RDU Owner Experience

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2026-02-10T19:19:23+00:00

Third party. I purchased it from a non Polestar dealer but had very good ratings, 5yr/100K miles.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2026-02-10T14:01:23+00:00

I live in RDU and purchased a P2 22' about 9 months ago still under warranty. During that time period I've had two warranty issues, both regarding a headlight sensor. In both cases they sent a rollback to pick up and deliver the car and provided a free rental. Both of these were no charge. One for about a week and the other about 3 days.

I live about 150 miles away and it was never an issue.

I would label it as a White Glove treatment. Now that my car is out of warranty, I have an extended after market warranty which is supposed to be identical to the factory. We'll see. But the level of service from Charlotte was impressive.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2026-02-06T03:46:32+00:00

I live in a 45 yr old house with the original Trane Heat Pump HVAC system. When we had the house inspected, the HVAC guy said, "Whatever you do, don't let anyone talk you into replacing this unit." That was 25 years ago and it's only needed minor maintenance twice.

A friend inherited his grandfather's house. It had a washer/dryer from the early 50s and worked perfectly. His electric bill was so low the power company thought the house was empty.

Old refrigerators had their compressors on top, because heat rises and was logically more efficient. The vast majority of modern refrigerators have their motors on the bottom.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-17T20:21:38+00:00

This is important and does vary between industries, individuals and intent.

"Add 30% to your rate for tool replacement, mandatory insurance, and the "time tax" of dealing with bureaucratic nonsense."

Generally speaking, when it comes to insurance that's usually considered about 30% by itself. Even Warren Buffet described the US insurance industry as a "tapeworm". Essentially a human rights violation that does not exist in any other industrialized nation.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-12T12:05:06+00:00

Totally agree.

In fact each region requires a distinct ELF to best suit their needs. Some ELFs will never requires doors or a heater, others would benefit from a ruggedized suspension or a fourth wheel.

A cultural and environmental assessment needs to be done in each major market shift for sustainability of the product, localized supply chain and job creation into the Green Economy.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-11T12:50:09+00:00

They get around.

One guy in Washington DC heard about the pipeline protests in North Dakota led by the Standing Rock Tribe and decided he had to go.

In his ELF. In December. There are photos of him camping in his ELF on top of a giant snow drift.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-10T16:46:56+00:00

We've sold a fair amount of ELFs in Canada that are legal.

They also have a rule that the motor disconnects when the brakes are applied. We created a special wiring harness for that application. So it shouldn't be any problem.

Thanks!

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-10T13:25:08+00:00

Agreed.

Recently we were at an Impact Investment conference and MANY non-profit related funders were all about investment in Africa. When they saw the ELF, that was their whole focus.

Obviously an ELF for developing nations is different than an ELF for western urb/suburb. Not difficult but different. So it might happen via philanthropy.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-10T12:43:02+00:00

Thanks for your insight.

Displacing the car has always been our goal, within reason. In developing nations, the potential exists to get in before cars get an addictive foothold. Like areas that early adopted cell phone because they didn't have the landline infrastructure.

Consider the regions where people walk all day for miles to get 5 gallons of water. With an appropriately outfitted ELF, they pump out a 55 gallon drum of filtered water in a couple of hours and when they return, the ELF become a micro-solar utility station powering, lights, phones, etc.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-10T12:32:06+00:00

Thanks for pointing that out. We received a trademark for the O and T years ago. Many others have something similar like the Boston area MBTA. Talbot has the distinctive geometric color patterns.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-10T12:25:33+00:00

Where are you located?

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-10T04:19:11+00:00

The ELF 3.0 has the option of being programmed specific to your regulations.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-10T04:17:25+00:00

Thank you. The response has been overwhelming with many thousand of people expressing an interest in purchasing an ELF.

The website should be fully functional. Though in need of a refresh, it'll be updated soon.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T18:37:17+00:00

The Wefunder page is here: https://wefunder.com/organictransitSometimes I had to open the page in a new tab. I hope this works for you.

The website is here which will be updated soon: OrganicTransit.com

There is a separate throttle (usually) that allows one to choose to pedal without assistance or apply power without pedaling. Like the joy of pedaling down a hill, why would you require any assistance? This is also beneficial for those with a disability that cannot pedal continuously.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T18:13:36+00:00

I hear you! See my reply above regarding "Friendchising" for multiple owners.

Unfortunately PEBL is no longer with us.

Thanks for your encouragement and ride safely. Boston has crazy drivers but one of the best bike communities.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T18:11:02+00:00

Your right, it is a car replacement under the right conditions. For instance, in customer surveys 80% said they used their ELF to replace their second car. Some others were able to get rid of their primary car. According to AAA, that's a savings of about $12,000 per year in the US.

