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, will likely be in the stores within the US from January. Probably the most eye-catching function are the 2 facet panels coated in photo voltaic cells that may hopefully maintain you from needing a charger. Within the hole between the 2, nevertheless, is a reasonably capacious cargo compartment with virtually 1.6 cubic ft of area. That ought to be greater than sufficient to haul your gear to and from work, or to choose up some groceries once you’re out and about. The padded seat and footplates, too, are designed to hold the rider and a further passenger when required, too.

Specs-wise, there’s a pair of 750W brushless DC motors with a high pace 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 spread of 37 miles on a single cost. The 2 120W panels on both facet 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 for those who depart it for a complete day.

Apart from the photo voltaic {hardware}, Otherlab claims that you just — or a certified technician — will have the ability to maintain this working with none outdoors help. It stated a lot of the elements 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 side of this till we’re capable of take a look at it for ourselves, however we’re trying ahead to doing so simply to see what this factor feels prefer to experience.

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