ITRI launches new energy-saving vehicle

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has officially launched its newly-developed energy saving vehicle, dubbed the Ecooter, designed to create a driving trend in urban societies, an ITRI executive said yesterday.

Wang Han-ying, chief of the Intelligent Vehicle Section under the ITRI's Mechanical and Systems Research Laboratories, said the design of the Ecooter is an integrated representation of advanced card making and information technologies developed by the ITRI.

Wang said the most notable design aspect of the Ecooter is its diamond-shaped four-wheel chassis system that allows the vehicle to make a 360 degree turn in a radius of just 1.2 meters.

A special self-leaning system prevents it from overturning when negotiating curves, making it very nimble in confined city areas, Wang said, adding that the small size of the vehicle -- it is designed to carry only the driver -- helps increase its ease of parking.

Moreover, Wang went on, the energy-saving vehicle uses electric power and is non-polluting, while its energy consumption is only one-third that of traditional vehicles.

The ITRI will continue to develop automotive electric motors and energy-intensive battery systems to be installed in the vehicle's wheels, in an effort to simplify its construction, and will keep creating variant designs to capitalize on its distinctive looks, Wang said.

The ITRI plans to debut the Ecooter at the International Motorcycle Exhibition to be held in Milan, Italy, in November, in order to seek cooperative projects with international vehicle manufacturers, Wang said.