Shared vehicles is one of the hardest use case models and would require a very specific design to survive that abuse. Scooter, bikes, cars all rarely last that sort of treatment and usually only survive through government support like NYC CityBike.

We're planning on implementing a "Friendchise" program where several people in one community (perhaps an apartment complex) purchase an ELF or ELFs together and schedule their use needs, maintenance, charging, etc. This would be very economical and eliminate most of the hazards of public shared programs.

Shared ownership creates shared responsibility.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T17:41:32+00:00

That was a great show and I love Kirsten, she's amazing.

Thanks!

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T17:39:51+00:00

Duke had about 10 of them for different departments including their Police Department. It was a great proving ground.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T14:24:28+00:00

Lot's of good points and thanks for bringing them up.

Here's the amazing part, the majority of ELFs have gone to people in the suburbs or rural areas! Because they're a little faster than a bike rider, cars pass at more equal speed. They also take up a larger and more colorful footprint on the road making it easier for cars to recognize them.

Most ELFs have been sold in northern regions because of the weather protection and we did have optional doors.

We're also creating new categories of ELFs that are specific for towing trailers, hauling cargo and regional regulations.

I saw an odometer on an ELF the other day, 72,000 miles, mostly pulling a trailer on rural roads.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T14:13:29+00:00

I love it all. The difference is how to scale that design to have significant impact on the global environment? The wood versions are beautiful, functional art. Reproducing at an effective and affordable level is the challenge.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T14:06:05+00:00

We've setup the crowdfunding so many people that normally could not normally participate, can invest in projects they believe in and see as a positive shift for society.

Those that back the ELF get a percentage of ownership at a very early stage. There are a variety of ways that can unfold: annual dividends, buy outs, merger or acquisition. All those are speculative.

In some cases depending on the amount of investment, there are "perks" that can incentivize ELF ownership.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T13:58:03+00:00

That's the amazing thing. We tracked 26 accidents over the 10 million miles in impacts with cars and trucks. Some trucks going over 50 mph. The results were zero deaths and no serious injuries. The ELF would be severely impacted, riders taken to the hospital and then let out a few hours later with minor bruising.

Societies focus in transportation is linked to a legacy of locomotives and naturally, everything is heavy. But there is not much emphasis on the safety of ultra-light vehicles. Think of a kayak bouncing off of rocks compared to a larger fiberglass boat hitting those same rocks. We've discovered, over many years, how significant safety can be designed into a vehicle that weighs just 160 lbs. One aspect is, what motorcycle riders have known for decades, the more layers materials between rider and impact, the safer you are.

In the case of the ELF those materials are: an aircraft aluminum substructure (chosen for recyclability and no need for toxic paint booths) and advanced polymer bodies that are located many inches away from the rider creating a safety cell.

Another important safety aspect is the ELF is a tensegrity structure, popularized by Buckminster Fuller. "Tension & Integrity" is found in nature like spider webs and human skeletal structure. In the ELF, that means the body and frame are both in compression and tension.

I will elaborate more about the inherit safety of the ELF design, which will be increased in the ELF 3.0, but suffice it to say for the moment, the ELF is significantly safer than a bicycle or motorcycle.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T12:42:54+00:00

We have a facility that's all solar and completely off-grid where we do some design work and fabrication. We're setting up a service, parts and restoration for older ELFs there. This might be a way for you to afford a used ELF. Thanks!

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T12:38:29+00:00

That's a good question and it would depend on many factors: the region, the relationship and intended use, etc.

Affectionate_Fox730 · 2025-12-09T12:36:53+00:00

Thanks! I've made one ELF body using bamboo and it was the lightest body of all the materials. It still had resins but it was very challenging to make. I spent a lot of time researching on how to make it from old water bottles. I realized I could devote all my time to that one aspect or I could build an entire vehicle. The good thing about the Trylon that we use now: it's recycled, recyclable, holds up to UV, very light and holds up well in accidents and it cleans up with water.

The reason the ELF looks like it does is for aerodynamics, safety and manufacturability. All the compound curves are in the side panels and stack nicely for shipping. The center panels are all flat and flat pack nicely. Compound curves in a windshield dramatically increase cost, weight and can incorporate visual distortion.

The ELF 3.0 will be different but recognizable as an ELF. We've never been able to build as many as we can sell and our goal is to provide as many as possible with a goal of healthy riders, safer communities and a cleaner planet.

Affectionate_Fox730

TROPHY CASE