Motorcycles and scooters may seem like the ultimate green machines, but don’t be fooled by their fuel efficiency (up to 100 mpg). Lax regulations and reliance on two-stroke engines has meant some emit more pollutants than SUVs (according to an EPA report).

That spotty record is beginning to change and not just due to cleaner combustion engines, but to a new crop of electrified two-wheelers. A study done for Piaggo group (they are releasing a hybrid Vespa), found that if Americans used eco-friendly scooters, they could, “reduce national fuel consumption by 14 million gallons of gasoline per day”.

For a look at America’s first mass-produced highway legal electric motorcycle, in this video Bryce Lathrop from Seattle’s Green Car Company took us for a spin on the Vectrix Maxi-Scooter.

We also have videos on a three-wheeled electric and the American Smart car.