Held every January in Las Vegas, NV, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will feature a Greener Gadgets Techzone section for 2009. The exhibits will be displayed in Central Hall, and highlight pioneering technologies that benefit the environment and sustainability of global economy.  

Amongst the crowd will be ELV motors, one of the first electric transportation companies to participate at CES. The company presents a whole range of "Fleet Certified" electric bicycles and electric and hybrid scooters. At its booth will be both the regular and police versions of the company’s  2009 A2B electric bicycle, equipped with a 500 watt, throttle driven motor.

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Like rats, we have an affinity for shiny objects. We especially like
shiny objects that go "vroom." It follows, then, that we find these
custom Japanese scooters to be worth a peek. Pink Tentacle put
together a gallery of some of Japan's most photogenic scooters, ranging
from artistic to futuristic to unnecessary.

Click through the gallery above for some examples.

+ Pink Tentacle: Japanese custom scooters

Though it may fall mostly into the category of “things that are totally unnecessary,” this remotely controlled scooter project didn’t’ take long to warm our hearts. The video has a bit of an unfortunate soundtrack, so make sure to turn the volume down while you sit back and watch the purity of human invention unfold.

+ YouTube: Unmanned Motorcycle

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Designer Maciej Puzon has envisioned what the world of skateboarding may look like in the not-so-distant future, with his Pumpboard concept that seeks to make the world’s most portable deck. The three-wheeled concept is inflatable with a removable rear axle, allowing the “board” to be rolled into a very compact unit when not in use. Pumpboard’s semi-ridged top and bottom give the needed superstructure when the deck has been filled with compressed air.

We’re still waiting on the hoverboards that were promised to us in Back to the Future 2, but Pumpboard might make and interesting intermediate step for board sports in the meantime. Have a closer look at the concept in our gallery above.

+ Maciej Puzon

Vespa; scooter enough for the manliest of British guardsman, perfect for the lady in your life, and even occasionally self-driving. These three vintage Vespa ads make a strong case for the iconic scooter, with a heavy helping of cheese on the side. Click on the video above and enjoy.
 
+ YouTube: go vespa go

Have you always thought that you might look pretty good sitting astride a super hip motor scooter, but haven’t had the time/opportunity to take one for a test ride? That’s the premise behind a new guerrilla marketing campaign from one Italian ad agency, which has taken to the streets with a sort of scooter visualization device.  A clever approach; have a look by clicking on the video above.

+ YouTube: Guerrilla Marketing - Lanzi Moto

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Regaining a measure of popularity recently in its native Europe, the supremely funky Moto Graziella foldable scooter seems to offer equal parts fun and humiliation to the daring rider.

The tiny bike with the stretched seat post and handle bars—and looking an awful lot like a little, motorized gazelle—is powered by a heroic Sachs 502/1A engine, which displaces 47cc and produces 1.8 horsepower at 4500 rpm. Believe it or not, but the Italian company maintained that that motive force was enough to carry riders of up to 286 pounds, though we’d guess any one that beefy would have a hard time reaching the quoted top speed of 25 miles per hour.

Have a closer look at the distinctive Italian mini scooter in our gallery above.

+ Museo De Transporte

The Bicycle Design blog has opened up a competition, whose goal is to find bike designs that might convince more commuters to get out of their cars and on to a cycle as often as possible. Bike maker Cannondale has agreed to chip in one of its Bad Boy bikes (pictured above) as a prize for the winning design.

Contestants are asked to design a cycle that could, “persuade the average person, with no prior interest in cycling, to park the car and pedal to work.” No mean feat, to be sure, but one that we’d guess will provide a fertile starting place for ambitious concepts. Thinking outside of the current market will be a key to success here, though submissions are required to not “break the laws of physics, etc.” Fair enough.

Click through the link below for more contest details and submission requirements, and be sure to check back in to see the results after the contest is called on December 5th.

+ Bicycle Design

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It seems as if the already rather geeky (and we mean that in the nicest possible way) cadre of Segway owners is taking a step towards the bizarre, by embracing the blooming trend of customization in the personal mobility market. Adorning their rides with acres of diamond plate and colored Lucite, these bold individuals aren’t afraid of standing out from the crowd—not as much as they fear walking a few blocks, at any rate.

Is a fully chromed and chopped Segway with matching tow-along trailer a true bid for individuality, or just another sign of the impending apocalypse? You can judge for yourself by sifting through our gallery above.

