This new sun-powered electric cargo moped is literally giant solar panels on wheels
Cargo scooters are a rare breed, filling a niche that exists between typical e-bikes/e-scooters with minimal storage and larger cargo-specific models designed for utility. But that dearth of cargo scooters may be changing, based on several interesting new models we’ve seen lately, including the recently unveiled Lightfoot cargo electric scooter.
Yet unlike the few other cargo scooters rolling around out there, the Lightfoot has one major advantage: its built-in solar panels keep it charged up directly from the sun.
It’s not the first solar-powered scooter we’ve seen, but it’s definitely the most eye-catching model yet.
Developed by Otherlab, the Lightfoot electric cargo scooter features a pair of 120W solar panels on either side, hiding a large 45.2 L (12-gallon) storage compartment. One panel is hinged, opening the entire side of the vehicle for easy cargo access, then locking back in place for secure storage.
Also hidden away by those panels are the equally large UL-certified 1.1 kWh battery and the 600W on-board charger (just in case you do need to plug it into the grid for a quicker charge than you’d get from the solar panels). In fact, the company claims an 80% charge is possible in just 90 minutes from a 110V wall outlet. Based on the company’s figures, it looks like solar charging is likely to fill the battery at a rate of roughly 7-8% per hour (around 3 miles or 5 km of additional range per hour of sun exposure). That means heavy utility users will likely still rely on the wall plug from time to time, but there’s nothing wrong with outdoor parking helping to extend the range.
The company rates the scooter’s range as up to 37 miles (60 km) per charge and claims an extra 18 miles (30 km) of range can be added per day from the solar panels.
That means the scooter could actually be purely solar-charged when used for modest duty cycles, i.e. less than 18 miles (30 km) per day. As the company explained, “If you only need it for a few short errands a day, park it in your driveway and it will always be ready for you. For many riders, we’re hoping this means saying goodbye to plug-in charging altogether.”
With a 20 mph (32 km/h) top speed, the scooter is said to be “bike lane legal” without requiring any additional license or registration.
The Lightfoot is also designed to be easy to work on with minimal mechanical components. The dual motor system relies on hub motors instead of centrally mounted motors, meaning there are no chains or belts to deal with. Between those two 750W rated (1 kW peak) motors, the scooter should get up to speed pretty quickly while laying down nearly 2,000 watts of power.
The company is offering a 1-year warranty on the entire scooter, with an even longer 2-year warranty for the major components consisting of the frame, motors, controllers, brakes, lighting, and front suspension. The scooter is also covered by an “ironclad buy-back guarantee” with the company promising to buy the scooter back from any riders who are “unsatisfied with their purchase for any reason.”
Set to begin deliveries in January 2025, the Lightfoot is now available for purchase with an MSRP of US $4,995.
Electrek’s Take
Look, I’m split here. My inner mechanical engineer is drooling over this thing, while my inner MBA is wondering how you sell it to a broader market than… people like me. My two professional backgrounds have often been in conflict before, but this is peak engineer’s delight meets ultra-niche aesthetic.
Sure, I would 100% ride the hell out of this thing. I’d ride it everywhere with zero qualms about the appearance. But I’m probably not the best representative of the average scooter customer since I tend towards the tech nerd side of the spectrum. And so I hope that the Lightfoot can find wider appeal than I fear it may be limited to.
Oh, and for all of those ready to hammer out the “AcTuAlLy ThAt’S NoT tHe MoSt EfFiCiEnT WaY tO dO iT…” comments, I think that’s missing the point. The whole idea here isn’t to maximize every photon, but rather to not waste the ample sunlight that otherwise simply bakes the paint on every other scooter and moped out there (and don’t get me started on the “moped” linguistic purists). Sure, you’re probably only ever getting appreciable solar charging from one panel at a time, but why not maximize your chances of catching those rays whenever you can?
So all told, I love this thing. I just wonder how many people will love it as much as I do.
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Tesla reported three more crashes involving its Robotaxis in Austin, Texas – now bringing the total to 7 incidents despite low mileage and in-car supervisors preventing more accidents.
Since the launch of the ‘Robotaxi’ service in Austin, Texas, where Tesla moved the supervisor from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, it now has to report crashes to NHTSA.
In the first month of operation in July, Tesla reported three crashes with its Robotaxi service.
The automaker reported one more Robotaxi crash last month, and this one was interesting because it coincided with Tesla announcing that the Robotaxi fleet had traveled 250,000 miles from its launch in late June to early November.
It revealed Tesla’s current Robotaxi crash rate, which is about 2x higher than Waymo’s, despite in-car supervisors that prevent an unknown number of crashes.
