The recession can make a guy surprisingly comfortable doing all sorts of things he never thought he'd do -- like letting his yellow mellow, or eating his pizza crusts. Hop on an economical ride you never thought you'd ride, from Blitz E-Motorcycles.

Through a just-opened Deep Ellum storefront, Blitz sells its own line of imported, DOT-approved, all-electric e-cycles & scooters, an "in these times this makes sense" venture hatched by an Irving-raised, tech-savvy entrepreneur and a Corpus-raised ex-Navy man w/20 yrs of big-corp beer sales experience (so he knows about conspicuous consumption). Most models feature Volvo-developed, friction-free, gear-less motors built into the rear wheel hub and powered by lithium-ion batteries, with choices including the Vespa-ish TS line (3 trim levels all around $1,300; 30mph & 20 mi per charge); the sporty Electric Moped ($2,499), which'll hit 40, run for 50 and sports fat wheels theoretically fit for curb-hopping; and the XM-series inter-burb cruiser ($4K & $6K), good for up to 60 mph/85 mi, with chargers that stow under the seat -- where they hopefully emit radiation that will make your balls enormous. The options are bookended by a 5mph, belt-drive sidewalk blade ($130), and the $7,800 XU 3000 four-wheeler -- though with the electric drive train, you'll be basically breaking even on the macho-meter.

Operating costs are basically the price of electricity, and since the power plants don't wear, minimal maintenance is required; what upkeep there is, Blitz can handle in the back of their shop -- because no matter how bad the economy, you'll always be surprisingly uncomfortable with wrenches.

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Rentals will be available soon. Get blitzed at DriveBlitz.com