Vectrix electric scooters and the NYPD

"Police have found a way to help save the planet and perhaps sneak up on bad guys at the same time: an electric, ultra-quiet scooter.

The New York Police Department will begin road testing four of the plug-in Vectrix scooters early next month - part of a broader campaign to make the nation's largest police department a greener one as well...."

(from NYPD: Freeze! or I'll Scoot, 26 December 2007)

Pretty cool that such a huge police department will be looking at alternative technologies.  Has anyone in the Huddle ridden one of the Vectrix motorcycles yet?  I saw them at the Green Festival in San Francisco but I don't have a license.  No test drive for me unless they allow backseat passengers!

Looks like Sacramento's police department has joined NYPD with the Vectrix switch:

Sacramento Police Sup Up their Ride

Sacramento is the second city to participate in this pilot program with Vectrix, (the first highway-legal all electric scooter) where the company leases 4 scooters to the city for a period of 4 months and for just $1 a scooter.

On a breezy Wednesday morning, just as the clouds were breaking, the sun was shining through and the birds were starting to chirp, the Mayor of Sacramento Heather Fargo, wearing a green sweater and green leaf earrings, announced that the city is taking greening one step further. Sacramento is the second city to participate in this pilot program with Vectrix, (the first highway-legal all electric scooter) where the company leases 4 scooters to the city for a period of 4 months and for just $1 a scooter. What a deal.

Sacramento is the first city in California to participate in the program and it’s in part due to the tenacity of city officials in making sure this partnership came together. The scooters will be given to the parking enforcement and later used by the police force when the lights, which will also be run off of the onboard battery system, are on installed.

Treehugger has covered the Vectrix scooter before in 2005 and you can find most of their stats here and again to announce its arrival. The coolest part is that you can plug this bad boy into a regular wall outlet and in 2-3 hours it’s 100% charged and ready to go. They took a test ride after the press conference around the streets of Sacramento and it was so much fun. The bike is pretty quiet but really takes off, going 0-50 in just 7 seconds. With just a helmet between you and the car next to you, that'll get your heart pumpin.

And if you need a little more sugar on an already sweet deal, for residents in California that is, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is now offering a $1500 rebate for residents, government agencies and businesses that purchase the Vectrix. The rebate is retroactive up to May 2007, so the early birds are not penalized.

On another note, Vectrix company is working on a concept motorcycle which will reach 125 mph, as opposed to the 62 of the Vectrix.

[Source: Vectrix press release]