Here, FIDO
Fremont Motors' FIDO electric scooter (Orin O'Neill photos)
SEATTLE—Motore Coffee hosted the unveiling of Fremont Motors‘ FIDO electric scooter concept.
Fremont Motors principal Jeb Gast says FIDO expresses his vision of an environmentally friendly scooter that can be easily maintained by its owner. To that end, both wheels and tires are the same size, held on by easily-removed lug nuts; hydraulic disc brakes on each wheel require no adjustment, and pads are easily replaced.
FIDO’s battery is located under the floorboard, where it can be easily removed (It even has a handle and wheels, not unlike an airline carry-on bag!). This would make it possible to have a spare battery at home in a charger, which would minimize the recharge-time issue.
Also removable is the underseat storage case, which can be worn like a backpack. The height of the seat is adjustable, and the rear rack can be repositioned or removed. The bike’s frame is a single steel tube not unlike an Innocenti Lambretta’s, while the legshield is a single piece of aluminum.
Projected range on a charge is 30-35 miles, while FIDO’s projected top speed is around 45 mph. The target MSRP is $5,000. The bike displayed is a non-running prototype, and Jeb says plans call for a very limited initial production run in Q3 2012.
He says he chose the name FIDO because he wanted something that sounded friendly and loyal. He said he’s sick of names containing variations of “EXTREME”, and lower-case letter ‘i’s. And “Buddy” was taken. 
You can see more pictures by clicking here. 
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love it, too bad 5000$ is steep for me. first time i ever considered an electric vehicle!
So… 18 months before we have something verifiable in a product? I applaud the effort, but am underwhelmed at the timing.
Jeff, if this were the product of some startup pimping for venture capital, I’d be inclined to share your raised eyebrow, but Jeb is doing this pretty much on his own, in his spare time. And he told me the thing he wanted to avoid most is a repeat of the Stella debacle. It’s always best to under-promise and over-deliver.
I must say, the more I look at this, the more the phrase “IKEA scooter” pops into my head. It looks simple enough for a moderately handy guy or gal to assemble from a kit, and that could keep the price down…
It’s ugly and it makes you look old. Why not put your efforts into converting a Vespa S and selling that as a kit. That would be sexy.
Emile, Jeb’s other business, Soundspeed Scooters, offers kits to convert Innocenti Lambrettas and vintage Vespas to electric power. And I’m sure someone has done that to a Vespa S, somewhere…
With gas prices on the rise again, his timing might be perfect for seeking capital investment.
Where’s the suspension?
If you click on the link in the last paragraph, you’ll be able to see the front suspension is like an old-skool Vespa, a trailing link with a coil-over spring/shock. The rear wheel is mounted on a pivoting link that would appear to have a spring/shock under the floorboard. I’m guessing…