I'd Bike to Work if Only...: Rob Cotter at TEDxAtlanta 

I'm 49 years old, live in Brazil, i just completed 1 year learned how to ride a bike, 3 months ago i sold my car, now i go to work every day by bike, i'm more happy than before, never imagined one day i´ll come to be so happy for my choice of abandon the car.

I carry groceries everyday on my backpack. You can avoid hills and take another route. Planning your ride ahead is the key.

Perfect, the only problem is, US roads are not bicycle friend.

I just watched a long advertisement

This should be a maker kit. I mean, it looks like a maker kit that happens to have a pre-built option. These are being assembled by hand, and it looks like, and I'm cool with that, but someone needs to copy this and sell a kit for folks with more time (AND LOVE FOR THE IDEA) than money!

Fresno, CA ... it would be so awesome here!!!

Wow I just read some comments, yes there are some issues, however this could have great promise for developing countries where people don't have access to water and electricity (that we take for granted). Not having access to these two things is terribly limiting. Plus you can get a whole lot more stuff on one of these things which makes it more appealing and it keeps you relatively dry. I think it could definitely be cheaper, however it's not being produced in large factories instead it's being made on a small scale in towns and cities over the US and has been providing local people with jobs, I think this man deserves a lot more respect. The tricycle makes you more visible to people driving cars which in turn helps keep you safer. The underlying issue in western society is that cars are seen as a status symbol, bike riders are not respected and this angers me. I have a friend from Amsterdam who doesn't own a car, he's not overweight, he's in good shape and he's not wasting money on one of the fastest depreciating objects your can buy.. the car.

So, it's a very expensive e-tricycle. Nothing wrong with it, but I don't really see why a normal bike isn't sufficient for most people.

I love it!!! How can you cut the cost, or in the way the smartphone industry did it, subsidize it?

Wow! This is one of the most fantastic ideas I have seen in quite a while. I ride a recumbent tadpole tricycle right now, so I totally get it! Just think, with the sun helping along the way, one could easily take a cross-state bicycle journey. I would be very interested in learning more about the solar panel aspect of the project. I have a BionX electric pedal kit which could be installed onto my tricycle; I just need to figure a way to capture sun power. Great work.

rational and healthy way of thinking, I wish more ppl were like U mate

I like the sales pitch and I believe there is a tiny blue ocean of consumers that need extra comfort in cycling.

Since when did TEDx become a sales pitch?

This is awesome.I am obsessed with viewing every video about Organic Transit,their ELF and other neat variation designs.I got rid of my car two years ago because I didn't want to feel personally guilty about making the Earth uninhabitable due to excessive Carbon Dioxide emissions and something like this is a great sustainable substitute. Kinetic Energy (or Energy) equals one half times mass times velocity squared so fast speeds are extremely wasteful and dangerous and so is excessive mass too.

Technically, US Federal government law allows it to be sold as a bicycle, but not all state laws consider it a bicycle. In Texas, it might be considered a motor-assisted scooter, but it would be limited to streets with a speed limit of 35mph or less. If it isn't that, then the other options are moped or motorcycle, both of which require a license and neither of which are allowed on bicycle paths.

Rob Cotter/ Organic Transit filled for bankruptcy in June 2019. This was inevitable especially if you knew or worked with him. I am actually surprised it lasted as long as it did.

He says multiple times that "it is a bicycle" and "you can use it anywhere you can use a bicycle". At least in my county, this is not true. The fact that it has electric assist makes it illegal to use on the bike paths here. It must be only human powered to be used on the bike paths, and on many of the dirt trails here. That takes nothing away from the fact that one could ride it on the street to commute and carry cargo.

the legal limit for most states is a 750watt motor ,otherwise you have to do the whole license,registration and insurance as a moped,even though it's a motorized assisted bike,..for 8grand...uh no.

We are indeed "passive " to the consequences of our actions of driving cars. When you calculate the manufacturing pollution, driving pollution , oil production pollution, road building pollution , the amount of times we bailed out car industry and airline industry with our tax dollars 💵. The cost is mind boggling, both in dollars and environmentally. Keep driving .....

This is great. Its good to see something innovative that's not just a concept but something that you can actually purchase as a consumer. How do you park outside without anyone stealing it? For practicality I think it's more worth it just to buy a 150cc scooter for the same price. It can go 55+ mph and get about 70 mpg. I wouldn't feel very safe riding the Elf among traffic as I would on a scooter. For short trips around town a bicycle does just fine for me.

Awesome job Jessica. Very eloquent and quite a compelling argument for solar. How can I help?

I'm hoping there's not a problem but here in Portugal it is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving, the question is then can the iphone be used for communication while it's being used as part of the vehicle control?I love your ELF and look forward to the day that they are made in Europe.

Good idea. Might be cold in some states for winter

Just amazing. If things like this are possible, why are we still polluting our environment with CO2 emissions from the combustion engine?! There needs to be a better way, and this seems to be just the sort of building block we need.

it's unfortunately illegal in Hong Kong

bummer that they are illegal in Hong Kong. I want one

Well, I've worked and lived in many cities. I don't think "big oil" is the biggest problem to get biking/non-automotive movement going. Unless you live in a large city like New York, many cities don't have the infrastructure for bikes or connecting public transit to bikes. Even DC has horrible alternatives to automotive transportation.

Idk about anyone else but I was hoping for tips in commuting to work by bike in the rain, cold, hills, etc.

So it does protect you from the rain better than "normal" bike does but I don't see windshield wiper installed so all in all it's not much useful in the rain. (But in general I like the idea ELF and believe its the best solution to overcrowded, overpolluted cities ).

A body, solar cells, light-weight battery, and nuVinci CVT hub added to the price of a custom recumbent trike, make it hard to believe $4k is what they are willing sell it for.

