By Josiah Redman

 Regardless of what you might read in the newspapers, 2011 is likely to be challenging on virtually all of us. Austerity steps are taking over the globe and substantial financial pressures are being placed on people - in particular those in Europe and the US. In between the many economic stresses of 2011 is the one that appears to threaten us all in so many ways - mounting petrol costs. The need to be more watchful with our money this year will lead to many people considering which parts of their weekly spend they can cut down on and one of those will be the daily commute. As a consequence of this, many of us will turn to products and services that aim to lower our spending - more for less will be the rule of many and subjects like downsizing will be a frequent conversation point over dinner. How will the normal person downsize? One of the alternatives that will see a massive resurgence this year will be the use of 50cc and 125cc scooters.

In 2010, market reports suggested that the motorcycle market had been hit particularly hard by the downturn. The inescapable fact of 2011 is that travel costs are rising and we are all under more pressure to get 'more for less' and this is why we will see a revival in learner legal 125cc scooters hitting the roads. But 2011 won't just stop there. We are now seeing greater interest in electric 125cc scooters. You might think this is all a bit too sci-fi but it's not - electric scooters are coming and you better have your charger at hand.

If going electric wasn't enough for you, try mixing that with trendy mod-style and you get the insanely popular 125cc Retro Electric Scooter from Tamoretti. The Tamoretti 125cc electric scooter has already been able to build up pre-launch momentum and there's even a wholesome order book already in place. You can count on the retro electric scooter to be for sale to buy from as early as April with pre-launch road tests feasible from May. It will be equivalent to petrol designs in terms of overall performance, with a top speed of 45km per hour, a maximum range of 45km and will only take between 5-8 hours for a full charge. If all of that didn't sound interesting enough to you, the new electric model will shy away from market norms and come in at a price that is not only comparative to existing models, but in many cases is actually better value too, coming in at an excellent ?1299 inc VAT. Once you've paid your electric bill, you can expect this little powerhouse to have practically no other operating costs. Perfect for the challenging year ahead.

If you haven't come across pictures of the Tamoretti Electric scooter before, make sure you visit Quality Scooters, where not only will you be able to grab the most recent pictures, but also the best prices from a number of UK retailers.

For those of you that like stars, we bestow this scooter a power-packed 5 out of 5 stars.

Josiah Redman is a staff editor at learner legal scooter review site Quality Scooters. He is currently writing a series on the emergence of electric scooters and how they will change the face of the commute in 2011.

Environment