I’m kinda in awe of this goofy photo voltaic scooter

That is Lightfoot, a photo voltaic scooter conceived by San Francisco-based R&D outfit Otherlab that, it claims, might be available for purchase within the US from January. Essentially the most eye-catching characteristic are the 2 aspect panels coated in photo voltaic cells that may hopefully maintain you from needing a charger. Within the hole between the 2, nonetheless, is a reasonably capacious cargo compartment with virtually 1.6 cubic toes of house. That needs to be greater than sufficient to haul your gear to and from work, or to select up some groceries once you’re out and about. The padded seat and footplates, too, are designed to hold the rider and an extra passenger when required, too.

Specs-wise, there’s a pair of 750W brushless DC motors with a prime velocity of 20 miles per hour, producing 90Nm of peak torque, which ought to hopefully be sufficient to scale the hills round SF (and wherever you might be). They’re wired as much as a 1.1kWh battery that the corporate guarantees will ship a variety of 37 miles on a single cost. The 2 120W panels on both aspect will trickle cost the battery when on the highway or parked up outdoor. Otherlab claims this idle photo voltaic charging will add three miles of cost per hour, or 18 miles in the event you depart it for an entire day.

Except for the photo voltaic {hardware}, Otherlab claims that you just — or a professional technician — will be capable of maintain this working with none outdoors help. It mentioned many of the parts are off-the-shelf motorbike components and that they are often repaired or changed simply as simply. There’s additionally a one-year whole-bike and two-year mechanical assure, in addition to a no-question purchase again coverage. We’ll reserve judgment on each aspect of this till we’re in a position to take a look at it for ourselves, however we’re trying ahead to doing so simply to see what this factor feels wish to experience.

Pre-orders for the Lightfoot are opening today for $4,995, with Otherlab pledging to make the primary deliveries in January 2025.