The Scoot Coupe, built in the USA by Panther Motors is the newest offering in Green Cars. It is part scooter and part car. It seats two passengers side by side and travels at speeds up to 45 miles per hour. This scooter car gets up to 70 miles to the gallon. The price for this new way to travel is around $6,000. At the rate the price of gas is rising, this could be a good investment.
The controls are all done by hand, much like a motorcycle. It has a great deal of storage, in a trunk, for such a small vehicle.
It looks odd with it’s three wheel design. It resembles a child’s hot wheel bike with a hood. The Scoot Coupe website says “Go Play In Traffic” and it fits this vehicle perfectly because it does resemble a toy.
Already in use in cities known for tourism, they are not always welcome by the local governments. Ocean City, Md. has banned them from their streets saying “adding them to the city’s already crowded streets is just too risky”. Mini Coupe Hawaii is a dealership that has a fleet of 30 of this mini cars that they rent out. A drivers license is all you need to drive one of these scooter cars. A company in San Francisco rents them out as “GoCars.
The Panther Motor Company is marketing them for use in tourist areas and to the general public as errand cars.
They have two models available. The new 2009 150 model is shown on the front of their web site.
If you can get past the embarrassment of your friends seeing you in this, it is a great little ride. It gets 70 miles to the gallon on gas. It costs much less than any new car and you can bring a friend along to help absorb some of the embarrassment! What’s not to like? Oh, and it comes in 4 vibrant colors. You will never go unnoticed in this car!
Referrences:
Scoot Coupe Website.
Strar Bulletin, Nina Wu, Scoot Coupes Hit The Streets As A Comfy Moped Alternative.
