Gone are the days of big cars with big engines that burn huge amounts of fuel. Compact and economical modes of transport are now in fashion, some of which can even be carried with you in a backpack. And today we will talk about 7 of the most memorable miniature vehicles.
The Impossible is the ideal personal vehicle for city dwellers. This electric scooter allows you to combine different types of private and public transport within one day. Unlike a bicycle or other mopeds, the Impossible can be carried onto a subway, bus or tram without fear of encountering rebuff from controllers or reproaches from passengers.
The fact is that the Impossible electric scooter easily fits in a regular backpack. It can be folded and unfolded within a few seconds. And this vehicle weighs only 5 kilograms. But despite its small size, the Impossible can carry people weighing up to 85 kg.
Impossible has a lithium-ion battery that allows you to drive approximately 25 km on one full battery charge. In this case, the scooter can accelerate to a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.
- This is another compact electric scooter for traveling within a big city, when a person needs to repeatedly change from one type of public transport to another during the day, as well as walk.
Trikelet allows you to get rid of walking long distances; it will easily take the owner to the nearest metro station or bus stop, after which the owner of this scooter can quickly fold up his personal vehicle and take it with him to the cabin.
After all, when folded, Trikelet is so compact that it can fit on a luggage rack in a train car or in the owner’s backpack. True, this electric scooter weighs noticeably more than the Impossible mentioned above - twelve kilograms.
Chinese farmer He Liangcai, who is involved in engineering as a hobby, has created a compact one that doesn’t even need a backpack to carry, because this vehicle is itself a suitcase.
This electric scooter is an integrated part of a travel bag. It can be used both for moving around the city and for traveling inside large premises - shopping centers, terminals of large airports and other spacious buildings. But at the same time, the suitcase can still be used for its intended purpose - it has enough space to store and transport clothes and other personal items.
The scooter suitcase without things inside weighs 7 kilograms. It can travel up to 50 km, while reaching a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour. This is an excellent vehicle for people who travel a lot and are therefore tired of endlessly walking with a suitcase in hand or on their shoulders.
- This is perhaps the most famous example in the world of integrating a bag and a vehicle, but we will never get tired of talking about it. We are talking about a regular travel backpack with a built-in scooter.
This is what makes Gig Pack so valuable. After all, this vehicle significantly speeds up the average travel speed of a tourist, but at the same time it is completely independent of the battery charge level - a person can travel exactly as far as he has enough physical strength.
The Gig Pack scooter backpack can support a person weighing up to 90 kilograms. It has a secure compartment for your laptop, and the wheels on this vehicle are made of durable rubber, which greatly improves its maneuverability.
Onewheel is an unusual electric vehicle that gives a person the feeling of real flight. Unlike other skateboards, it has not two or four wheels, but only one.
But the electric motor and intelligent Onewheel balancing system allows a person to literally float in space without taking his feet off the board. He does not need to push off the asphalt with his foot - the board itself carries him forward, he just needs to choose the direction of movement, and doing this on Onewheel is as intuitive as on the popular Segway electric scooter.
Onewheel can travel at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour, traveling up to 10 km on one full battery charge. Battery charging speed ranges from 20 minutes (80 percent capacity) to two hours (full charge).
Solowheel is another one-wheeled electric vehicle. But, unlike the Onewheel mentioned above, we are not talking about an analogue of a skateboard, but about a scooter. True, all that remains of the Solowheel moped is a wheel, and even then only one.
But this Solowheel has everything a person needs to move around the city built into it. These include two platforms for legs, an electric motor, a battery, and an intelligent control system. Balancing on the Solowheel is just as easy as on a Segway. But this scooter has a much smaller scale and cost.
The single-wheeled electric moped Solowheel has 43 centimeters in diameter and 13 cm in width. It weighs only 9 kilograms, and for ease of carrying from place to place, this vehicle has a convenient handle built into the top.
Solowheel can travel up to 19 kilometers on a single battery charge. Its batteries can be fully charged in just forty-five minutes. The cost of this vehicle starts from 1495 US dollars.
