Cip Scooter: Silent, Eco-Friendly Urban Transport for Municipal Use

Its name is Cip, but it doesn’t chirp because it’s a scooter. Instead, it features a robust drive belt, which in the world of two-wheeled vehicles is nearly exclusive to the legendary Harley: but unlike the peaceful twin-cylinder monster, it doesn’t have the same shaky hesitation.

In fact, its main feature is exactly that of silence. Just turn the throttle, and the scooter accelerates forward, reaching, with a quick burst typical of larger engines, around fifty kilometers per hour: where it then stabilizes.

The electric scooter was delivered for testing yesterday morning to the municipal administration, which plans to purchase two units for its municipal officers. In the future, a couple more scooters might also be assigned to the urban police.

Technical specifications and costs

It has two batteries, and by lifting the seat, a power cord is revealed which needs to be plugged into a standard outlet. Two hours of charging provides an additional fifty to sixty kilometers (depending on hills), all in complete silence and with impressive steadiness. No road tax, 50% discount on insurance, and a cost of about one and a half Italian lira per kilometer.

The price, 5 million lire, is still relatively high: the fact is they are built in small workshops, almost artisanal. Large-scale production, which would lower costs, is still limited to gasoline-powered models, even if eco-friendly.

Maintenance expenses mainly concern the batteries: if used correctly, they last around a thousand charges, two years, possibly three. However, they cost about half a million lire each. The environmental benefits are clear: there are no emissions and no oxygen consumption. Cip is very green.