Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, USA



What do you get when you design a vehicle around solving mobility problems for today's cities? If you are Mahindra, you get the GenZe STS - a line-up of electric scooters, the first of which was revealed at the Santa Monica Altcar Expo last weekend. Standing for Single Track Shuttle, the STS on display had a number of features to recommend it and foreshadows what's coming.

Looking at it, we're struck by a number of things. First, there's a spareness to the design. There's not a lot of superfluous plastic to be had. The handlebars are bare of the stuff and the LED headlight isn't swallowed up by an unnecessarily large housing. Also, behind that light, in place of a set of traditional gauges, there's a generous 7-inch touch screen. Perhaps the most noticeable element of the design, though, is the big bucket of storage space behind the one-person seat.
That's what really gives the game away. This scooter is all about practicality. It's about getting you and your stuff where you need to go, with the connectivity today's generation demands. That screen up front doesn't just tell you how fast you're going or how much of your 30-mile range is left. It syncs with your smartphone, giving you access to your GPS app or music playlists. In keeping with that modern-person-on-the-go theme, the GenZe also has a nice trick under its seat: a dry place to not only store your phone or tablet, but also charge it via USB.

This is an entry-level scooter with a price tag, when it goes on sale in the Spring of 2014, that should read somewhere around $3,000. With a 30-mile-per-hour top speed - future models will be faster - it doesn't require a motorcycle endorsement. It said to have a "predictable" throttle, traction control, and is ergonomically designed to help keep riders upright and comfortable. The battery weighs about 20 pounds and is removable, so one can bring it with them to charge.

Although its Mahindra parent company hails from India, the GenZe wil actually be built in Ann Arbor, MI. CenZe's offices are based in Silicon Valley. The scooters will be sold directly to consumers in California, Florida, Oregon and Virginia and through dealers elsewhere. Despite all it has, there is one thing this two-wheeler still lacks: a name. Perhaps you can hit up the company on its website or Facebook page and make a suggestion.GenZe STS electric scooter is designed for Gen Z (and their phones) originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Sep 2013 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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