We’ve seen the Organic Transit Elf go from a twinkle in founder Rob Cotter’s eye to the real deal in a matter of a few short months.
The solar-powered pedal hybrid vehicle first showed its face in prototype phase back at our Durham meetup, and shortly thereafter found its way to Kickstarter.
After asking for $100,000 in funding, Organic Transit actually received $225,000 and about 51 pre-orders for the $4,000 hybrid vehicle.
And that doesn’t include the original 400 pre-orders Organic Transit racked up before hitting Kickstarter.
But the revolution has begun, my friends. The Elf has gone from hand-made manufacturing to vacuum forming the body, which produces a new frame every 11 minutes. A few other tweaks have been made like the addition of standard 60 watt panels, a lithium battery, and an app that tells you how much you’re working out your legs or decreasing your carbon footprint. Plus, the app makes sure you don’t get lost on an epic biking adventure.
This only means that shipping is in the works. Kickstarter pledgers should get their Elf starting in March through May, and the original 400 pre-orders plus new ones will fall in line after that.
The company is aiming its vehicle, which retails for about $4,000, at small businesses who might need something a bit more efficient and protective than a bike to make their deliveries.
It’s only a matter of time for the Elf to garner a following, which is just the right time for a Mold Test For Organic Transit to start marketing its TruckIt vehicle, similar to the Elf but with more payload capacity.