This Solar-Powered Two-Seater Scooter Might Never Need a Wall Outlet

San Francisco R&D firm Otherlab is now selling a small electric scooter that challenges the way most micromobility companies think about design. While the industry keeps pushing toward faster motors and heavier builds, the Lightfoot goes the opposite direction, asking how little vehicle a person actually needs for everyday short trips.

The Lightfoot is a seated, two-passenger scooter capped at just under 20 mph (32 km/h). What sets it apart is the pair of 120W solar panels built directly into its body sides. Together they form a 240W array that Otherlab says can add three to four miles of range per hour in strong sunlight, or up to 18 miles (29 km) over a full day. With a 52V, 1,560Wh battery rated for roughly 37 miles (60 km) of range, a commuter covering about five miles each way could theoretically cover most or all of their daily energy needs from the sun alone. The scooter also ships with a 230W onboard charger, so a standard wall outlet can refill it in about four hours when the weather refuses to cooperate.

Propulsion comes from two 750W nominal geared hub motors, one in each wheel and rated at 1,000W peak, with a claimed combined torque of 160 Nm. Otherlab is explicit that the point isn’t speed: all that muscle exists to carry riders and cargo up hills while staying under the 20 mph ceiling. Full suspension, a 70mm-travel inverted front fork, a 45mm-travel rear coil-over shock, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rotors, and chunky 14 x 3.2-inch tires round out the hardware. The scooter weighs 141 lb (64 kg) and rides on a 48-inch wheelbase.

That bulk buys real utility. A lockable, weatherproof 45-liter (1.5 cubic-foot) compartment sits inside the body, reportedly enough for three grocery bags, and the long bench seat accommodates a passenger. Lighting includes a 2,000-lumen headlight, an accelerometer-activated taillight, and a 120 dB horn, plus a Bluetooth display, a lockable center stand, and regenerative braking. The first 100 Launch Edition units are priced at $4,495 including delivery, in sky blue and solar orange, with a refundable$100 reservation required.

One caveat matters for buyers: Otherlab markets the Lightfoot for bike lanes as well as city streets and says no license or registration is needed, but micromobility rules differ widely by state and municipality. Riders should verify local laws rather than assume a sub-20 mph top speed makes it legal wherever bicycles go. At $4,495, it costs far more than many seated scooters with similar performance. The pitch isn’t value on speed — it’s a distinctive, cargo-friendly, two-up machine whose daily miles could largely come from the sky.