Back in 2002 a little movie was released
about a floundering college student who spent the bulk of his time attending
parties and accruing popularity rather than fastidiously studying away in some
‘nerd’ like manner. This beacon of cool, a true pillar of the college
community, had a golf cart as his primary mode of transportation. Now, just
seven years later, that short-distance, eco-friendly mode is being reinvented
as: the Peapod!
Sporting a grinning grill that looks
tailored for Herbie, the Peapod is part of a burgeoning field of Neighbourhood
Electric Vehicles. Much like its 2nd cousin, the Segway, the Peapod
is intended for short travels, such as cross campus jaunts, or a quick trip to
the store. These short travels, once relegated to the bicycle, removes the
unnecessary physical propulsion we all loath so much. Instead, this diminutive
electrical wunderkind means you only have to get up five minutes before Spanish
class as it will bolt you across campus at a top speed of 25 mph.
The manufacturers of the Peapod, Peapod
Mobility, are themselves an off-shoot of a Chrysler subsidiary GEM. And they’ve
been making electric vehicles for 10 years, relying heavily on the retirement
and campus communities.
But don’t let the geriatric-connection fool
you because the Peapod has been designed with pizzazz from the ground up. As
the director of the company relates, the NEV was inspired
by “Japanese bullet trains, storm troopers from the film Star Wars, space
helmets and turtles.” Somewhere there’s a list of cool things and said
inspirations top it off.
The whole package starts at $12,500, which
is fairly steep. Though it does have some nice on-board features such as
reporting the carbon and gas-cost savings after each trip (no word if it will
report the amount of calories burned if you’d simply taken a bike).
Preorders start Today! So if you want to be
jetty about at 40 kmh when they ship in October, you’d best sign-up today. Or
you could purchase, like, fifty new mountain bikes. Either way, the environment
(and the economy) wins!
Don’t forget: It’s Earth Day! Learn More
