X-Treme Electric Motorcycle - XM 3500 LI
How cool is this? It's an electric motorcycle (souped up moped) that we bought in answer to the high price of gas on Maui. It has a lithium battery which means you don't have to completely discharge it each time for maximum performance. It has a nifty little battery charger that just plugs into any outlet to top up the battery.
You might ask, what's the point, if your utility bill goes up instead? Not so in our case. Being off-grid, our electric is generated from the sun and wind and we often have excess power when our battery bank is fully charged. Why not charge up a vehicle too? You mainland people should be able to charge one up for pretty cheap and it might be worthwhile to think about. Even if your gas is cheap, it's nice to know you're not burning fossil fuels and stinking up the air. That's the best part - this thing emits no fumes.
It's very quiet, which means you have to be extra careful driving, as kids and pets don't hear you coming. I took it for a test drive on the property and it was easy to handle but I was a little heavy on the throttle and almost dumped it... hee hee. I need to work on that. Two people can ride, it will carry 400 pounds. There's a compartment under the seat that holds a bag of groceries, (or the battery charger for long trips).
They are made in China - so don't chew on the body parts if you know what's good for you. The shipping to Maui was about $500, which made the cost about $4,500 delivered.
My hubby drives it. We haven't yet tested the full range of distance and speed, as we're waiting to get it road worthy - you know all that legal stuff. But for short trips around home it works great. Also for just getting around the property, it beats having to take the pickup truck everywhere. Since we don't have freeways here, and there aren't many roads where you can actually drive 55 mph, it could be a practical alternative to a gas powered car or truck. More updates to come, if I survive.
Aloha from Haiku Maui - Georgina M. Hunter R(S) e-Pro - 808 283-0635 - www.EastMaui.com
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