GenZe scoots in for college, urban scene

FREMONT, Calif. -- Electric scooters are all the rage in China, but they have yet to take off in the United States.

Enter GenZe, a $3,000 all-electric motorized two-wheeler marketed to college students and urban dwellers as a fun, clean way to zip around campus or city streets at a top speed of 30 miles per hour.

And zip it does. Although a test drive never went more than 10 miles an hour, the driver said it felt like he was going much faster, with the open, airy feeling of being on a bicycle. The vehicle weighs about 200 pounds and has a cast-aluminum exoskeleton. It's solid without feeling clunky and has a range of roughly 30 miles per charge.

The GenZe name refers to both future generations as well as zero emission vehicles. It's manufactured in Michigan, and sales and distribution are overseen from a vast warehouse in Fremont, Calif. The company has a showroom near the Stanford University campus and is taking pre-orders for deliveries later this year.

"Electric two-wheelers are at the nexus of next generation mobility," said Alex Boyce, GenZe's brand manager. "You don't have to worry about oil changes or smog checks, or the traditional hassles of car ownership like parking. We're looking forward to Stanford students getting back on campus. This is a whole new market segment in the United States."

China accounts for 98 percent of worldwide sales of electric motorcycles and electric scooters, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.

But rising gasoline prices, congested city streets and parking issues have caused more consumers elsewhere to rethink the car and look toward two-wheel vehicles -- known in the industry as "PTW" for power two-wheeler -- as a possible solution. Navigant Research forecasts that global annual sales of e-scooters will increase from 4.1 million in 2014 to 4.6 million in 2023 as the consumer markets increase.

"In many areas, the use of e-motorcycles and e-scooters is permitted on roads and on paths designated for bicycles and scooters, broadening their appeal for younger motorists," John Gartner of Navigant said.

The GenZe has three main features that the company highlights: a storage bay where riders can easily fit items such as a laptop, groceries or gym bag; a removable lithium-ion battery that can be charged from any 110v socket; and a 7-inch touch-screen display that, eventually, will integrate navigation functions and a host of other apps. When a rider parks the GenZe, they can take the battery, which is the size of a small briefcase, with them and charge it at work, in class or while sitting at a coffee shop.

The company stresses that the GenZe is engineered, rigorously tested and manufactured in the United States to meet international and federal motor vehicle standards.

The "Twist 'N' Go" system used to start up the GenZe -- simply twisting the throttle and driving away -- means there are fewer elements the driver needs to worry about, compared to a motorcycle, and its low center of gravity enables a quick transition from a standing stop to a stable rolling condition.

And what about not having a key or other concerns about the GenZe getting stolen? The scooter's touch screen is the key: drivers need to log on with a four-digit passcode so they can get on and operate it.

SundayMonday Business on 09/15/2014

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