds a little elegance to tricky parking manoeuvres and, when on the move, regenerative braking that puts energy back into the batteries and increases range. This braking was very positive and I could see that conventional braking would be used rarely - reserved for emergencies and hill starts.

On the move it was strange in that it simply drove, without fuss and without the familiar gear changes and engine noise. Acceleration is quick and here it is important not to make comparisons with the bikes we ride - the BMW’s, Hyabusas, Ducatis etc. - this scooter is for shorter journeys. Around Worcester it was equal to anything, slow riding and filtering were easy and there’s enough poke off the lights to leave cars safely behind. The batteries are positioned low to give impressive stability. The indicators have conventional operation (don’t forget I’m a GS rider) and “beep” if left on for too long. The horn has both a friendly “beep” to warn of your almost silent approach and a louder horn when pushed hard. But Worcester isn’t a big place, in London you could ride one of these and never need to see how it performed at speed but I would need something to go to sites and meetings further away.

So what’s its range?

The brochure says “up to 68 miles on a single charge” but we all know that would have been achieved on a duration test ridden by the ‘under 35Kg slow riding World champion’ wearing one of those speed skaters low drag one piece suits’. The Vectrix guy was refreshingly honest and said his personal test on dual carriageways and the M5 gave 33 wham!.
miles flat out at the 62mph maximum. So the real answer is 33 to 50 something miles. But that’s OK for what I need assuming I can plan to recharge at my destination if I go further than around 25 miles. There are an increasing number of charging points being installed in city centres and with 2hrs for an 80% charge the options get better.

How much?

This is where it gets a little difficult because it’s expensive to buy - around £5900. For me too much as a private vehicle but maybe affordable for business use. On the other hand build quality looks very good and all the other costs are ridiculously cheaper - zero road tax, minimal maintenance - Vectrix say £100 - £150 pa and, at 20p to charge up, there is no comparison with conventional petrol engines: OK lets assume the scooter costs 20p for 50 miles - my GS costs £5 for the same distance; insurance is meant to be cheap too.

Where was I?

Oh yes riding out of Worcester. The roads weren’t dry so it wasn’t appropriate to test the “envelope” as far as corning was concerned but with its Pirelli tyres it felt absolutely fine in slippery conditions. Up the London Road the torque was there - no slowing up the hill, then left onto the dual carriageway where it accelerated to 62mph - then the limiter kicked in and that was it until the roundabout. I could imagine I’d get a little frustrated during longer periods on roads with a 70mph limit but that isn’t the sort of journey for this scooter.
Will I buy one?
I’m very tempted. I like the idea of its environmentally positive image and it performs well enough. I’d have to keep my GS because I have journeys beyond
the Vectrix maximum range. If I get one I’ll let you know how I get on - I might even turn up on a Sunday morning and ride the first 25 miles with you.

In my various musings about the future of public transport, it occurs to me that it all comes down to a simple equation: lower C02 =3Ps.

The three Ps in question are price, practicality and public perception when it comes to persuading motorists that there is an alternative to the internal combustion engine.

Hybrid cars like Toyota’s Prius and the Honda Civic are a partial answer but, quite frankly, the electric cars I’ve driven in the past don’t qualify on any of those three criteria.

Perhaps that’s why I was so impressed when testing an electric vehicle produces no carbon dioxide yet is also fun and practical - yet had just two wheels instead of four.

For a dedicated biker it’s easy to be dismissive of the Vectrix. Until you’ve ridden it, that is: this machine is likely to shake up your ideas about personal electric transport.

This Italian-styled machine looks like one of the bigger scooters, such as the Silver Wing or Burgman but it’s powered by a sophisticated electric motor.

At almost £6,000 (plus VAT) it isn’t cheap to buy, but plug it in to any 13amp socket with what looks like a long domestic kettle lead and two hours later you have enough energy for up to 68 miles, That will cost you around 20p, which makes even a 50cc scooters fuel thirst look expensive by comparison and it’s a lot more fun to ride.