Boosted Boards are a skateboard that looks like a real skateboard. But unlike its original predecessor, this vehicle does not need to be powered by human feet, as Boosted Boards have a built-in electric motor.
Thanks to the electric motor, the Boosted Boards can travel independently not only on horizontal surfaces, but even on a slight upward slope. This is an excellent means of transportation not only for lazy skateboarders, but also for those whose professional activities involve constant travel around the city, for example, couriers, postmen or pizza delivery people.
Boosted Boards can accelerate using the power of an electric motor to a speed of 30 kilometers per hour and travel up to 10 km on a single battery charge. But even after the batteries are completely discharged, the Boosted Boards can continue to be driven in the old fashioned way using the strength of the legs of the person on it.
On the roads of Russia, from a legal point of view, there are quite a lot of different types of vehicles for dividing them into the required categories of a driver’s license or even allowing them to drive without a driving license. The most common of them are cars and trucks, motorcycles of various parameters, scooters, ATVs, mopeds, tractors and even walk-behind tractors. For which of them, as of 2019, do you need a driver’s license and what specific category is required, and what can you drive without a license at all, let’s figure it out!
What obliges you to drive only with a license?
So, there are 3 regulations that require you to have a license to drive certain vehicles:
- The Russian Constitution gives citizens the right to free movement,
- but the Federal Law on Road Safety prescribes that road users can move freely based on established rules, and the exercise of their rights as citizens should not infringe on the rights of other people,
- but clause 2.1.1 of the Russian Federation Traffic Regulations states that the driver is obliged to carry with him and hand over to the traffic police officer a driver’s license, among other documents, when driving vehicles.
Thus, we can drive any vehicle as long as we have the right to drive it. If this requires special training, then this right is called a special right - the right to drive, and it is confirmed by a driver’s license.
What vehicles do not require a license?
Now let's look in order at all types of vehicles that you can drive without such a special right.
Rollerblades, scooters
The most obvious thing is that neither dares to call it a vehicle, nor do the laws in force in 2019 classify it as such. Roller skates, scooters, skateboards, baby strollers, etc. - obviously, rights are not required for all this, because those riding them still have the status of pedestrians.
Traffic rules say the same thing:
Persons who use roller skates, scooters and other similar means for movement are considered pedestrians.
The key word here is “similar”. That is, something that does not have an engine is driven by human muscles, and is not capable of causing serious harm in a collision.
Bike
You can also ride a bicycle without a license. Although, there have been numerous attempts to introduce driver's licenses for cyclists and even to issue license plates for them and register them with the traffic police, these were not successful in 2019... fortunately or unfortunately.
Segway, hoverboard, motorcycle wheel
Although such devices already have a motor, in practice they still do not need to be registered, there is no obligation to drive them only on the roadway, and you do not need a license to drive them.
Walk-behind tractor
You also don’t need a license for a walk-behind tractor, despite the fact that it has an engine and is sometimes even powerful enough to compete (purely in terms of power) with motorcycles and scooters.
But they are not needed, not because their riders are pedestrians. Formally, walk-behind tractors are not intended for driving on public roads, many of them are not intended to be driven classically, but only driven in front of you, and according to the passport they are not vehicles, they obviously do not even have a title.
But if you drive a walk-behind tractor onto a road - even a country road or a field road - then in practice problems in the form of a fine and even evacuation of the walk-behind tractor to an impound lot may well await you.
Pitbike
You can also ride a pit bike without a license, similar to a walk-behind tractor. This is because this type of motorcycle is also not intended for riding on public roads, but unlike a walk-behind tractor, a pit bike for 2019 is not agricultural equipment for household use, but sports equipment.
But in practice, you will still get a hefty fine (the size of the fine is discussed below) for riding a pit bike, even if you have the right to drive a vehicle. The fact is that traffic police inspectors still illegally fine drivers, and pit bikes are taken to the impound lot. Why is it illegal? Because even the Supreme Court ruled that this was illegal. Therefore, such a fine is based on this decision.
Important note!
