Kickstarted

FROM THE PRACTICAL TO THE QUIRKY TO THE DOWNRIGHT STRANGE, CROWDFUNDING WEBSITES HAVE ALLOWED THE CREATION OF AN AMAZING RANGE OF PRODUCTS. HERE’S A SELECTION OF LATEST PROJECTS THAT PIQUED OUR INTEREST.

Eli ZERO THE ULTIMATE NEIGHBOURHOOD ELECTRIC VEHICLE?

www.eli.world | Goal: US$25,000 | Raised: US$39,156 from 141 backers | RRP: From US$7,889 Claiming to be the transportation solution of the future, there’s no doubt that the Eli ZERO has its sights aimed rather high, especially in a world that includes Tesla’s range of vehicles. True, this EV is not the most attractive looking vehicle that ever graced the roads, but it does have one gleaming point in its favour — it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s a small two-seater that’s perfect for city living, and probably short people. Don’t expect to be able to fit much luggage in it or recline in your chair either. This is a vehicle for short trips, that boasts zero emissions and minimal maintenance, and due to its size (it’s only 2.25m long), parking it is simple. It does have a few caveats, though. It takes six hours to charge from a household port or 4.5 from a charging station, its max speed is 40km/h (although, getting up to this speed in the city is doubtful anyway) and its max distance on a full charge is only about 136km (although, again, that’s probably further than you’d want to go in this thing). Plus, it’s not very attractive, but that’s not what the Eli is going for. At the moment, it’s only available to residents of the US, but if it’s successful, we may see these little guys zipping around Australian cities one day.