Plus there’s no road tax to pay and it’s cheap enough to insure: the first Midlands buyer paid £130 for fully comprehensive cover. I’m always uneasy on restricted or small capacity two wheelers, whose limited performance is unnerving in today’s traffic because of car and lorry drivers who tend to treat them like a mobile chicane. Impatient motorists overtake with little consideration, forcing riders right up to the kerb where they’re unsighted and face the hazard of drainage grids. The Vectrix is a different beast entirely. It’s been randomly classified by the DVLA as a 125 (essentially so riders quite rightly in view of its performance need at least a CBT to ride it) but in fact it goes much more like a conventional 400cc ‘twist and go’ machine.

It can certainly hold its own in town or in open road traffic: it takes a little over six seconds to go from a standstill to 50mph, and very soon after reaches its designated top speed of 62mph.
Riding in traffic at, say, 40mph, you can feel a surge of torque as you twist the accelerator for a quick, safe overtake.

Vectrix do actually make a sports bike for track use, capable of 124mph. It’s current drawbacks are price (£39,000) and a range too limited for road use, but the technology is moving on apace.
Riding the Vectrix is essentially the same as any twist-and-go (automatic) scooter with twist grip on the right and front and rear brake levers. It’s a comfortable, upright position with plenty of weather protection, a very generous seat and, for the rider, an excellent integral back support. But there’s an extra dimension to this machine which really sets it apart: regenerative braking. The principal is familiar from hybrid cars, in that under braking the electric motor changes polarity and recharges its own batteries, but it assumes a greater significance in everyday use on this two-wheeler.
As you approach a junction, lights or whatever, you back off the power, Go a bit further, and apply a gentle forward pressure on the twist grip, and you get progressive engine braking (while also recharging the battery, of course).

For example, as I approached a zebra crossing about 100 yards ahead, I began to use the regenerative braking to slow to a halt: as I waited for the pedestrian to cross, I checked the instruments and found to my delight I’d earned an extra three miles range!

On the open road, I accelerated to top speed to overtake a lorry and used a gentle forward pressure on the grip to gradually slow for the upcoming roundabout: in doing so I’d regained most of the energy used up by that initial surge of acceleration.

Once I got used to the system, and gained confidence in it, I found I wasn’t using the brakes at all. The added advantage is that it makes the Vectrix more stable under braking, particularly in the wet.

Quick bursts of acceleration do sap battery power but it’s surprising how much is recovered in town and amongst traffic. Automatic rider reactions such as slowing to maintain your gap from vehicles in front, setting up for a junction or corner, are all earning you a ‘free ride’, so to speak. The Vectrix weighs in at around 4001bs, around a quarter of which is the battery pack. But it feels a lot lighter (and easier to handle) than some motorcycles because the batteries are attached to the bottom of the frame, giving it a much lower centre of gravity.

It does feel exceptionally stable by scooter standards, and agile, too - tight bends and traffic islands are effortless.

But there’s more, Many bikers have experienced the effort of walking a heavy bike backwards out of a parking slot. If the Vectrix is stationary, though, that slight forward pressure on the twist grip becomes reverse gear: it’s a simple as that!

Many people in urban areas have already discovered the benefits of two wheels for commuting, in terms of both cost and time saved.

The Vectrix isn’t cheap, but with its minimal running costs, zero road tax and low maintenance (essentially just tyres and brakes) it looks more of a viable proposition against more conventional machines. And, of course, there’s those green credentials. It’s hard, even for a dedicated petrolhead, not to feel smug as you wait at traffic lights and see all over vehicles around you puffing out clouds of polluting smoke. Yes, it uses mains electricity produced by a power station probably burning fossil fuels. ut using just 20p worth of watts for 60 miles and 60mph is a considerable contribution to halting global warming. You’d probably use more during an evening in front of the telly, and it makes the average tumble dryer look like a real gas guzzler.

It’s a ‘good neighbour’, too, as it’s silent but that can have a slight downside, too. You need to keep a thumb near the horn button because pedestrians won’t hear you coming, and I was a little wary of filtering between lines of queueing-cars, too.

A crumb of comfort for traditionalists though: one of the accessories currently being developed is an audio system for the Vectrix, for which you can buy a ‘petrol bike’ soundtrack.

Vectrix is an American brand, although much of the technology is British and Italian. The bikes have only been available here for a few months but are already attracting serious interest among councils and even the police, as well as private buyers.

