A new startup, Solar Electric Scooters Inc, is the brainchild of Mike Donnell and Tony VanMeeteren that lets you commute while keeping the planet’s air, water, and climate healthy!
Electric scooters are becoming a more popular means of transportation for people who have short daily commutes. While this is a great eco-friendly alternative, Mike and Tony took the green scooter concept and made it a lot greener by designing a scooter with a built-in solar panel.
When I first saw the solar electric scooter, my first thought was of my kids’ scooters. Then when I read that you can travel 20 miles on a single charge at a modest speed of 15 mph, I thought, “I want one!”
The platform that the operator stands on is a solar electric panel. This design is the first such vehicle available to the public, according to the company and as far as we’re aware. The solar-powered electric scooter receives its power from a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery located under the platform. The battery can be charged three ways:
1. Leave the scooter in the sun and it will “sun up.” It can take eight hours to fully charge the battery this way, if you’re going strictly by sun.
2. Remove the battery and connect it to an external charger that plugs into any power outlet. It takes about four hours from a regular wall plug.
3. Pull the retractable cord out of the control box and plug into any standard power outlet.
Most people will likely go for a combination of the two charging techniques solar and traditional outlets.
The creators have a crowdfunding project on When You Wish, and for a $1,500 early bird pledge, a $1,700 “special deal” pledge, or $1,900 at the regular pledge price, you can get the scooter. The goal is to raise $100,000 to put the vehicle into production. This price is not bad for an electric scooter of this caliber. Plus, you can pay for your Solar Electric Scooter (SES) in the money you save on gas, insurance, and the cost of parking.
Just the thought of riding the scooter to work and having it charge all day and riding it home on free solar power is a cool concept. Oh, did I mention that it will do 0 to 15 mph in 3.7 seconds — now that’s pretty impressive
Another thing that might interest potential buyers is in their When You Wish Campaign – Solar Electric Scooter will donate $50.00 to a charity for every scooter that is purchased via the campaign.
Also, the company set aside 2% of their net profits to build scooters for less fortunate students in the US who are in school and getting good grades. You can see more about this on its website, www.SolarElectricScootersInc.com (check the “About the SES Association” page).
Too expensive by a factor of 2.