Foldable Electric Scooter Made for Sharing (MIT)

[jpak]

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/12/06/folding-scooter-tech.html

Dense cities are notorious for traffic congestion and pollution. But now, an energy-efficient, compact scooter could offer a mass transit option almost as convenient as a car.

The electrically powered scooter folds to half its size, which could make it easier to park, store or carry onto subways or buses. City transportation authorities could make thousands of the scooters available to commuters at conveniently located, one-way rental racks -- similar to bicycle-share programs that have recently popped up in Lyon and Paris, France and other European cites.

"This vehicle provides a clean, green solution that has potentially very high utilization rates. If it's used a lot, it could reduce the need for private vehicles on the road," said Ryan Chin, design leader and Ph.D. candidate in media, arts and sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab.

Chin is part of the Media Lab's Smart Cities Group, and the scooter is an off-shoot of the group's City Car, a sharable, stackable electric concept car.

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[kestrel91316]

1. I love the idea, but in Los Angeles, if it's not bolted to the ground

it gets stolen within minutes. People drive around looking for unattended stuff to drive off with. We locals take advantage of this phenomenon to get rid of stuff that doesn't sell at garage sales, like my icky old sofa, an ugly but usable lamp, etc. You just put it at the curb, and before you know it (minutes to hours), it's gone.