Durham, North Carolina Feb 9, 2020 (Issuewire.com) - Maureen Costello and Rob Cotter, cofounders of Organic Transit, an award-winning micromobility tech company, and creator of the ELF, an ultra-efficient solar + pedal + electric hybrid vehicle, are honored to announce recognition as the Pioneers in the Electric Bike Industry by the Light Electric Vehicle Association (LEVA). Other honorees include Ferdinand Porsche, Lee Iaccoca and John Goodenough, inventor of the lithium-ion battery. Maureen Costello was one of only four women to be awarded in this male-dominated field. http://bit.ly/EVPioneers
In creating the “Recognizing the Pioneers and Champions of the Electric Bike Industry” list LEVA recognized these people as pioneers in the world electric bike industry stating, “Their contributions, as well as the work of many others that we hope to add to this list in the future, made today’s Ebike industry possible.”
Costello, along with Cotter, first became involved with the design of high-efficiency vehicles as well as operations and marketing of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) in the 1980s. When the husband and wife team founded Organic Transit in 2012 they created the ELF as a micromobility solution that would be as inclusive as possible taking into consideration people of all ages, genders, abilities, and disabilities.
“We like to say that micromobility is not just for young men in skinny jeans riding scooters,” said Costello. “Life comes with a lot of challenges like bad weather, grocery shopping, carting kids to school, book bags, lunch boxes, briefcases, baggage etc. that a scooter or bike may not comfortably handle.”
“Life also comes with circumstances like pregnancy and osteoporosis. And some people get dealt a hand that comes with epilepsy, autism or other conditions that may rob them of their ability to travel independently by car. That's why we designed the ELF to carry 550 pounds of cargo so we can get more people, in all kinds of circumstances, out of their cars.”
Passenger safety was also a number one priority in their creation of the ELF.
“We feel blessed that in 10 million real-world miles there were no serious injuries or deaths,” said Costello. “That was due to the ELF’s design and it means a lot to us because our customers are not just a number or a statistic. They are someone's mom, dad, son, daughter or friend, these are precious lives traveling on the roads out there.”
Costello and Cotter’s and achievements in founding Organic Transit include:
Highlights:
- 850 vehicles sold across 700+ customers
- 10 million miles traveled in 12 countries
- Stellar safety record with no reported serious injuries or deaths
- All-weather protection (mostly enclosed structure)
- 400+ positive articles and media segments
Company recognition:
- Top nine inventions from North Carolina, along with the Wright Brothers’ first flight (NC Department of Commerce)
- Top “100 Brilliant Company” (Entrepreneur Magazine)
- People & Planet Award (Green America)
- Top 3 Sustainable Vehicle Startup in Travel & Mobility Tech (Lufthansa Innovation Hub)
Due to constraints on working capital last year, the co-founders are now selling the Company's assets via a bankruptcy sale to a buyer that seeks to monetize the Organic Transit technology, tooling, brand, intellectual property and proprietary trade secrets, and customer prospect pipeline.
“We do not think this is the end of the line for Organic Transit (OT) and our ELF vehicle,” said Costello. “Instead, we are looking for a new home, where our past successes can be taken to a much larger scale in a large and growing mobility market. If a potential buyer deems it helpful, a "reboot" with us founders is also a possibility.”
For more information please click on https://www.organictransitassetsale.com
Media Contact
Organic Transit maureen@organictransit.com 919-539-8288 105 W. Corporation Street https://organictransit.com
