Why not give the Elf a spin?
Elf 3.0
Price: $7,500
Driving short distances in petrol-powered cars is one of the most polluting things we can do as individuals. Travelling by bicycle is the more ecologically sound option, but various factors – weather, safety, lack of cargo space – can make us default to the car. Elf was designed to short-circuit that impulse. It’s essentially an enclosed, three-wheeled recumbent bicycle equipped with a battery and a solar-panelled roof. There’s enough room for a friend to ride along, and for half a dozen bags of shopping in the back. Also, it’s cute, isn’t it?
“We wanted it to make people smile,” says inventor Rob Cotter. “Design is about evoking certain feelings in people, and subconsciously we were probably influenced by old Citroëns or the BMW Isetta. But while a lot of drivers hate cyclists, I’ve never experienced that hatred with an Elf. People pull up and want to ask questions; they want to photograph it.”
Elf’s story began 46 years ago while Cotter was working in the motor industry in California. He encountered a group called the International Human Powered Vehicle Association, which was behind such projects as the Gossamer Albatross, a pedal-powered aircraft that crossed the English Channel in 1979. He joined that organisation and ended up putting on the first solar-car race in the USA in 1988. “When you take the bicycle – perhaps the most elegant device mankind has invented – and lightly touch it with little things like batteries and solar, things really start to come together.”
Cotter and his firm have made more than 800 Elfs, which have collectively travelled “millions” of miles across 15 countries. Version 3.0, now available for pre-order, adds front and rear suspension, and a drivetrain that can be set to function as an ebike, a mobility vehicle or a road-legal EV with a top speed of 30mph. “Every time I get into one, it feels like I’m going on vacation,” says Cotter. “It’s hard to have a bad time when you’re zooming along, in a safe environment, knowing that you haven’t been sucked in to the petroleum economy.”
Change your tune
Philips TAR3500 emergency radio
Price: £49.99
Whether it’s driven by doom scrolling or rooted in reality, growing anxiety about the state of the world has prompted the rise of a “prepping” movement that equips and stockpiles for “what if” scenarios. This solar-powered AM/FM radio ticks various emergency boxes – 60 hours of battery life, a backup hand-crank, SOS siren, flashlight and ultrasonic dog whistle – but given that it’s only the size of a house brick and weighs less than 700g, it doubles as a handy device to take on off-grid adventures. It’s dust- and shower-resistant, has a reading light, can be hung up easily using the provided strap and its USB-A port can be used to charge other items that might be running low on juice.
Sun dial
Victorinox Concept One Sola
Price: from £795
The Concept One is Victorinox’s first solar watch, with a 39mm case, a Swiss-made Ronda 215 quartz movement and a battery life of up to eight years. It’s visually identical to the automatic version (£1,295), with the solar cells invisibly incorporated into a smart, saucer-like dial (choose from blue, black or grey). A full charge lasts for eight months in the darkness of a drawer – but as it charges through natural and artificial light, it really requires no thought on the part of the wearer. The elegant crown – emblazoned with the Victorinox cross and shield – is used merely to set the time and date, while the unusual latching clasp is very neat around the wrist, once you’ve worked out how to secure it.
A light lunch
Birdfy Feeder Metal 2 4K
Price: £299.99
Birdfy’s feeders and nesting boxes have transformed my garden into a highly desirable destination for robins and coal tits. Its latest, a feeder made of rust-proof moss-green metal rather than wood or plastic, is far better suited to the variable British climate. The solar panel, previously connected via a cable, is built into the sloping roof of the unit, so it’s just a matter of aligning it appropriately to the path of the sun (expect to have to manually charge at least once over the winter). An 8MP sensor brings 4K resolution footage to the Birdfy app, which isn’t without its quirks, but my four-year-old son and I love to check out the visitors to our garden, and the more spectacular species on the Birdfy community feed.
Tower of power
Ecoflow Stream 5000 solar storage system
Price: from €1,599
The UK government’s new Solar Roadmap lays out various ways that solar power is to be made more accessible, including the kind of plug-in solar you see deployed on balconies in European countries. Ecoflow’s Stream 5000 sits somewhere in between that and a full rooftop solar installation. The panels can be placed wherever’s convenient and connected via discreet cables to the Stream 5000 unit, which is about the size of a carry-on suitcase. That bridges to your distribution panel, intelligently prioritising solar power and storing what isn’t used in a 5kWh battery. Installation requires an electrician, but thereafter it takes care of itself, with minimal monitoring via the Ecoflow app.
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