Cruise to Work in an ELF
Receive a 10 percent discount on the bike-electric hybrid vehicle
Clinical nurse Casey Harrison’s ride to Duke Hospital tends to turn heads.
In a bright-white ELF, which is one-third bicycle, one-third electric vehicle and one-third solar-powered machine, Harrison pushes the throttle and pedals the one mile to work in the morning.
Read More“We don’t necessarily need cars to solve all problems,” said Harrison, who works in Duke Hospital. “The ELF has helped me get to work earlier and have more downtime.”
Harrison was one of three winners who received a grand-prize ELF during the 2015 Unpark Yourself Challenge by Sustainable Duke. She and nearly 2,000 employees and graduate students competed for points by taking sustainability quizzes, accepting alternative commuting challenges and sharing their efforts on social media.
Organic Transit, the Durham company that created the ELF, is part of the Duke PERQS employee discount program and is offering staff and faculty 10 percent off an ELF 2FR LIMO, a two-seater hybrid vehicle that can carry about 500 pounds and reach about 25 miles per hour. The two-seater vehicle costs about $6,195.
About 15 ELFs have been purchased by Duke employees or Duke departments, said Organic Transit Founder and CEO Rob Cotter. Last year, the Duke University Police Department became the first police department in the country to add an ELF to its fleet of vehicles.
The ELF produces no carbon emissions and runs on battery packs, which can be plugged in and charged using a wall outlet, and a solar panel. The standard ELF can reach over 30 miles per hour and carry about 350 pounds, according to Organic Transit. Through a combination of pedaling and using the throttle for electric power, the ELF gets the equivalent of 1,800 miles per gallon.
“Duke has taken a pretty serious stance on their carbon emissions, on their traffic and employee health,” Cotter said. “We just thought this was a great way to partner with them.”
Harrison, the clinical nurse, said besides reducing her work commute, the ELF helps her efficiently complete errands and get to workouts at Wilson Recreation Center on campus.
“You’re pedaling. You’re working,” Harrison said. “It’s the same with a bike or walking. Things that are good for the environment are also good for your physical and mental health.”