Eco-chic scooter gets equivalent of 1,350 mpg

(Credit: GreenEmotor)

A Vespa Granturismo might get 64 miles per gallon, but this little guy sure one-ups it. I read about it on ThisNext: it's called the GreenEmotor, or GEM (there does not appear to be any relation to the GEM electric car brand), and it's a zero-emissions electric scooter that gets the equivalent of 1,350 miles per gallon. More specifically, you'd get 1,350 miles of electric charge (a single charge will cost about 12 cents on your electric bill) for the $3 that you'd spend on a gallon of gas. The various GEM models range from $2,599 to $3,299, and take a look at that picture--they are certainly cute.

But here's the catch. GEMs are no speed demons: the lower-end models cap out at 30 miles per hour, and the higher-end ones at 42. They can also go only 50 miles in between charges, so unfortunately these are more Segway than Harley in terms of power and endurance.