Luma, a company in the Basque region of Spain, has unveiled a new electric scooter said to be so much more efficient than a gasoline scooter that it will actually pay for itself in six years.
The new ride, named the LEMev Stream, is a beefy, full-sized scoot that the manufacturer says delivers the same power as a 125 cc gasoline scooter. The Stream is powered by a 4 kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery pack that spins a brushless electric engine that makes 22 horsepower. Those horses are working hard. Luma says the Stream’s acceleration rivals that of a 500 cc scoot: The Stream hits a top speed of 65 mph and can go from zero to 50 mph in just six seconds. Not too shabby for a bike weighing 430 pounds.
image via Luma
But the Stream also has some unique performance-boosting features not seen on other scoots. The scooter has a “Boost” button on the right-hand grip. The company says this acts as a sort of “turbo which provides maximum power from the electric motor in order to increase acceleration in special situations.” The company adds that, “the intensive use of this function considerably reduce the battery life of the scooter.”
On the left-hand grip there is a thumb-operated “regenerative” brake handle, providing smoother braking than with disc brakes, with the novelty that the braking energy thus created is reused to charge the battery.
A standard charge of the Stream takes five hours using a standard pipe and just two hours using a fast charger. A full charge is good for a range of about 50 miles. Luma says its battery pack is good for 2,000 cycles or 100,000 miles.
Since the Stream is such a roomy scoot, there is plenty of storage space, including a space under the seat large enough to stash two full-shield helmets.
The Stream is available in Spain only and at current exchange rates sells for about $7,120, before incentives.
[source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Earthtechling/~3/uiakNmfU5kQ/]
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