More Information on our products ....
If you need more information about our products, contact your nearest store by phoning 1 300 622 633 and you will be
able to speak with one of our specialist staff.
If you are not sure what is the best scooter for you, email us and we will send you our "Replace the Car" brochure that outlines all the issues you will need to consider. If you want it posted to you, let us know.
But the best way to find
out more about our aged care mobility products is to actually see them, rather
than just looking at a brochure. And that’s where we can be of
help.
We have local assessors in
each area who can visit your home and show you our products in the environment
where you will be using them. And it’s a totally obligation free
service.
In our long experience in
this industry, we have found that many customers of ours wants
to try the product in their own home or area.
So take advantage of our
offer and ask our staff to send someone out to show you our range of
products, in the comfort of your own home. They can bring out several
of each product line so that you have plenty of opportunity to try different
models.
|
Global Warming and Electric Scooters
Greenhouse gases (GHG), especially in the form and quantity of CO2 that is being released into the atmosphere each year, is one of the main driving forces behind global warming, according to the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC is made up of over 2000 scientists from around the world, nominated by member governments of the United Nations. They’ve been reporting on the state of the climate for more than 10 years.
Global warming means a gradual warming of the atmosphere that is caused by the greenhouse effect created by certain heat trapping gases in the atmosphere. When there is too much of these gases, excess heat is trapped and the atmosphere warms.
Australia and the UK independently commissioned two prominent Economics experts to take a look at the consequences of doing nothing about this potential threat and what it would cost to do something to avert the worst consequences, if it became a reality. The British expert, Lord Nicholas Stern, was a former head of the IMF. The Australian, Ross Garnaut, is a professor of Economics.
Action or no action?
They both concluded, quite separately, that if we did nothing, and if global warming was as the IPCC predicted, the world would be in a lot of trouble within 50 – 100 years – ie within the lifetime of our children and grandchildren.
However, even if the IPCC was wrong (ie Global Warming is not the result of human action), but we took the action they have suggested, then the world would lose up to 5% of its GDP had it not taken that action. But even taking this loss into account, GDP would still increase over the period – just not as fast.
There are many ways to reduce and stabilize GHG emissions. In Australia, transport is the third highest GHG producer in the economy. Substituting a car or motorcycle with an electric scooter goes some way to reducing your contribution to this problem. It’s not the only answer, but it’s a start.
How much Greenhouse Gas does a car produce?
The Australian Greenhouse Office produces a publication that can be used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions and the consequent Carbon Dioxide equivalent emissions from different forms of energy use. The AGO “National Greenhouse Accounts Factors”, November 2008, has been used below to calculate the savings in CO2 production by using mobility scooter in place of small motor car averaging 8Ltr / 100km for each 100 kms.
Motor Car CO2 |
Mobility Scooter using “Coal Power” |
Savings on Car use |
Mobility Scooter using “Green Power" |
Saving on Car use |
18.2 kg |
0.45 kg |
17.75 kg |
0.06 kg |
18.14 kg |
So if you substituted a car with an electric scooter and traveled 20 kms per day, five days a week, you would be reducing your greenhouse gas output by 923 kgs per year, even if you charged the scooter using normal “coal power” electricity. If you used Green Power to charge your scooter, you would save 943 kgs per year.
Electric vehicles, even when charged with coal fired power still produce much less GHG than petrol vehicles, primarily because electric motors are far more efficient than internal combustion engines.
Electric scooters also win on the fuel stakes in another area: the delivery of the fuel. With petrol based vehicles, GHG is used to get the fuel to the service station, all the way from the oil well. While a small amount of power is lost in the power lines delivering electricity to your house to charge the scooter, this is miniscule in comparison to the energy it takes (and the GHG produced) to get petrol to the service station.
What about the batteries?
Electric scooters currently use sealed lead acid batteries (SLA’s).
SLA’s are 90% recyclable, and while GHG is produced in making the batteries, this is the case for almost all components of any motor vehicle, whether it is a mobility scooter or a car.
To sum up.
In general terms, electric scooters win hands down in the Global Warming debate if you want to help reduce your emissions. And what's more, electric scooters are cheap to run, cheap to maintain, there are no registration costs, and you can motor up much closer to the shops than you can with a car – if and when you find a parking space!
But as for solving the Global Warming crisis, it will take a lot more than buying an electric scooter. But it is something that you can do right now.
Fossil fuel emissions by fuel type, 1900 - 2008
Source: J. Hansen, "Storms of My Grandchildren"
|