Now, Tesla has reported to NHTSA three more incidents that happened with the Robotaxi fleet in Austin in September:
| Report ID | Incident Date | Incident Time (24:00) | City State | Crash With | Highest Injury | Severity | Alleged SV | Pre-Crash Movement | CP Pre-Crash Movement | Narrative |
| 13781-1178 | 7 SEP-2025 | 13:08 | Austin TX | Animal | No Injured | Reported | Stopped | NM Crossing Roadway | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] | |
| 13781-1178 | 6 SEP-2025 | 03:43 | Austin TX | Non-Motorist: Cyclist | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Stopped | Moving Alongside Roadway | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1178 | 4 SEP-2025 | 20:42 | Austin TX | Passenger Car | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Proceeding Straight | Backing | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1168 | 7 SEP-2025 | 01:25 | Austin TX | Other Fixed Object | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Making Left Turn | NaN | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1150 | 7 JUL-2025 | 03:45 | Austin TX | SUV | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Stopped | Proceeding Straight | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1145 | 9 JUL-2025 | 12:20 | Austin TX | Other Fixed Object | Minor | W/O Hospit | alization | Other, see Narrative | NaN | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
| 13781-1137 | 5 JUL-2025 | 15:15 | Austin TX | SUV | Property Damage. | No Injured | Reported | Making Right Turn | Making Right Turn | [REDACTED, MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION] |
Unlike other companies reporting to NHTSA, Tesla abuses the right to redact data reported through the system. The automaker redacts the “narrative” for each reported crash, preventing the public from knowing how the crashes happened and who is responsible.
Based on the limited information in Tesla’s reports, we know that one of the new crashes involved a Robotaxi driving into a car backing up, another involved a cyclist, and the last one involved an unknown animal.
Electrek’s Take
My favorite thing about reporting on those is the messages from Tesla fans who say: You don’t know how many of those Robotaxi are responsible for?
It’s funny because I agree, but whose fault is that? Tesla could do like every other company and report the narratives.
Waymo does, and it’s clear that it isn’t responsible for many of the crashes they are involved in. I am sure that’s the case with some of those Tesla Robotaxi crashes.
However, Waymo has hundreds of millions of rider-only autonomous miles, and Tesla has a few hundred thousand, all with a supervisor on board, a finger on a killswitch, ready to prevent further crashes. Who knows how many more crashes Tesla would have had without them?
I expect a few because humans generally have a crash, whether they are at fault or not, every 700,000 miles. Tesla has 7 in probably ~300,000 miles, which should be worrying to anyone, whether the Robotaxis were responsible or not.
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Hyundai is bringing “something big” to the LA Auto Show this week, and the teaser points to a slick new off-road electric SUV. Here’s our first look.
What is this off-road Hyundai SUV?
The LA Auto Show is just days away, and Hyundai is gearing up to steal the spotlight once again. Last year, it was the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV. What will it be this year?
Hyundai gave us a sneak peek of a new “extreme off-road show vehicle,” the Crater Concept, ahead of its upcoming debut.
Although details are still pretty slim at this point, the sketch shows a high-riding, rugged SUV, clearly designed for off-roading with massive tires and aggressive wheel arches.
Hyundai didn’t say what powertrain the off-road SUV will use, but given the closed-off grille and no visible tailpipes, all signs point to it being electric in some way. It could be a battery-electric (EV) or even a fuel-cell-electric vehicle (FCEV).
The Crater Concept looks a bit like the new Nexo, Hyundai’s dedicated hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The updated Nexo introduces Hyundai’s new “Art of Steel” design language, which was first shown on the Concept THREE electric hot hatch in September.
Hyundai said the design theme “combines resilience with artistic form,” which exudes strength and sophistication.
The dour dot lamps on the Crater Concept look about the same as Hyundai’s new “HTWO” lamps, exclusive to its FCEVs.
Hyundai said the Crater Concept has been “crafted to amplify the same spirit and robustness found in Hyundai’s XRT production vehicles,” like the IONIQ 5 XRT, Santa Cruz XRT, and new Pallisade XRT Pro.
The design team at Hyundai Design North America also introduced its new design and ideation studio on Monday, codenamed “The Sandbox” internally.
Hyundai’s new creative hub is exclusively dedicated to creating new outdoor adventure vehicles and rugged Xtreme Rugged Terrain (XRT) gear.
Will the Nexo be next? It sure looks like it. Hyundai will reveal the Crater Concept during a livestream press conference at the LA Auto Show on November 20 at 9:45 am PT. Check back for updates.
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Terawatt Infrastructure has switched on its newest commercial EV charging hub in Rialto, California, giving electric truck fleets a new high-speed charging stop along one of the US’s busiest freight routes.
The hub is situated on the eastbound side of I-10 and is designed for heavy-duty fleet use, particularly for trucks traveling from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach through Southern California’s industrial centers.
Neha Palmer, Terawatt CEO and cofounder, said, “Our network enables companies to reduce emissions and run a variety of routes across a number of vehicle classes with the confidence of a dependable charging solution. EV fleets can now travel further, more cleanly, without slowing down their operations.”
The Rialto site is built with high‑speed charging, security, and amenities that support daily freight operations. Here’s what it offers:
- 18 pull‑through 350 kW DC fast‑charging stalls
- 55 bobtail parking stalls for overnight or shift‑based parking
- A driver lounge with wifi, climate control, and restrooms
- License plate recognition for quick entry
- Solar canopies and 100% renewable‑powered charging
- 24/7 security with cameras and gated access
Terawatt’s first medium- and heavy-duty electric truck charging stop in California, Rancho Dominguez, opened in April.
In September 2024, Terawatt joined some of the world’s largest shippers and carriers to launch the I-10 Consortium heavy-duty EV operations pilot, described as the first-ever US over-the-road electrified corridor. As part of that effort, Terawatt is providing charging infrastructure, including software, operations, and maintenance support, at six of its owned charging hubs along the I-10 corridor.
Read more: Maersk, PepsiCo, others to pilot a heavy-duty EV charging corridor between LA and El Paso
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