The gloves are off as the electric scooter market has a brash new entrant laying claim to the world's fastest street legal production electric motor scooter.
ZEV is the company, a Nevada-based American corporation, and its ZEV7000 scooter is allegedly the world's fastest electric scooter, with a top speed of 113km/h (70mph).
The ZEV corporation refers to itself as a "group of hard core aerospace and mechanical engineers and business people that banded together to prove they could outflank, out design, and out perform everyone else in the alternative fuel vehicle market."
With 7kW of continuous power output and up to 14kW of launch power, it's the ZEV7000's torque that is most impressive, with 184Nm hitting the skids almost instantly. Its lithium battery gives it a maximum range of about 110 kilometres when running at lower speeds, and around 80km when hustled along.
The ZEV corporation is so confident of its product it has unleashed an all-out textual attack on its rivals. This is the company's official position:
"Zev has had it with all of the claims by various companies that they have the fastest street legal production bike around. We tell them to bring their street legal production bike and to bring their betting money. There can be only one 'fastest' street legal production electric motor scooter or bike in the world."
The American corporation claims its ZEV7000 electric scooter is, "Faster than any of the advertised speeds of any other electric motor scooter (advertisements which may or may not be true)."
It even names and shames competitors: "At least 10 mph faster than the Vectrix VX-1E and faster with more range than the $2,450 more expensive $10,500 Vectrix VX-1."
It also claims its ZEV7000 scooter to be faster than production electric motorcycles: "Faster with 17% more range than the $1908 more expensive $9,950 Zero S," and "Just as fast as the Brammo Enertia Bike, but the ZEV has 41% more range at least."
Yep, ZEV has really come out swinging, and though the ZEV7000 is not offered in Australia at this stage, the specifications make for solid reading.
As well as a high 184Nm torque output (which can be boosted to 240Nm with the Alpine pack, but range suffers), the ZEV7000 electric scooter tips the scales at 134kg, significantly lighter than the 234kg Vectrix, which we reviewed last year.
The ZEV7000 uses a hub-mounted motor within the rear wheel that is bathed in oil to improve heat dissipation. As a result the motor can run at higher speeds without generating catastrophic levels of heat. ZEV reckons the oil also helps reduce corrosion on the magnets, and as such offers a two-year warranty on the scoot.
Charging takes two hours for a full top up according to the American company, though a three-quarter charge takes just 25 minutes. The price is also a fair bit lower than its rivals in the States, beginning at US$7237 ($7776) after tax credits, which compares to the US$10,000 pricetag of the Vectrix.
But is the ZEV7000 the fastest electric scooter in the world? It's possible. But as long as ZEV's entertaining war of words continues, we'll be happy.