Troy-based Berylline Co. will introduce a 100-mile-per-gallon hybrid scooter today on the campus of Oakland University, giving riders more transportation options in the resort and leisure vehicle market.
The three-wheeler (two in front and one in back), the Berylline’s F2A hybrid scooter runs at around 18 mph on the battery and can reach a max speed of 50 mph on gas. It has an 18-mile range when running on the removable battery.
“In the floor, where you have the battery set up, we have attached a lithium ion battery that weights six pounds,” Dresser says. “It can be pulled out and recharged into your home, on your typical 120-volt socket.”
The scooter is equipped with a 1.6-gallon gas tank and can carry up to two people.
“The one thing we noticed was that people were concerned about the leaning to operate (in two-wheel scooters),” says Dennis Dresser, owner of Berylline Co. “So our (scooter) is all automatic. You just turn it on and go and drive it more or less like a car.”
Dresser expects to sell 5,000 to 10,000 units a year. Prices start at just under $6,000. Oakland University students helped Berylline conduct a marketing survey that found the scooter could be a good alternative to golf carts in resort areas.
The scooter requires a motorcycle operating icense.
IN OTHER OU NEWS, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine will graduate the first new medical school class on May 15. The 2015 Oakland class marks the first new medical school class since Michigan State University became the third medical school in Michigan in 1967, graduating its first class in 1972.
