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Electric scooters have been becoming pretty popular these days haven’t they? It seems like all over the U.S., people can rent a scooter, hop on, and cruise around town a bit. We’re not talking about the motor scooters that are like little Italian motorbikes, but the motorized version of those kick scooters – except these are electric. No one was really thinking of integrating this technology into automobiles, we already have electric vehicles. Well, in the name of making lives easier and allowing consumers to travel on the street and by foot (technically) seamlessly, the Hyundai Motor Group has revealed a concept for a new electric scooter that will actually have the ability to be integrated into future Hyundai and Kia Motors vehicles for easy storage and charging.
Yeah, sounds odd, doesn’t it? Building on top of a concept the automobile group presented at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, the personal electric scooter coming from the Hyundai Motor Group is capable of completing a total range of 20 km, or 12 miles. It also travels at a speed of 20 kmh/12 mph. With a 10.5 Ah lithium battery powering the scooter, consumers may not want to go on any freeways, but traveling around the city isn’t too bad. The video put together to demonstrate the electric scooter shows some pretty neat features.
[embed] https://youtu.be/RUIokCFJ4Rk [/embed]
The new scooter, currently unnamed, features a digital display that shows battery status and speed; is smartphone compatible so consumers can use their favorite navigation app; and to help with riding during the night, the new scooter also comes equipped with two curved front LED headlights and two rear tail lamps. To provide riders with safety and stability, engineers have added suspension to the front wheel for a smoother ride on various surfaces. Although the default is rear-wheel drive, the scooter can shift from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive to keep the scooter stable by shifting weight when necessary to improve stability and safety in various situations.
“This is the vehicle-mounted personal scooter which could be featured in future Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. We want to make our customers’ lives as easy and enjoyable as possible. Our personal electric scooter makes first- and last-mile commuting a joy while helping to reduce congestion and emissions in city centers.” - DongJin Hyun, head of Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Team
Here's where things get really cool. Because the scooter weighs about 7.7 kg or 17 pounds, it’s incredibly portable and easy for consumers to carry. Made with a unique and compact tri-folding design, as noted, the latest concept has plans to integrate with future Hyundai and Kia vehicles. In other words, when mounted on a vehicle, the scooter is charged using electricity produced from the vehicle while driving. Whether it can be stored and pop out of a vehicle as animated on the commercial above is not mentioned, but the Hyundai Motor Group has stated that in the near future, a regenerative braking system may be installed to increase the scooter’s range by 7%.
What do you think of the new electric scooter? Could you see yourself buying a Kia Motors vehicle if it comes with an electric scooter? Join the discussion on NowCar social media.