A smart scooter you would love to drive
There is so much talk about smart, connected cars and how they make driving safe and pleasurable. Try extending the concept to scooters, and it might actually be equally beneficial. The recently launched A4000i from Japanese scooter maker Terra Motors is a smartphone-connected e-scooter with a removable battery. The company claims it to be the world’s first wireless smartphone-connected e-scooter. An iPhone fits snugly into a compartment designed on the handlebar, and turns into the scooter’s dashboard, displaying and synchronising useful information with a Web-based app.
What’s inside: The A4000i enables you to fit your iPhone 3G/3GS/4/4S/5 into a dashboard compartment in the front. The e-scooter then synchronises with the iPhone, which starts functioning as the scooter’s dashboard. The phone is now capable of displaying mileage, speed and energy use. The same information can also be monitored and analysed on the Web. The application is being updated constantly, and will soon include new features, such as GPS functions, to provide the rider with mapping information or customised advertisements based on their location. Additionally, traffic information could be sent to the Cloud to allow traffic authorities to assess congestion issues and help with urban planning.
Another notable feature of the phone is its specially-designed 48V, 40Ah lithium-based removable battery, which weighs 16 kg and charges in 4.5 hours. The battery lasts for about 50,000 km, providing five times longer battery life than the batteries used in similar electric vehicles.
Web: www.terra-motors.com/scooter/a4000i
The author is a technically-qualified freelance writer, editor and hands-on mom based in Chennai
