[Loki]

Interesting little beast. Peddles + electric motor + 120V plug + 60W solar panel. Classified as a bicycle. The future of urban transportation?

ELF is a sun-powered trike. You can pedal it or use the electric assist! Get power through the solar panels or simply charge the batteries by plugging into a socket.

The Trylon shell keeps you out of the elements and in view of other drivers, while the comfortable interior makes your ride enjoyable.

It’s fast, clean and green.

http://www.organictransit.com/

They're opening a factory in Portland. At $5000 it's a little more than I can afford, but it's an interesting concept.

[Plantagenet]

What's the top speed when using the motor?

I'm in Amsterdam right now ---- world capital of bicycle culture ------ and there is a problem with that kind of vehicle. What lane does it use?

It's too slow for traffic lanes but too fast for the bike lanes.

There are a lot more small scooters here then I remember and they are too slow for the car lanes but too fast for the crowded full bike lanes. As a result they go everywhere darting from bike lane to car lane to pedestrian sidewalk when they see a gap

Wouldn't the ELF electric pedal car have the same issue? What lane would it use.

[SeaGypsy]

In Australia and I think most of Europe- this is not a 'bicycle'- having more than 200 watts of assistance- has to be road registered as either a scooter or a car- neither of which it would pass design rules for. (Not the fault of the manufacturers, but a major sticking point for global sales.)

Sooner or later our regulators will have to realize the days of a 10/1 weight ratio- vehicle to occupant- are numbered. The sooner they end the better IMO.

[dolanbaker]

There is a class of vehicle in the UK called a "tricycle" (assuming it hasn't been ceased) it would fit into that category ok but would need a motorbike license to operate.

But we have seen vehicles like this before, the Sinclair c5 for example, that remains classified as a bicycle.


or for a real small car http://youtu.be/dJfSS0ZXYdo

[Beery1]

At 150 lbs, it's at least 100 lbs too heavy for what it does. That means the ELF is too difficult to pedal, meaning that it's going to require power assist a lot of the time. The weight also means it requires too much power to run. Also, it is expected to recharge at least optionally from outlets that get their power mainly from coal-powered power plants. That means it's not truly "green".

Then we have the fact that, at $5000, it's ridiculously expensive, especially considering that really all it is is an extremely heavy electrically-assisted faired recumbent tricycle. To pretend it's a new kind of hybrid car-bike is ludicrous except in terms of a marketing ploy.

Why not just buy a bicycle - a bike keeps the owner fitter, and it's far cheaper, "greener" and far more efficient.

While I agree that the future of the car (if it has any future at all) will have to look something like the ELF, I just don't see a 150 lb behemoth like this being a useful tool to get motorists to change their thinking about how to move around. At some point, something like this may have some part in the solution, but I think it will need to wait until gasoline costs a lot more than $3.50/gallon - and even then, why not just use a regular bicycle? To me, the ELF looks a lot more like a toy for hipsters and yuppies than a real solution for today's transportation problems.

@ Plantagenet: Amsterdam is a special case. Most countries allow cyclists to use the general traffic lane whenever they like. Very few countries mandate bike lane/path use, but the Netherlands is one of them (which is a big part of why I argue that NL is far from a cycling paradise). In the UK and most of the US, vehicles like the ELF would use the general traffic lane.

Also @ Plantagenet: the idea that the general traffic lane is for faster vehicles shows a fundamental misunderstanding of transportation law. Unless a road has a mandatory minimum speed limit (in which case, slower vehicles are not allowed on that road), there is no right to a certain speed on any road. Your maximum lawful speed is determined by the vehicle immediately in front of you, or by the speed limit, whichever is slower. If the vehicle in front is a bicycle, you must yield and you are required by law to slow to the cyclist's speed and wait until it's safe to overtake.

[dorlomin]

You can buy electric bikes for less than $600. There is likely to be a niche market for this, but little more than niche.

[Loki]

You can buy electric bikes for less than $600. There is likely to be a niche market for this, but little more than niche.

Yeah, definitely niche. But kinda neat. I personally wouldn't have any use for it, doubt it would handle muddy farm roads very well.

I think beefier all electric micro-cars would make more sense for urban personal transport, supplemented with bicycles. I'd consider an electric 4x4 mini-truck

[kublikhan]

From the faq:
Top speed: 20 mph
14 mile electric range

And the legality of electric bikes on US roads is not as cut and dry as some make it out to be. The law varies state by state, and even city by city. Be sure to check your state and local laws before even considering one of these things, less you find yourself with a $5000 purchase that is illegal to drive:

The officials in charge of New York City have had enough of e-bikes and are clamping down and intensifying enforcement on a law made back in 2004 that electric bikes are illegal in the entire state of New York. It was announced on April 12th on the city hall steps by city council member Jessica Lappin that the fine for riding an electric bike in New York has been increased from $500 to $1000. Also it has been announced that many electric bikes have been confiscated by the New York City Police Department.

In China where millions of electric bikes are flooding the streets, many big cities have outlawed electric bikes as well. Southeastern Chinese city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, banned electric bikes in main downtown areas to reduce related traffic accidents.

NYC Clamps Down on Electric Bikes