What vehicles require a license?
Now let's look at common vehicles that you will need a special license to drive. Obviously, we won’t consider cars - they always needed a license and there can be no controversial issues here.
Motorbike
To drive motorcycles you need a license of category A or subcategory A 1:
- "A" is required if you are riding a motorcycle with a displacement of more than 125cc,
- "A 1" for motorcycles with engine capacity less than 125, but greater than or equal to 50.
Please note that according to the text of the traffic rules, three-wheeled or more-wheeled motorcycles, various types of tricycles with a motorcycle seat and steering, and if their weight does not exceed 400 kg, are subject to the same technical characteristics.
Scooter and moped
Contrary to increasingly thinning opinions among scooter enthusiasts, these vehicles require a license. Moreover, absolutely any category:
- "M" is a special category of license for the ability to ride scooters and mopeds, it can be obtained from the age of 16,
- "A 1" – this category can be controlled from the age of 17,
- all other categories of rights provide the opportunity to drive this transport from the age of 18.
Scooters and mopeds include two-wheeled vehicles with an engine capacity of up to 50 cubic meters (up to 49.9 cubic meters, at 50 you can no longer drive) and with a maximum speed of up to 50 km/h.
ATV
But for ATVs and similar vehicles, designed, like pit bikes, for off-road driving, a tractor category driver’s license is required. This is a very controversial point, but law enforcement practice in 2019 suggests that if you are caught both on the road and on the ground, you will be fined for lack of driving rights.
Therefore, if you are asking the question “Can I ride an ATV without a license,” then the answer is no, you cannot.
Where can you drive without a license?
Yes, everywhere! But only under one important condition - you have the status of a driver learner. And the driver in this case is training you, and it is he who is responsible for your traffic violations.
But on the merits of the issue, you cannot drive anywhere without a license if a special right is provided for a given vehicle after successfully passing the exams.
Is it true that you can drive through the fields without a license?
Not true. Contrary to the popular belief that traffic rules apply only on public roads, and not on country roads and dirt roads, you will need your license everywhere, although there are different opinions on this matter, based on 2 opposite poles.
At one extreme are people who believe that traffic rules apply absolutely everywhere. And to confirm this, they quote from the current traffic rules:
1.1. These Rules of the Road establish unified traffic rules throughout the Russian Federation.
But at the other extreme are off-road enthusiasts who read the definitions of traffic and roads:
road traffic is a set of social relations that arise in the process of moving people and goods with or without vehicles within roads;
road - a strip of land developed or adapted and used for the movement of vehicles or the surface of an artificial structure.
As we see, both opinions have the right to exist. And the second camp, which justifies driving through fields without a license, is opposed by the fact that a road is still a strip of land used for movement. And since we are driving along it in this case, that means we are using... That means the road... That means we are participating in the process of road traffic, and we are required to comply with traffic regulations.
Is it true that you can drive on a race track without a license?
The analogy here is the same as with the ability to control without rights across the field. The autodrome is a closed area. Other traffic rules may be established on it. But they cannot contradict the traffic rules.
In addition, in essence, the above definitions of road traffic and roads, the race track is not an exception to roads and road traffic.
What will it be like to drive without a license?
So, the last issue we are considering is the fine for violations due to the lack of the right to drive at all or a certain category (if there is no category, you do not have the right to drive this vehicle, so the fine is the same).
It ranges from 5 to 15 thousand rubles under Part 1 of Article 12.7 of the Administrative Code. This fine is imposed in cases of driving:
- on a scooter without any category of license,
- on a motorcycle without open category "A",
- on an ATV without a tractor license,
- by car without category "B",
- in all other cases when you need the appropriate category to drive this vehicle, but you do not have it in your license.
While in Moscow, you need to get used to the fact that you will have to move around a lot. And unlike some compact cities in Europe, it’s not at all on foot. Read below for the most common ways to move around the city, their pros and cons, risks and opportunities.
