BE the change you want to see in the world." Token Hu, 27, embraces the famous quote by Gandhi because it describes his own work and philosophy so succinctly.

In this case, "change" is going green. Hu is a full-time designer at California-based Frog Design Inc's Shanghai office, but in his spare time he operates his own small company called the TKXX Collection, which sells the X-Zoomer scooter brand he designed himself. He said the scooter is the first in China to be green, user-friendly and stylish.

Though patterned on Honda's petrol-fueled Zoomer model, the X-Zoomer is solely electrically powered and is built with 75 percent recycled materials. According to Hu, the X-Zoomer is the chic, carefree little vehicle to have if you want to demonstrate your green credentials while tootling around the city.

"It was born out of my long-time wish to save the reputation of ... Honda Zoomer"

"In mid-2009, the idea of creating the X-Zoomer popped in my head out of an impulse to upgrade my own transport," Hu said. "But above all, it was born out of my long-time wish to save the reputation of my favorite scooter, the Honda Zoomer."

Though the Zoomer was never officially introduced to China, the Honda model has been finding its way into the domestic market through shanzhai (imitated and pirated) production lines owned by copycat manufacturers.

At the same time, urban pollution continues to rise as more and more fuel-combustion vehicles pour onto Shanghai streets.

By launching a new version of a redesigned and even more eco-friendly Zoomer, Hu said he could help restore the scooter's reputation in China amid the rip-off models.

As a self-taught expert on mechanics with years of experience in industrial design, Hu was equipped to take on the task. He credits his own can-do spirit and down-to-earth realism that helped him turn an idea from a sketch to reality.

To do that, he rented a basement in his apartment building in Xuhui District and set up a makeshift workshop, where he tinkered after work and on weekends. He had to do extensive testing of electric machinery, controllers, vehicle frame designs and assembly components.

After six months of hard work, the first-generation X-Zoomer hit the streets in January 2010. Hu said the scooter was 70 percent original, exceeding the 30 percent benchmark required in order to lay claim on a vehicle redesign as one's own intellectual property.

"Riding the X-Zoomer to work was so cool that it even attracted fancy car owners who would roll down their windows and ask me where they could buy one," Hu said proudly. "I told them my ride was one of a kind."

The X-Zoomer is an eye-catcher. In fact, it retains the "Angel Eye," the iconic front light of the Honda model, though Hu's version is operated by an LED (light emitting diode) cold light source to reduce energy consumption.

Though electric-powered, the X-Zoomer mimics the sound of a combustion engine to alert passers-by and pedestrians.

A compatible mobile phone plug-in is available in case the rider needs a GPS (global positioning system) guide via a mobile phone when the battery power is running out.

Hu was so pleased with his redesigned X-Zoomer scooter that he decided to share it with others.

"Pushing one's idea through manufacturing is an art of compromise"

"It occurred to me that the general disconnect between industrial design and mechanical design in China could offer X-Zoomer a great opportunity in the scooter market," Hu said. "I realized it could be marketed as the first green, user-friendly and stylish scooter in China."

Eager to proceed, Hu took the design plan of X-Zoomer to a licensed original equipment manufacturer in Jiangsu Province in early 2010.

The industrial application process proved to be bittersweet.

At first, the factory wouldn't strictly adhere to Hu's design standards, and senior technicians at the manufacturer even altered his plans. It took him nearly one year of negotiations with the manufacturer before the final design, then in its 51st revision, was finally nailed down.

"Pushing one's idea through manufacturing is an art of compromise," he said. "It was both frustrating and rewarding."

After 376 days of experimental manufacturing and 3,200 kilometers of road test, the second-generation X-Zoomer rolled off the assembly line and became the first product in the TKXX Collection in a special online shop in December.

"I am now more into the meaning rather than the profit"

The scooter quickly gained popularity, especially after appearing in the More Than Design Exhibition in Beijing later that month.

"People are crazy about innovative solutions to real-life problems," Hu said. "I can give them what the market can't. Riding around on a chic scooter while promoting environmental protection can be the coolest thing in the world."

Orders have flowed in since then, sometimes surpassing the production capacity of 10 scooters per month.

"Usually, a customer needs to wait 30 days for an X-Zoomer because the manufacturing starts only after the full bill is paid online."

Having invested nearly 220,000 yuan (US$33,500) in molds and experimental manufacturing, Hu has tried to market the X-Zoomer as a zero-inventory business to ease financial pressure.

He didn't skimp on production costs, however, as he selected the best materials available in China for the X-Zoomer. He even purchased carbon credits through an environmental protection organization called Climate Friendly - 0.3 ton for each X-Zoomer, to offset the carbon emissions created by the manufacturing process and charging the scooter in the first year of its use. He is hoping X-Zoomer buyers will take a cue from his example and purchase their own carbon credits in ensuing years.

The price of an X-Zoomer ranges from 8,000 yuan (US$1,218) to 20,000 yuan according to battery and accessories, including the fee for its license plate.

"It might take some time before I actually start to make money, " Hu said. "But I am now more into the meaning, rather than the profit, of this business."

He said the ideas embodied by the X-Zoomer could help raise public awareness of environmental protection and transport safety.

He's also planning to call on other designers to join his design project. An event for a conceptual redesign of the X-Zoomer will be launched next month in the design community, building up a cooperation platform to develop the next-generation X-Zoomer.

"I want more designers to know that design is not just about appealing looks or fancy functions," Hu said. "We can also design for social impact and toward a better world."