The Car Tech blog

Piaggio MP3 500ie is a pretty snazzy car replacement.

(Credit: Carey Russ)

After three days, the grin factor is as high as ever. And the Piaggio MP3 500ie is not just entertaining, it's also commendably useful and fuel-efficient. When the fuel gauge dropped to the top of the red reserve zone, I pumped in 10 bucks worth of premium unleaded. It only took seven and change. Eyeball estimate is between 55 and 60 miles per gallon. With a 3.2-gallon fuel tank, that's 150-plus miles between fill-ups, and, unlike many motorcycles, the tank opening takes the antivapor sheath of a California gas pump hose without any hassle.

If the 55-to-60 mpg figure doesn't measure up to the 100 or more of a smaller scooter, the 500ie is much more versatile, and fully capable of doing distance on the highway at real highway speeds. It's not life in the slow lane, and wind protection is very good, as is seat comfort.

Fuel Filler

(Credit: Carey Russ)

Usefulness? For helmet security while shopping, there's locking space under the seat for a full-face helmet. Once you put your helmet back on, there is plenty of space groceries, and a light makes seeing into the chamber at night easier. It does get warm in there, so you might not want to put the ice cream in there. A power point can be used to recharge a cell phone or other small electronic devices, including, presumably, an MP3 player. And there is a "No Pets" sticker at the front of the compartment. Legal disclaimers are everywhere...

Under the Seat

(Credit: Carey Russ)

Add the built-in rack behind the seat and the grocery bag holder above the parking brake, and the big MP3 500ie works well as a car replacement. It's easier to park, too, although planning ahead to get it out is a good idea, as it does weigh well over 500 pounds. I haven't tried, but there is more than adequate room and power for a passenger.

Luggage Rack

(Credit: Carey Russ)

Grocery Hook and Parking Brake

(Credit: Carey Russ)

A short conversation with Piaggio/Vespa brand manager Kevin Andrews cleared up some questions I had. The MP3 name comes from "moto projecto 3", which translates to something like "moto project with 3 wheels," and has nothing to do with music players. The lineup consists of 250cc, 400cc, and 500cc models, with the 250 and 400 sold throughout the world under the Piaggio name and sharing a more traditional scooter appearance. The 400 is larger and more refined. The 500 is the Gilera Fuoco in Europe, and its more aggressive looks are meant to make it more attractive to non-scooter riders, i.e. motorcycle people. Motorcycles and scooters in the same household? Hey, Mods vs. Rockers was a long time ago, and largely exaggerated by the press anyway.

I wonder how the MP3 500ie would look with a few extra mirrors?

Up: Power, handling, brakes, fuel economy, front-end lock-up for security while stopped or parked, rider comfort, wind protection, looks, and attention.

Down: Weight (538 lbs. dry) makes backing it out of a parking space exciting, especially for shorter riders. It's manageable, but can be a workout. Looks (and the attention from same) could be a problem, if you don't want to be noticed.

Piaggio MP3 500 front quarter.

(Credit: Carey Russ)

As I was moving the car out of the driveway to get easier access to my motorcycle, my neighbor came up to me and said "I saw you come in on a really weird motorcycle thing yesterday and what is it?"

Never one to pass up an opportunity, I replied in my best B-movie space alien voice, "It is an alien space vehicle."

"Oh. I thought so."

Well, actually, it's a Piaggio MP3 500. Piaggio, perhaps better known as the manufacturer of Vespa scooters and owner of Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Gilera, and other brands, calls it a "maxi-scooter", and the MP3 series is unlike anything else except the closely related Gilera Fuoco, at least on this planet. The "3" comes not from any music formatting, but from three wheels. The rear wheel is conventional, if larger than the old-school scooter norm. The usual single front wheel is replaced by two, placed close together, and connected by a patented parallelogram multilink suspension system that ensures they turn and bank together. The front wheels can be locked by an electro-hydraulic mechanism so that the MP3 stays upright when stopped, with no need for the rider to put their feet on the ground. That locking system, and a parking brake, means that the center stand doesn't normally need to be used.

At $8,899, the MP3 500 is as expensive as many motorcycles.

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(Credit: Crave Asia)

What do you get when you decide that a bicycle needs only one main wheel while declaring that the seat and handles are useless? You get the Magic Wheel, which functions like a foot scooter but looks a little like an Andy Warhol installation.

We first spotted this odd conveyance while on our way to lunch, and our initial thought was that this was a little late for an April Fool's joke. But shockingly, we found out it's an actual product.

Despite its unusual design, the distributor claims that it takes only a couple of hours to master the Magic Wheel. At $229 a piece, it costs as much as a full-fledged mountain bike and a lot more than a skate scooter. Though it doesn't look as irritating (or deadly) as Heelys and takes up less space than a bicycle, we'd rather take a pair of rollerblades anytime.

(Source: Crave Asia)

The RoboScooter folds into a compact package.

(Credit: MIT)

At last week's Systems, Cities, and Sustainable Mobility summit in Pasadena, Calif., Raul-David Poblano of MIT announced that the RoboScooter is moving toward commercial production. The RoboScooter, developed by the MIT Media Laboratory, Sanyang Motors, and Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute, is an electric scooter designed for cities. The goal of the program is to provide clean transportation for congested urban areas. RoboScooters would sit in charging racks at key points in cities. Users could swipe a credit card, get a scooter, and ride it across town, bringing it to another rack. Once the RoboScooter is put back in a rack, the user's credit card deposit gets returned. There could also be a nominal rental fee. MIT suggests putting GPS chips in the scooters to keep track of them.

The scooter uses in-wheel motors to save weight and space, while making the energy transfer to the wheel more efficient. Because of this design, the RoboScooter can be folded, making them easier to store or drag up stairs. A prototype of the RoboScooter met a positive reception at the Milan Auto Show last year.

(Source: Green Car Congress)

(Credit: Hammacher Schlemmer)

Online stores like Hammacher Schlemmer are turning into little Harrods. To prove the point, one needn't look any further than this two-person, three-wheeled scooter coupe on its virtual storefront.

In addition to a retro-chic design, it has all the trappings of a miniature car: a 50cc air-cooled, four-stroke engine can reach 30 miles per hour on a 1.5-gallon fuel tank that's good for 100 miles with two riders up to 400 pounds. The coupe sports a steel tube frame covered in a fiberglass body and comes with 13-inch alloy wheels, rubber tires, front disc brakes and rear drum brakes. On the body you'll find front, side, and rear turn signals integrated into the headlights, folding side mirrors and brake lights. Inside, the chrome dashboard includes gauges for fuel, a speedometer and tachometer, and there're two-point restraint seatbelts.

At $6,000, it gives those China-made Chery QQ mini-cars a run for the money. And they're cuter too.

(Credit: Drugstore.com)

If there's a polar opposite to the "Aptera" spaceship car from the future, this might well be it. The "Shoprider Flagship" looks like Mini Cooper that was sandwiched between two buses, but it's really a four-wheeled electric scooter.

This anorexic golf-cart rival has a roof, or canopy, for use in all seasons and weather, as well as removable doors, according to OhGizmo. It even has front and rear suspension, hence the four wheels--which, oddly enough, is one more than the high-tech Aptera has.

Yet the Shoprider Flagship's name alone pretty much ensures its reputation as something more likely for seniors than urban hipsters, not to mention that it's sold at Drugstore.com and tops out at 10 miles per hour. (Although you never know.) In any case, we think a better name for it would have been the "Skinny Cooper."