1.Taxi
The most comfortable method of moving around the city. And after yellow taxis were allowed to drive on dedicated lanes, then the fastest one was calculated “from point to point.” There are many operators and various unified information services such as Yandex-Taxi or GetTaxi.
You can choose any class of service, from economy to business. There is even a separate option - a Russian driver. Yes, it is worth recognizing that Muscovites do not go to work as taxi drivers. They probably exist, but, let’s say, in New York. Remember Danila Bagrov’s sacramental phrase from the film “Brother-2”, addressed to a New York taxi driver: “Doesn’t your brother work as a taxi driver in Moscow?”
In principle, knowledge of streets and alleys is not required now; everyone uses a navigator anyway. The main thing is that the taxi driver knows how to use it. And it's not a joke.
Some people, popularly called “bombs,” who hang around every metro station and drive around, are guided by the sun during the day, by the stars at night, and in inclement weather by the wind. It’s easy to identify them: they speak with a pronounced accent, drive Lada cars or broken-down foreign cars, listen to chanson and love to bargain.
As for the prices of official carriers, the lower threshold on average starts from 300 rubles. True, competition makes itself felt, prices remain at approximately the same level, despite the crisis. There are already those who dump and offer trips from 50 rubles.
2.Car rental
An excellent option if you have a driver’s license, indefatigable drive, a GLONASS navigator, strong nerves and reliable resistance to stress. Yandex traffic jams and fair winds!
Do not forget that parking in the center of Moscow is paid. There are several payment options:
Use stationary parking meters to pay;
Connect a local SIM card, making payments via SMS messages;
Download the “Moscow Parking” application to your smartphone and pay using a bank card.
Rental cost from 1200 rubles per day depending on the class of car.
3.Metro
The most reliable way to save time. Especially when it comes to moving long distances. And the safest.
The Moscow metro is replete with directional signs, and at central stations there are also diagrams indicating the route to interesting places.
There are, of course, disadvantages. It gets a bit crowded here during rush hour. Especially in the morning hours towards the center and in the evening hours back. You can identify the direction of movement by the gender of the stop announcement: when you go to the center, a male voice speaks, when from the center, a female voice.
An undoubted advantage of the Moscow metro is free Wi-Fi in all cars. Due to the heavy workload (most Muscovites are constantly buried in gadgets), communication may be unstable. One more nuance - one-time authorization on the network is valid by phone number; this rule applies to the entire public Internet with Wi-Fi access in Russia. Therefore, it is better to purchase a local SIM card.
The cost of a metro pass is from 40 rubles for one trip, up to 1400 for 60 trips, a single transport card, the so-called “troika”, is valid.
4. Electric trains
Getting acquainted with Moscow can begin with this type of transport if you decide to get from the airport by Aeroexpress. A very convenient, fast and reliable way to get to the city center in just 35-45 minutes from the Moscow region, where all the capital’s air gates are located.
Aeroexpress runs from 05:30 - 06:00 in the morning and until 00:00 - 00:30 (depending on the airport) at intervals of one hour for Vnukovo, half an hour for Domodedovo, half an hour and 20 minutes during rush hour for Sheremetyevo. The cost is within 500 rubles.
In addition, the Small Ring of the Moscow Railway (MKR) will be launched in the very near future. Moscow Ring Railway stations will have transitions to metro stations and will have platforms in public places, for example, near the Luzhniki stadium. It is assumed that the train interval will be about 6 minutes, and the payment system will be the same as in all public transport.
5.Buses, trolleybuses, trams
Until recently, it was traditionally the slowest way to get around the city. However, everything flows, everything changes. Dedicated lanes are being created everywhere for buses and trolleybuses. Well, in most cases, trams practically run on dedicated lanes. However, the latter have a disadvantage - if there is some kind of accident on the tracks, then the entire route is stopped.
The fleet of cars used is constantly updated, so an air-conditioned interior is no longer uncommon.
There are clear advantages - accessibility, low cost (single transport card), compliance with the schedule (according to the latest information, it has reached 90%), you can admire the beauty of Moscow during the trip. The downside is that the speed is low and it can be a bit crowded during rush hour.
