A newly designed electric scooter, with gets double the mileage on a fully charged battery relative to other battery-powered ones was unveiled to the public yesterday. The scooter is the result of collaboration between engineers from Tamkang University and the motorcycle industry.
Displayed at a press conference yesterday, the battery-powered scooters are superior to conventional ones in terms of energy usage, according to Duh Wen-chien (杜文謙), an electrical engineer at the university. A specially designed mechanical and electrical system makes it possible for the scooter to regenerate some of the power it uses while in motion, Duh added.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Engineers from HK Environmental Service Inc and university researchers allowed the Automotive Research & Testing Center to test the 199kg scooter. On a fully-charged battery, it was driven at a fixed speed of 30kph until its power was exhausted. Results showed that it could travel a total distance of about 110km after having having been charged for four hours. Under similar conditions, electric scooters already on the market get only half that distance, Duh said.
HK Environmental Service Inc board chairman Wang Tien-ching (王天慶) said that the innovative electric engineering system saves about half the kinetic energy it uses.
"We are confident that the recharge capability will be significantly extended once the system is improved further," Wang said. He told the Taipei Times his company aims to boost the scooter's mileage to 300km within two years.
Chen Tun-li (陳敦禮), a chemistry professor at Tamkang University, said that research papers will be prepared for international journals after the design is patented. Patent applications for the technology are underway in Taiwan, Japan, the US and Europe.
HK Environmental Service Inc executive general Gary Yang (楊慶祥) said the new type of electric scooter, with a top speed 60kph, has global market potential.
"Riding a conventional scooter for 110km requires about NT$80 in gasoline. But our new product only requires NT$4 to charge the batteries for one hour," Yang said.
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