Providence patrol Officers Ned Kemble and Dwight Eddy prepare to ride as the Providence police demonstrate their new Vectrix scooters. The scooters goes from zero to 50 mph in 6.8 seconds and have a range of up to 55 miles on a single charge.

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The Providence Journal / Andrew Dickerman

PROVIDENCE

Eco-friendly and yet mildly macho, the maxi-scooter yesterday zipped into a temporary space in the Police Department’s parking lot.

Mayor David N. Cicilline and Police Chief Dean M. Esserman announced that the department has four Vectrix electric battery-powered scooters as free loaner vehicles for a three-month tryout on the steamy summer streets of Rhode Island’s capital city.

“They are cool,” Esserman gushed. And they are said to be the first all-electric two-wheel motorbikes certified by the government as street-legal.

Esserman said he is seriously considering buying some of the scooters, which he sees as a speedier alternative to foot and bicycle patrols. Because the scooters take off with only a whirring sound, a scooter-mounted officer can be almost as stealthy as one on foot or bicycle.

With gasoline at $4 per gallon, Cicilline and Esserman nevertheless emphasized the environmental advantages of the electric scooter compared to a cruiser or a motorcycle. Cicilline said the scooter is virtually emissions-free while a motorcycle emits two tons of carbon pollution annually.

Whether the department buys any, Esserman said after the announcement outside the Public Safety Complex, will depend on the reaction of the community and the police officers who use them.

Although lacking the muscle of the department’s Harley-Davidson motorcycles, they are much beefier than a typical gasoline-fueled scooter, feature a wide seat capable of carrying a 250-pound officer plus passenger and boast a high-performance engine.

And they have Hollywood cachet, inasmuch as they have been endorsed by comedian and Tonight Show host Jay Leno. Vectrix was crowing earlier this year when it persuaded Leno, a motor vehicle enthusiast, to try the scooter and he gave it a thumbs-up.

Fast off the starting line — zero to 50 mph in 6.8 seconds — the maxi-scooter has a top speed of 62 mph but a limited range of only 35 miles to 55 miles on a single charge. Because it has a step-through design like a light scooter but the wheelbase and bulk of a motorcycle, the vehicle is classified in the industry as a maxi-scooter.

But this is no pursuit vehicle, cautioned Michael Boyle, Vectrix president and chief executive officer. In Providence, added Maj. Thomas Oates, the department does not expect motorcycle officers to chase suspects, but rather to call in so that suspects can be chased by officers driving cruisers.

The New York City and Sacramento, Calif., police departments also are using the scooters on a trial basis. So far, the Los Angeles port police, which have bought four, are the only law enforcement agency in the United States to have made a purchase, according to Vectrix spokesman Gary Kimball.

Vectrix, of Middletown, is looking to Europe for much of its retail sales. It also is targeting fleet sales to governments, and as part of that strategy, contacted the City of Providence.

After a demonstration to a number of city departments in February, Esserman followed up with what he called a home-state pitch to the company and asked for a free trial of the maxi-scooters, which carry a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $8,795. The only cost to the department was about $1,450 for the purchase of eight helmets and the application of the decals.

Given their temporary status, the police did not equip the maxi-scooters with sirens and emergency strobe lights.

gsmith@projo.com