6. Route taxis
For lovers of extreme sports, chanson, Formula 1, navigation, head knocks, risks and unpredictability.
Why is that? Because most often:
A driver will sit behind the wheel and listen to radio “Chanson”;
Drive without following the rules;
Do not slow down at stops until someone shouts (many cars have notices asking you to shout louder; this is understandable, the driver is listening to the radio or talking on the phone);
The salons are cramped and uncomfortable;
There is no schedule, the driver will not leave the final stop until all seats are completely filled;
The car may be in disrepair.
Of course, not all minibuses are like what I wrote above, but the likelihood of running into exactly this is quite high. Although the city authorities are now making attempts to turn the situation around and, perhaps, in the near future we will see a unified service of minibus taxis running on schedule, in good condition and in compliance with traffic rules, connected to a unified payment system. The first such routes with cars painted blue have already been launched.
In the meantime, the cost of extreme travel varies from 20 to 40 rubles.
7. Bicycle
Man's two-wheeled friend is rapidly gaining popularity thanks to the development of bike rentals and bike parking. In the last year, their number has increased several times and will continue to increase. Unfortunately, the construction of bicycle paths has not yet kept up with this pace. Therefore, when riding a bicycle around Moscow, you need to take into account the risk of leaving the roadway.
Overall, this is a great way for those who are in good athletic shape to get anywhere in the city without being dependent on anyone.
The cost of renting a bicycle starts from 30 rubles per hour (you can do it for free, but only up to half an hour), a day will cost 150 rubles (with a deposit on the card of 1000 rubles), a month will cost 600 rubles. Payment is also possible using a Troika card.
What else can you use to get around the city, besides a personal car and public transport? Bicycle, motorcycle, roller skates, of course, come to mind first. But it turns out that even without them, there are many vehicles that can (at least to some extent) replace a personal car and bus.
The so-called “alternative vehicles” are mostly two-wheeled, roofless, easy to use and completely environmentally friendly. Find out what kind of replacement the car is growing up in in our review.
SCOOTER
A simple vehicle with two wheels, which is traditionally considered very childish, may well be suitable for adults who want to find their own original way of moving around the city. In fact, at first glance, a scooter has only one benefit: it will increase the speed of movement, provide physical exercise, and avoid the ubiquitous traffic jams. In addition, folding scooters with a belt that you can carry with you have long been invented, especially for adults.
There are now a great many types of scooters - some are only suitable for walking through parks and alleys, others are equipped with fairly thick wheels that can cope with city potholes. There are also so-called “kickbikes” - something like an “under-bicycle” and very reminiscent of those very colorful bicycles of the past with two wheels: a very large and a very small one. And this, by the way, is an absolutely “adult” type of two-wheeled transport.
It’s easier to control a scooter: just push off and go, just watch your balance. But you can’t really travel around the city center with it: the sidewalks are teeming with pedestrians, and it’s scary to even think about leaving the roadway. But if your route to work runs along quiet streets or shady alleys and you are not burdened with worries about what others think, then a scooter as a means of transportation is quite suitable for you. True, only in dry weather.
SCOOTER
A scooter is one of the most popular types of transport among both children and adults of all ages. The two-wheeled iron “pony,” the prototype of which was created back in the early 20th century, has long been a favorite of residents of European countries and Southeast Asian countries (in the latter, according to experienced tourists, the streets are simply teeming with people on scooters).
Russia recognized the advantages of this type of transport not so long ago, although they are obvious: a scooter makes it possible to move around the city quite quickly, moreover, in a comfortable sitting position, allows you to avoid city traffic jams and, at the same time, is easy to operate, having an automatic transmission. In addition, a small scooter (with an engine up to 50 cc) does not need to be registered with the traffic police. Actually, this is why the scooter is so loved by teenagers. However, Russian legislation is still silent about the rights and responsibilities of scooter drivers, and therefore a lot of controversial issues will inevitably arise if you decide to acquire such a two-wheeled “friend.”