Its popularity has so far been greatest in London, where other motorists have the added cost of the congestion charge.

But Herefordshire businessman Colin Webster - who has 30 years experience selling more conventional vehicles - has taken on the dealership for the whole of the West Midlands, and is confident this is the shape of things to come.

“I find the whole concept exciting and virtually everyone is willing to talk to you about it,” said Colin, whose company Green Transport Solutions also markets a range of electric vans.
“It is an emerging market, and it could go anywhere. There is already work going on to find practical ways of recharging it from sources such as wind and solar power so you can be 100 per cent eco-friendly".

The Vectrix still has its limitations in terms of range, but 60 or so miles is more than enough for most city dwellers and commuters. It’s plenty quick enough for safety in traffic, it looks as good as any conventional machine and running costs could hardly be any lower.
This may indeed be the vehicle that will change the public perception of electric vehicles.

To find out more see the website at www.greentransportsolutions.co.uk or call 01684 576540.

“It’s fantastic, I can’t criticise it and it’s great fun to ride.”

Commuting in to Central London can be stressful enough, but if you’re also concerned about the environmental damage you may be inflicting on our fragile planet, then that stress is greatly magnified.

Although not using his car for the door to door commute, just the short journey from home to the train station was enough to convince James Hubbard that there was a cleaner, greener way to cover the 8 mile round trip. While James’s journey was relatively short, it was certainly not fuel efficient, indeed the first few miles a vehicle travels are when the greatest percentage of harmful emissions are produced.

“I heard about the-Vectrix a few years ago from the Battery Vehicle Society, I then saw an article published about the Vectrix and as a result booked a test ride.” “As soon as I’d ridden the bike I decided to buy one,” I’d looked at electric cars but they were too slow, I’d looked at other electric scooters but they didn’t have the performance I needed, I’d also considered building one myself, but “

“The Vectrix is fantastic, I can’t criticise it, it’s easy to use and great fun to ride and very convenient.” “Although my commute is relatively short, it’s mainly dual-carriageway and I’m flat out for at least half the journey, there’s also a really long steep hill on the way.” “The bike also handles very well, unlike other electric bikes it’s capable of carrying a passenger, it’s acceleration is second to none and it holds its top speed whether on the flat or up hill regardless of terrain.” “The components are first class such as the Brembo brakes and it is smooth and very comfortable for a motorcycle.”

“It’s also a great as a lifestyle statement and I love to show it off to people I meet, I like the fact it is different from conventional vehicles but most of all it’s a positive step to reducing C02 emissions.” “I try to use as many environmentally friendly products as I can, I buy green electricity, I have a wood burning stove at home and I’m switching to solar powered water heating.” “In addition to the obvious green savings, there are also financial benefits to the Vectrix". “I don’t pay to park it on most London pay & display or meter parking, it’s exempt from road tax, it’s very cheap to run, and as a company purchase you get the VAT back making it a tax efficient purchase which obviously adds to the value.”

“It’s by supporting companies such as Vectrix trying to break into the emerging market of electric vehicles that they start to become the norm rather than the exception, and we can begin to make a difference to the level of output of C02 emissions in the World.”

More information and purchases from www.greentransportsolutions.co.uk.

Malvern is the base for a new business called Green Transport Solutions Ltd that has the West Midlands franchise for a range of electric vans and motorcycles.

Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate in West Worcestershire this week welcomed the new business and took the vehicles for a test drive. “It is always good to see a new small business starting in West Worcestershire. It is particularly pleasing to welcome one which is addressing the emissions from personal transport. Electric vehicles have the potential to be completely carbon-free if they are charged using renewable sources of electricity. The small vans would be good for firms making local deliveries. The electric motorcycle would be perfect for commuting into Worcester and back. The range is still only about 50 miles, but I am sure that we will gradually see plugs at parking meters and offices.”

Colin Webster, the Managing Director of Green Transport Solutions Ltd said, “These vehicles have no road tax expenses, no diesel or petrol costs and have no carbon emissions if charged from a renewable electricity source. They could be suitable for councils, factory floors, pizza delivery, small skips hire and so on.”

Released by: Harriett Baldwin Date: 2nd March 2008 www.harriettbaldwin.com 07768 518130