You’re probably aware of the next-gen city vehicles that will be powered by nothing but electricity. Scooters in particular will be worth watching as many citizens of densely populated areas keep struggling on their daily commutes.
You also may know that the in-vehicle consoles cost a lot of money to develop, hence e-scooter makers are opting for neat solution – to replace the console with a smartphone. By taking this route not only these companies reduce costs, but also rely on proven technology to deliver various services to its users, including navigation, music playback and more.
In many cases that smartphone will be Apple’s iPhone though we expect some Android-based versions, as well. For instance, Daimler-Benz-owned Smart announced that its 5.4-horsepower Smart Scooter would use an iPhone as its instrument panel, serving as combined speedometer, range indicator and GPS. The scooter will sit alongside its existing electric-drive Smart Car and eBike.
Another example comes from the Far East where Japanese manufacturer Terra Motors is also using Apple’s device in its A4000i electric scooter. In this case, the A4000i not only uses your iPhone to display data to the rider, but also to stream that data to the web. Talk about sharing.
I like how all this sounds and can’t wait to get my very first e-scooter next year. Or the year after. These things are still pretty expensive…
[Via: 9to5mac]