They should just make on the wider lane streets a bike/bus lane. I don't mind sharing the lane with buses. Have the bike lanes on the right hand side of these bus lanes.

Ford GT for the win!

I worry about my bike getting stolen/vandalized if bike to places like stores/gyms.

No, you cannot use it anywhere bicycle goes. There are width limitations on bicycle paths. Tricycles are not allowed on bicycle paths in some cities.

The Elf and now the E-fox both North Carolina start-ups work well for fair-weather environmentalists. I know this because I would buy one instead of a moped which would be cheaper and faster but I would not replace my car with one, which leads me to my point. One person commuting to work or the store on a dry day might get one if they are motivated by its eco factor but that person, me included, would not be willing to forgo all the other conveniences of the automobile which this type of vehicle simply can’t provide. Face it a car has evolved into the perfect creature comfort and replacing it will take a lot more ingenuity. In the meantime I’m saving my pennies because I do want an elf.

40% of US car journeys are 2 miles or less? 40%???? Wow.

i feel im watching Sleeper.

Needs a better design and cheaper. It's $5,500.

Why not just use a bicycle? Lighter, cheaper, less to go wrong. Cargo bikes for hauling, city bikes for light shopping and commuting. The dutch manage just fine with a 100+ year old design. Before some troll mentions hills, I live in a hilly city and manage just fine, even though I am very heavy, and not in any kind of shape. Simply no reason to reinvent the wheel.

THEY WILL never never let you get away with it. not now. not ever. they and i thing you no who im talking about.will make fun of the people using them. making the person feel less a person.i would love for something like this to work. but if ever you need a to fix them im your man.

because a bicycle is equal to saving money for the future and it saves your life it gives you freedom . i have been cycling for nearly 12 years and i agree with all the cyclists

What about bike theft?

I'd just get a bike there are a lot .more places you can go & park than you can an ELF.

Yabba dabba do!

And soon, self-driving vehicles ...

For that Amount of money it needs to be able to carry a passenger, cargo, and completely protect the riders from rain. So close, but still a FAIL!

A vehicle for the way the world ought to be.........

i am now replacing my car to an expencive road bike

The Great Blue Ocean also doesn't want to pay $5000 for their supplementary vehicle, I'm sorry. That's more than a down payment on a Leaf or Smart ED.

Anyone else here because gas is expensive and you are looking for alternatives?

Solar power to work, pedal power home...hmmmnn. Okay if you work night shift I guess. But who cares about getting to work sweaty when you're on nightshift haha!

Are you looking for a part time helper

A Dutchman's opinion: nope It fits comfortably on bike trails It looks like 2 would be a squeeze on that trail, let alone passing eachother in a timely fashion. It legally can go everywhere a bike can go. I hate "technically legally", it got us the mini car that technically was allowed to clog our cycling infrastructure untill legislature noticed. 350 pounds (disclaimer: i don't do pounds, and with all those Americans trying to lose pounds, i'm surprised they still actively use them) Jokes aside, a bakfiets does this just as well, or a basket on the steering wheel will do 99% of the job... or bicycle bags... Solar, batteries This was pre ebikes i guess People don't want to fall over These people have never ridden a bike They don't want to get caught in bad weather It's really not that bad, it's just water really. They don't want to kill themselves going over a big hill What's a hill? (Like i said, the Dutch oppinion) But seriously, i don't see how a heavier vehicle would change that, and there is no reason you couldn't add an electric motor to a regular bicycle. Very shippable So was my bike, poor guy dragged it up several flights of stairs, but he did it, just had to turn the handlebars, tighten the bolt and attach the front wheel. Environmentally friendly materials Same can be applied to bikes. How to park Google dutch train station parking, the answer is size. Can be used for packages, food delivery, other services. The Dutch: way ahead of you... Can help poor countries Many people already use bikes to help carry water. And if they retrofit a cargo bike/trike/quad they could carry a week's worth of water for the village in one trip. All in all, i think it is great that you are trying to get Americans out of their cars and peddling instead. I just don't think this is the way to do it, a regular bike can do 90% of this. The problem in the US and many other countries is the lack of proper infrastructure, and that is where the answer to the car problem lies. Even not wanting to be caught in bad weather is accounted for in Dutch infrastructure, with stop lights that will prioritize cyclists in bad weather, and bridges and underpasses where you could take shelter if you don't want to get wet.

I'm sorry, but when did TED start promoting ads??? This guy's ideas don't really flow, which is quite unlike any TED I've ever seen... Lack of preparation shows... Great idea... Too expensive... Ugly model... Better luck next time.

This guy has obviously not understood the bicycle.

If you've ever seen mass bicycle parking facilities you can see a problem with this, you'd still need parking lots. Besides, this seems like a nuisance for cars on the roads for it going too slow and hard to see, and a nuisance for bikes on bike trails for being too wide

I didn't like the developing county analogy. People who need to fetch water cannot afford a 60 USD bicycle which would really change their lives. if solving poverty in the developing world is what is being attempted.. then infrastructure to water conservation and supply needs to be worked and nothingwrong with bicycles in the first place

Overkill for people with more money than good sense and physical ability.

the message is great, but the messenger needs speaking lessons.

Ummm please don't ride that on the trail.

Sorry, but it looks the size of a Suzuki Swift. Fail.

he stole that symbol from the MBTA...noob

That “bike” is 10K No thanks Guess only the super wealthy can go Green.

Perfect for people who like to look like a duche nozzle on the way to work!

This is a commercial for this guy's company. Poorly played, TED and Organic Transit.

really there was a design process for that?!!! omg what a fail. electric bicycles make far more sense

Keep those monstrosities off bike trails. Gonna take out us poor cyclists.

too big.