Actually, it’s been around for a few years. Here’s a neat video showing the Motorboard 2000XR, which is a compact electric scooter with 1KW drive power and A123 batteries. And it actually looks controllable!
I think I could do one better technology-wise with non-friction drive in the form of Snuffles Reloaded. I’m also going to log all final costs including machining estimates to see if it ends up under $800. Even though most of this is for my own shits and giggles, the cheap plastic gears in my brain are starting to turn a bit…