Lit is a startup electric vehicle company based in San Francisco, California. You may remember the company from such vehicles as the C-, but today Lit got another vehicle excited to introduce you to. Check out their new electric scooter, kubo!
While in design school in 2006, Elliot Ortiz came up with a concept for a cargo scooter. Years later in 2010, Elliot, Zach Levenberg, and Lit founder & RISD grad Danny Kim built the first scooter prototype out of a variety of off-the-shelf parts and a hand-carved pink foam body. Danny was intrigued with the idea of developing an electric version, and after a few years of prototyping and development, he finished the prototype:
45 mph top speed. up to 50 miles per charge, 300 lbs capacity, cargo + rider, 22" square cargo space with tie-down hooks, loops, and rails for a wide variety of ways to secure your stuff, on-board charger—charge in a few hours from any wall outlet, adjustable-height seat to accomodate a wide range of riders, from 5,0" to 6,5", small lockable stow compartment, perfect for extra bungee cords, phone, etc, integrated digital speedometer, odometer, and voltmeter (battery indicator), LED headlight and tail light, adjustable rear suspension, 3 kW high-torque rear hub motor with regen braking...
Lit think kubo is the bee´s knees, and they think you will too! It´s a fun way to get around the city, regardless of the terrain or how much you´re carrying with you. Though it looks unique, it´s just as easy as riding a regular scooter. People behind the company are excited to share this new form of urban transportation with you!
They shall need to build up the factory. Their space right now is perfect for prototyping and development, but they´ll need a larger space for actual production. They already have a space lined up, and production advisor Mark Thorogood used his 25 years experience at BMW and the Rover Group to lay out a production plan. They just need to purchase the tooling, move into the new space, and set everything up.
Then we´ll hire some employees for the actual fabrication and manufacturing. San Francisco is the epicenter of the maker movement, so that shouldn´t be a problem in the least.
Once the compnay have that set up, they can begin manufacturing scooters! They don´t anticipate running into any major engineering challenges, as they have already addressed them developing their current prototype. They are sure they´ll encounter some bumps on the road, but they feel confident that they can overcome them. All that remains is cleaning up a few rough edges to make a finished product. They have been working on the scooter for a few years now, and it is almost ready to go!
