A clean pair of wheels

Could this electric-powered concept scooter be the future of commuting?

Produced by GRO design, an Anglo-Dutch company based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, the Scoot aims to reduce the impacts of car use in towns and cities by cutting air and noise pollution as well as traffic congestion.

The vehicle will exploit the current climate of increased interest in alternative forms of transport, given that many world cities are now attempting to limit car use through congestion charging or substantially increasing parking costs. While much money is being invested in public transport, this is crowded, inflexible to personal schedules and often provides poor links to certain parts of a city.

The Scoot has been designed to bridge the gap between public or petrol-powered private transport and cycling for short-distance urban commuting. GRO's aim was to create a form of personal transport that is simple to use and maintain, is stylish and most important is affordable, with each machine costing around £1,000.

In designing the vehicle, the company researched the current electrical scooter market, testing various machines to identify the most appropriate solution, as well as core technologies that would need to be integrated within it.

All parts were considered for weight and reduced to the minimum. As a result, the back and front casings are designed to be made from either carbon fibre or rigid plastic mouldings that will shroud the supporting alloy frame, motor, suspension and batteries.

The machine will be powered by removable lightweight lithium ion batteries that recharge within six hours. Scoot's motor is limited to a maximum speed of nearly 19mph (30kph), with a a range of between 25 and 31 miles (40 and 50km) between charging, depending on the terrain and the weight of the user.

As well as being quiet and cheap to run, it can be parked anywhere and is classified as a bicycle, meaning it should not require a licence.

The vehicle has already received interest from companies, including BMW. GRO design is now looking for business partners to develop the scooter to production.