The Red and Black

Issue date: 8/20/08 Section: Variety

Media Credit: MARIE UHLER An Athens-Clarke County police officer, Sgt. Willie Smith, rides a T3 Personal Mobility Vehicle in downtown Athens earlier this week. [Click to enlarge]

For downtown Athens-Clarke County police, the future is now. And there is no donut that can slow them down.

The officers are employing the latest in personal transportation, the T3 "Personal Mobility Vehicle."

The vehicle can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour and features zero gas emissions as well as a zero-degree turning radius. The creators of the T3, T3 Motion, strived to create a product that was professional as well as environmentally friendly.

"The T3 is part of a strategy right now in trying to reduce fuel usage. This is electric - it requires no gasoline," said Josh Watkins, assistant police planner.

The T3 is designed for small but densely-populated areas of all kinds, including college campuses, airports, military bases and shopping malls. According to Jeff Simpson, marketing manager for T3 Motion, Virginia Tech purchased several of the "Personal Mobility Vehicles" for security surveillance on campus.

"Unlike Segway, our competitor, we are currently selling this product for security purposes only," Simpson said.

Although T3 Motion plans to market the vehicle for personal and recreational use in the near future, they want to first emphasize its usefulness for police officers and security enforcers.

"Our vehicle works (like) a power drill," Simpson said. "You can take the battery pack off and replace it with another, so there's no hassle with waiting for something to recharge."

Because of the vehicle's strong motor and front wheel drive, it allows officers to maneuver quickly and safely through large areas. In a hilly town like Athens, the T3 is especially helpful.

"Downtown (officers have) been assigned to a bigger area, all the way through Finley Street, and down to the mass transit depot. We also use this to ride the Greenway Trail, which goes all the way from Oconee Street to the Sandy Creek Nature Center," Sergeant Willie Smith said. "This thing is great for that because you're not exhausted when you get there."

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