Light Rider

When you think of the forthcoming LA Auto Show and Los Angeles in general, you may think of (1) very expensive, very large vehicles being piloted by very egotistical stars and (2) very jammed freeways full of the aforementioned, as well as numerous other vehicles of a less ostentatious variety.

What you probably don’t think of is a foldable electric scooter that has a top speed of 15 mph and a weight of 35 pounds.

That said, it is worth noting that URB-E, from URBAN626, a Pasadena-based company that actually machines components for its line of electric scooters in its SoCal facility, has been named one of the top 10 startups by AutoMobility LA*.

Clearly the vehicle is built for a multimodal transportation system, for the last mile or portion thereof.

It features a 250-Watt brushless electric motor and a 36-Volt lithium-battery pack that provides a range of up to 20 miles on a charge. Recharge time is 4 hours.

In unfolded form the scooter measures 34 inches long, 19.5 inches wide, and 35 inches high. When folded it is 17 inches long, 37 inches high and 19.5 inches wide.

From a structural point of view the URB-E scooter is as sophisticated as any vehicle rolling down Santa Monica Boulevard, as it combines aircraft-grade aluminum and carbon fiber.

Price? $1,499.

Congratulations to the people who produce the URB-E.

*This should not be confused with Automobility ‘16, which we are hosting in Dearborn on October 13, which you can learn about—and register for—here.