Would you be happy riding an eco scooter that looks like this?
This bizarre-looking electric scooter can harvest enough sunlight for up to 18 miles of extra range every day
Quick Summary
Lightfoot is a solar-powered electric cargo scooter designed to make short urban journeys without needing to be plugged in as often.
Its built-in solar panels can add up to 18 miles of range a day, while the unusual bodywork also provides 45 litres of weather-resistant storage.
The Otherlab Lightfoot bike looks like a tiny delivery vehicle from a futuristic city, and its bodywork is designed to actually help power it.
Designed by California-based Otherlab, the two-seat electric cargo scooter has two 120W solar panels built into its sides. Leave it parked in decent sunlight and those panels can add up to 18 miles of range per day, according to the company, potentially reducing how often you need to plug it in.
That's a useful trick for an electric vehicle designed around short urban journeys. Lightfoot has a claimed 37-mile range from its 1.1kWh battery, while each hour of good sunlight can apparently add around three miles.
So if you're mainly using it for shopping, commuting or school runs, leaving it outside could put some of that range back into the battery while you're doing something else.
The chunky design isn't just about squeezing in solar panels. Open the two clamshell-style panels and you'll find a 45.2-litre, weather-resistant storage compartment underneath, with enough capacity for up to 20kg of cargo according to the latest specs.
That means there's room for groceries, work gear or a helmet without having to strap everything to your back. There's also a long bench seat for two, making Lightfoot more practical for everyday transport than the average scooter.
Two 750W hub motors provide the shove, with a top speed of 19.9mph, while hydraulic disc brakes, regenerative braking and motorcycle-style suspension are designed to make it more capable on urban roads. A full charge can reach 80% in around 90 minutes using its onboard charger.
The catch? At $4,995, this isn't exactly a cheap alternative to an e-bike.
But Lightfoot is an interesting take on electric transport because the solar panels aren't an afterthought bolted onto the roof. They're part of the vehicle itself and the result is a scooter that can carry two people, swallow your shopping and top itself up whenever the sun comes out.
