New Wheels on Campus Tum Heads
By Cindy Weiss
The green flash that you see out of the comer of your eye on the Lefton Esplanade is not an alien pod or an lnaect on steroids.
This "sunpowered trike," as its inventor calls it, is an B.F - an "electric, light, fun" vehicle driven to work by Paulette W..hko, director of research compliance In the Division of Research and Sponsored Programs, and a student in the executive master of public health program at ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University.
It la the only one In Ohio so far, and one of Iha flrst 400-or-ao made.
The green machine fly1ng past you down Iha hlll ls powarad by pedals pushing Its 2&-lnch blcycla tires. Uphill, the B..F hums as Ila aolar-asslated battery kicks In.
For her four-mile commute from stow, Wuhko drtvas her ELF past horse farms on bucolic back roads or down Main Street In Kent The ELF meata the federal standards for a bicycle, even wtth Its 600-watt ele<rtric motor, so it can go anywhere a bicyde can go.
If at first it reminds you of an overgrown Cosy Coupe.
It haa disk brakes, operated by bicycle-style hand calpers, and smooth, synchronized internal gears that can be shifted when Iha ELF is stopped.
Besides contributing no carbon waste to the air - the reason WashkO bought it - the ELF radiates fun.
"You can't be sad when you're driving It,• she aaya. "You get to experience the outdoora with the convenience of not being exposed to the elements, and you get some exercise, all while commuting to work."
It has its disadvantages.
"Unfortunately, you get a much closer view of road klll," waahko says.
And when she straddled a pothole with the front two wheels, the centered back wheel hit it square on.
Locked to a bike rack outside of Clrtwright Hall, the B.F attracts a lot of attenuon. "IIVhat iS it?" is the usual comment as cell phone cameras are whipped ouL
When she drove the ELF to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Giant Eagle, a crowd surrounded it. They watched as she loaded into its cargo hold six bath towels, six hand towals, six wash cloths, a 18-pound bag of dog food, milk, grape juice, a caron of eggs, and more.
If everyone had an ELF for everyday errands, think how much we would save, Washko says. It could change the world if people could consider it.