Feature article on the Solar Bug from the Christian Science Monitor.
Here Comes the Sun … Rolling on Four Wheels
For Immediate Release
October 12, 2007
Remember the "Love Bug," the lovable car that talked? Free Drive's new, solar-powered, ultra-cool Solar Bug can't talk, but leave it out in the sun and it'll get charged up.
Free Drive, a Bozeman, Montana-based car manufacturer is debuting its new electric car model at the Alt Car Expo at the Santa Monica Air Hangar, October 19th and 20th. They expect it to be a big hit.
"People are tired of gas cars. They tired of the gas wars. They want to live in harmony with the Earth. We hope the Solar Bug can help them do that," says Steve Titus, the President of Free Drive and the inventor of the Solar Bug.
Don't expect the Solar Bug to put Lexus and Infiniti out of business overnight. By law, the Solar Bug is only allowed to go 25 miles per hour, and its range is limited to 60 miles. But, for city dwellers or those people living in small towns, whose primary need is local transportation to and from work and local errands, it offers a trendy and environmentally friendly way to get around.
"We see the Solar Bug as a transitional vehicle, a way to begin getting away from the gas pump," says Steve Titus. "You can't use it for vacations, and you can't take it on the highway. But just think of being able to fuel up your car on sunlight and about a dollar a day of electricity. That's pretty sweet."
It sports a roof full of solar cells, one seat forward and back, incredible visibility, and the look of dune buggy crossed with an Ipod. "It's a bug you can really love."
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