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Last Updated: May 8th, 2008 - 20:33:00
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As gas prices soar skyward, city commuters are looking for cheaper transportation.
With regular fuel priced at about $1.25 for regular unleaded, refuelling a truck, sport utility vehicle or even a minivan can be a costly proposition.
For those willing to take a different route, two-wheeled transportation can offer relief from gas pump robbery.
While gasoline-powered machines are the most common, a new city business is offering an electric alternative.
E-bikes on 3 Avenue South offers a range of electric-powered, Chinese-made scooters in three different sizes.
The biggest model, the 500-watt Whisper Deluxe, will deliver 85 kilometres per charge, more than enough for a day’s commuting.
E-Bikes don’t need a licence because they also have pedals and a top speed limit of 32 km/h.
“They’re a legal bicycle,” says E Bikes owner Linda Jose of the stylish and colourful machines.
The electric scooters can be plugged into a 110-volt wall socket and be fully recharged between 2.5 and four hours. The scooters have their own battery charger and the battery is in a locked compartment under the floor.
Weighing between 150 and 170 pounds, the bikes are not something a rider would want to pedal, though. The pedals are mounted slightly behind the rider which gives an experience Jose likens to “pedalling a horse.”
“If you do it once, you won’t want to do it again.”
Operators need to wear an approved DOT helmet and follow all rules of the road. The E bikes have headlights, taillights, signal lights, three security systems, lockable storage under the wide seat and a storage bin/backrest for a passenger.
Jose brought a franchise to Lethbridge from Regina where her family operates a store. Sales in the Saskatchewan city have been strong.
“They’re really stable,” she says of the E trikes which are also offered in models with modified cargo beds for hauling groceries and other smaller items.
“We’ve been getting a lot of interest, mainly because of gas prices but also because you don’t need a licence and registration.” Jose says the machines can be put on an owner’s house insurance.
Gasoline-powered scooters and motorcycles are also attracting buyer interest as fuel prices rise.
Sales are going through the roof, says Alf Gurr of Lethbridge Honda Centre.
“Ir’s unbelievable,” says Gurr. Men who gave up their motorcycles when they got married now have an excuse to again don a helmet.
“Now it’s an excuse to get a bike.”
The venerable Vespa and its upscale Piaggio cousin are now available in Lethbridge at the Honda dealership and sales have taken off,” says Gurr.
Scooters range in size from 49 up to 650 cc.
For 49-cc scooters, a driver simply needs a regular learner’s permit which makes them ideal for younger riders and commuters who can get by with limited power. Scooters over 49 cc require operators to have a motorcycle licence.
Vespa, perhaps the most recognizable name in scooters, also offers machines in the 150- and 250-cc sizes, offering plenty of power for keeping up with traffic.
Among Piaggio’s offering is a three-wheeler with articulating front wheels. Pricey at $9,000, this 250-cc machine may be ideal for new riders since they never have to put their feet on the ground.
At the top end of the scooter food chain is the monster Suzuki Burgman 650 which can cruise at 160 km/h with two people on board.
The Burgman also has a smaller sibling, the Burgman 400 propelled by a 385-cc engine. This one is popular with women, says Gurr.
Dave Roy of Lethbridge Yamaha has noticed an increase of traffic as well. Yamaha offers scooters ranging from 49 to the 400-cc Majesty. The smallest machines won’t have power to get up Whoop-Up Drive but an intermediate machine such as the Vino 125 can attain speeds of 80 km/h, sufficient to keep up with traffic.
While the smallest scooters will deliver fuel economy of 84 mpg, Roy notes even an 1100-cc Yamaha Star cruiser will get 50-65 mpg depending upon how a driver rides it.
Mark Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, says countries with high fuel prices tend to have more fuel-efficient cars, which presents market opportunities for Canadian automakers — not to mention the environmental benefit.
“There’s many different things that results from the price of fuel,” he said. “One is people, because they have a set transportation budget . . . they will buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle.”
But determining whether consumers change their driving or vehicle purchasing habits in the face of higher gas prices is difficult because there have been few studies on the subject.
© Copyright by Lethbridge Herald.com
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