SUMO Addresses Urban Transportation, Convenience with Tiny Electric Vehicles
by July 6, 2015 12:00 am 260 views
They might look like golf carts, but they’re not. They’re real cars with blinkers, windshields and are licensed with the Arkansas Office of Motor Vehicle.
Known as low-speed electric vehicles, or LEVs, these ultra-compact cars are shaping up to be the new face of urban transportation. And Fayetteville-based Sustainable Urban Mobility, or SUMO, has a fleet of 15 such vehicles for car sharing throughout downtown. SUMO is also a licensed dealership for LEVs.
The brainchild of founders Mikel Lolley and Bob Munger, SUMO is a cloud-based system that operates through mobile devices. Once registered, users check car location and availability with their cell phones, and use the same device to turn the vehicles on and off.
Based on the fact that in urban settings cars remain idle much more often than they are driven, SUMO looks to become the mode of choice for people who need to run a few quick errands, go from point A to point B, and even hit the town for dinner and entertainment.
The maximum speed for an LEV is 25 MPH, and are only allowed on roads with a speed limit of 35 MPH or less. Registrants must have a valid driver’s license. And in cases where the user does not have his own insurance, SUMO charges an extra fee for the coverage it carries.
SUMO already has Points of Discharge, or PODs, at the Fayetteville Public Library, Eco-Modern Flats, Specialized Real Estate Group, and the John A. White Jr. Engineering Hall on the University of Arkansas campus.
Lolley said the company is looking to grow the fleet to around 60 vehicles with 1,200 users and PODs at Ozark Natural Foods, Inn at Carnall Hall, and the Arkansas Research and Technology Park, among others.
SUMO is based in a renovated shipping container at an old gas station at the corner of West Avenue and Lafayette Street.