Who Needs a Motorcycle for a Three-Mile Trip? Meet the Smile Machine
Most journeys don’t need a big bike, a big car or a big plan. So why do we keep making everyday transport so complicated?
The Lightfoot Smile Machine is a solar-assisted electric scooter built for short trips, shopping runs and nipping across town.
Okay, it looks like a folded solar panel with wheels, but could this oddball have a point?
A Different Kind of Two-Wheeler
Developed by California-based design company Otherlab, the Lightfoot is built around a simple idea: make the short journeys that fill our days easier to manage.
It has two seats, a lockable 45-litre storage compartment and a top speed just under 20 mph (32 km/h). Two 120W solar panels are built into its sides, harvesting sunlight while it’s parked. Lightfoot reckons they can add up to 18 miles of range on a good day.
The first 100 Launch Edition scooters are priced at $4,495, including delivery, and the company says deliveries are underway. That’s a fair chunk of cash for something that looks like a science project escaped the workshop. Those solar panels and built-in storage will have to earn their keep.
There’s a practical question behind the unusual design. A short trip to the shops doesn’t necessarily need a car, and a bicycle isn’t always the answer either. The Lightfoot offers somewhere to stash the shopping, room for a passenger and a way to get around without pedalling.
Of course, whether it makes sense depends on where you live and how much sun you get (Alaska, we're looking at you). But if the sun refuses to show up, there's always the plug.
Surprisingly Serious Specs
For something that looks this weird, the Smile Machine has some pretty interesting specs under the fairing.
Two hub motors produce 1.5 kW (2 hp) of nominal power (750 W each) and 2 kW peak, with a claimed 160 Nm of combined torque. Top speed is just under 20 mph, while the 1.56 kWh battery delivers a claimed 37 miles (59.5 km) per charge.
The combined solar panels deliver 240 W of power and Otherlab says they can add up to 18 miles of range in a day of good sunlight. There's also regenerative braking, hydraulic disc brakes and adjustable rear suspension.
At 141 lb (64 kg), it's lighter than plenty of electric motorcycles. Not that it's trying to keep up with them.
The BCB Take
We have to admire anyone willing to build something this gloriously odd. The Lightfoot doesn’t blend into the background, unless you happen to park it beside a solar array.
But novelty only gets you so far. At $4,495, it’s not an impulse buy. Still, the Lightfoot asks a fair question: do we need every electric two-wheeler to be a motorcycle, or is there room for something built around the little journeys we make every day?
We reckon there might be.
Ride safe, folks.
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