+ GeekAlerts

Just having spent some time in the scooter-happy (and year-round warm) Austin, Texas, we’ve been wondering about how many drivers would make the switch from four to two wheels for their daily drivers. Have you considered a scooter or motorbike for your daily ride, or will your everyday vehicle always be something a little more contained? Give us your choice, in comments.

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Aprilia is looking to capitalize on a ballooning demand for commuter smart scooters with the release of its SportCity Cube 250. The 2009 SportCity has refined what was already a popular package for Aprilia, adding a bit more usability and performance to the big-wheeled scooter. The bike sports an even larger luggage rack with improved grab handles for passenger convenience, and has added an outlet for cell phone recharging to its already clever lockable glove compartment. Aprilia has also expanded the dimensions of the under seat compartment for even more stowing space.

A hearty 224cc, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine is called upon to haul around all this new found equipment along with a rider or two, and should prove suitably quick for around town runs and medium length commuting with its 22.5 horsepower and over 16 pound-feet of torque. The clean-burning engine is likely to be suitably frugal on fuel bills, though no official consumption information has been released.

The SportCity Cube 250 retails for $4699, not an insubstantial sum where motor scooters are concerned, but cheap enough that it should still be in the wheelhouse for those looking to seriously cut costs in their urban-oriented budgets.

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The Dutch city of Eindhoven is in the midst of a 100-day event which celebrates a vehicle which is of passionate importance in the Netherlands; the bicycle. Aptly titled “Bicycle” the event is centered on a stunning exhibit at the Designhuis gallery, which features any number of human powered vehicles. The cycles range from interesting applications of traditional bikes, to utterly sublime creations of pure fantasy. Check out some of the amazing creations in the gallery above, or click through the link below to see even more of the Designhuis stockpile.

+ Core 77: Core77 Photo Gallery: FIETS Bicycle Show

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Vectrix, builders of a posh electrically-powered scooter, seemed at the beginning of the year to be on the verge of going belly up. The company built over 2,000 examples of its EV two-wheeler in 2007 but managed to sell only 123 of the bikes for the massive price of nearly $12,000 per.

Rapidly shifting values of American consumers have seen Vectrix fair quite a bit better in the first half of this year though. Helped in no small part we’d guess by a price drop to $8795 for the 2007 model scooter, the company has already managed to sell more than 1,000 examples in 2008. The sales explosion has seen the total of Vectrix retailers grow from just five in the U.S. during the spring of last year, to fifty locations currently. The company also claims some 75 dealerships in other countries.
The company is likely to see an even greater explosion in popularity in coming years, as there are plans in the works for an even more affordable model that will use a new NiMH battery, and should have an effective range of around 70 miles. Target price for the new scooter, which could launch sometime next year, is roughly $5000.

+ AutoblogGreen: Vectrix sales get their scoot on, more affordable model coming next year

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Now touring the art house screens across the country, Made In Queens is a stylish documentary about a group of Trinidadians living in New York. The startlingly imaginative group creates massive movable sound systems on the frames of BMX bikes, cruising around the neighborhood to the gawking wonder of the populace.

These kids use their improbable conveyances to set the streets roiling with music and energy, stirring impromptu small parties where ever they ride.

The bikes themselves are clearly quite impressive; managing to disperse massive speaker loads and battery power while remaining streetable (mostly). Have a look at some examples in our gallery above, or take a minute to watch the official Made In Queens trailer below.

+ Made In Queens

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Aprilia’s 2008 Sportcity 250 is a great example of why people are starting to consider scooters as great urban commuters in ever increasing numbers these days. Quick, agile, and great looking, the Sportcity seems to be a whole world more grown up than the kid-size image most people have of small displacement two-wheelers. The Scooter Scoop has put together a great quick review of the bike in the video below, or have a closer look at the Aprilia in our gallery above.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/7-best-electric-scooters-prototypes-prod...

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Sensing perhaps that Americans are likely on the verge of a wholly new interest in motorcycles and scooters as more than just toys, Yamaha has introduced a new, and more mainstream, version of its economical Zuma scooter.

One of many wacky racing events performed in the hilly domain of San Francisco, the city’s Bring Your Own Big Wheel Race is everything we love about motorsports, just without the motors.

The dream may be over for those fans who thought Michael Schumacher could make a good showing in the world of MotoGP, unless of course they open up a scooter class.

This amusing eBay Motors auction is for a 1966 Vespa (Piaggio?), complete with a really sweet little sidecar, and rendered in faux Military spec. While true Vespa purists are bound to find more than a little unholy about this setup, the seller, a self-confessed “Mopar guy,