A “balanced two-wheel scooter” or “adult scooter” is the name given to an increasingly popular vehicle called the Segway. The creator of the miracle machine on two wheels was the American Dean Kaman, who was previously distinguished by his special ingenuity.
The name comes from English. the words segway - “follow, move.” Operating a Segway is simple: the driver’s balance is provided by two wheels on the sides of the platform, on which you need to stand with both feet. To start moving, you need to lean forward a little, to stop, accordingly, lean back. When tilted left or right, the Segway turns in the desired direction. This way you can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h.
In some states of the USA (and in a number of other countries), this type of transport has found its use - police officers and postmen travel on it, but in Europe the Segway was at one time banned, explaining its high unsafety. By the way, the owner of the Segway company, Jimi Haselden, died while riding a Segway: he lost control and fell off a cliff into the river.
In any case, a Segway is quite an expensive pleasure: from 90 thousand for one such cart and more. But today Segways can be found in large cities of our country – enterprising “private owners” offer rides to leisurely revelers.
DELTAKAT
A new type of transport, very similar to the American Segway, was invented not just anywhere, but in our glorious Tomsk. The invention of Tomsk resident Vladimir Kovalev glorified the city and himself throughout Russia. The cart, called a delta skate, is a hybrid between a skateboard and an electric scooter; weighs only 25 kg and runs on batteries. The principle of movement is the same as that of a Segway: the driver stands on the footrests and, balancing like on a skateboard, sets the direction of movement. The speed is controlled using the gas lever and can reach 25 km/h.
According to the creator himself, the invention was based on the notorious desire to somehow avoid city traffic jams. The Tomsk resident made the first copy from what he had: parts of curtains, an electric motor, metal corners, large and small wheels.
In the summer of 2011, the Tomsk project was among the winners of the “Start” competition of the Bortnik Foundation and could count on funding to complete the stage of research and development work. In fact, this work is currently underway.
VELOCAB
There are more and more environmentally friendly modes of transport that do not pollute the atmosphere. One of these new inventions is the bicycle cab or bicycle taxi. It was invented in Germany back in the 90s. The direct author of the idea is Stefan Buerkle.
The cab cab's cabin is open on the sides and is shaped very much like an egg. The driver fits in the narrow part of this egg, the passengers, respectively, in the wide one. The bicycle cab is equipped with an electric motor, which allows it to move. In addition, each velomobile is equipped with an on-board computer and a sound signal, headlights, rear-view mirrors, rear turn indicator lights, brake lights, a disc brake system... In general, everything that a decent taxi should have.
It is unlikely that there will be anyone who wants to acquire such a machine for their own use, but as a recreational vehicle, a bicycle cab is much nicer than, say, the same cart with a horse.
RASTABIKE
Essentially, a rastabike is the same bicycle, the only difference being that it has a more fancy appearance. The main thing that a rastabike has in common with a regular bicycle is the principle of movement. Here, too, you need to pedal with your feet to move forward.
Rastabiks are the name given to all those original designs that come out of the light hands of native Russian craftsmen. The soldered bicycle may end up with a completely unprecedented shape, but it will definitely work. In Moscow, there is even a community of lovers of converted bicycles - RASTABIKE (Russian Association of Homemade Transport Bicycles), which periodically delights the capital's residents and guests with enchanting rides on rastabikes of all colors and designs. There are big doubts how convenient this type of vehicle is, but it is spectacular, at least.
ELECTRIC BIKE
Another bike, already with the prefix “electro”, is again the same bike, but with an electric drive. However, you can also move the electric bike using pedals. Not much different from a classic bicycle, an electric bike is very suitable for all lovers of environmentally friendly transport. Electric bikes are usually equipped with 180W, 250W and 350W electric motors; from one fourth to one second horsepower.
This type of transport is very popular in China - there are almost five times more electric bikes than cars.
On September 22, all civilized countries celebrate World Car Free Day: motorists are encouraged to stop using fuel-consuming vehicles for at least a day. "Let World Day carfree will be a clear example of how our cities could look, feel and sound without cars... 365 days a year!" - this is the slogan
