It ’s a bicycle , it ’s a car — it ’s both ! At 160 pounds , this sporty little simple machine , dubbedthe ELF , can carry an adult , two 8 - class - olds and a half - 12 grocery old bag . It can reach 20 mph with electric help , and 30 mph with pedaling . The ELF is the only hybrid vehicle of its variety in the earth . Produced in Durham , N.C. , and starting at $ 5,500 , it ’s build up mainly of recycled and upcycled part . Organic Transit founder and CEO Rob Cotter tells us about his creation and how this smallish vehicle is making a large encroachment .
Why did you create the ELF?
The ELF addresses some extremely serious issues : climate change , physical health and more livable communities .
I ’ve been messing around with homo - power vehicles and extremist - efficient vehicle for a very long time . About six year ago , I was consult on New York City bike share-out . It dawned on me that if New York City was putting in 300 statute mile of motorcycle trails that there is a grocery for a more hard-nosed , drug user - favorable , safer , more utilitarian type of bike that gives undecomposed weather protection — one where they can impart their kids , pick up their groceries , get up the big hills and get at workplace without being all sweaty .
And why the moniker “ELF?”
I broke it down into “ Electric , Light and Fun . ” And an elf is like a small critter in the setting , facilitate out and working expeditiously after hours . I like the idea of the ELF being a helpful companion with our work and play .
How is the ELF good for the environment?
The ELF is a solar and pedal hybrid fomite powered by you and the sunlight . It ’s really the most effective fomite on the planet , getting the equivalent of 1800 mpg . I wish to say it ’s the pismire of vehicle , carry three to four time its own weight . One ELF used twelvemonth round has the potentiality to extenuate six lashings of CO2 from entering the ambience each year . That ’s like planting 900 trees every yr .
Plug an ELF into a standard electric outlet , and it will be fully charged in 2½ hr . Or it takes seven hours to solar recharge the ELF . In fact , if you dwell in a sunny area , the ELF makes more energy than it apply .
About 80 percent of the bulk textile come from within two hours of our production installation in Durham , N.C. We do n’t paint anything — no rouge on the vehicle and no explosive constituent compound in the environment .
How does the ELF do with inclement weather?
We have a lot of them ride around in Canada yr - orotund . They do very well on Charles Percy Snow and ice . We sell them with carbon studded snow tire . People put trailers on them . Up in Canada , a guy rope apply his ELF to pull his Baron Snow of Leicester - blowing equipment for his business .
Who is The ELF best suited for?
I earlier create The ELF for the urban farmer . The ELF can carry up to a 550 - pound sign payload ! One of the affair we thought about was “ Who will be the people that desire to buy this ? ” We think that they will be the people that really revalue buy local , constitutional food for thought , concerned about the environment , and looking to get off of fossil fuels and save money .
The ELF really is for anyone who wants to get somewhere and wants to be intelligent and have a healthy environment . On a late survey , we found 70 percent of people are using it for commuting and errands . Most are using it to replace their second railroad car .
The ELF ended up filling a niche beyond what you imagined. What happened?
We know the ELF could be salutary for people with sure disabilities , but we never know how popular the ELF would become to certain population . There are a whole mathematical group of people that do n’t have the ability to travel like we do . mass with epilepsy , autism , PTSD or legally blind people . They can see , they just do n’t see well enough to have a driver ’s license . All these masses are pronounce , “ I can expend an ELF . ” The young soul possess an ELF is 14 and the sure-enough is 94 .
In the same way the Volkswagen Bus represented a culture , a lifestyle and a certain freedom , we ’d like the ELF doing that , too .
( observe : The ELF is legally a bicycle in almost every province and operator do not require a equipment driver ’s license . )
Organic Transit
