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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Organic Transit Expands In Durham, North Carolina, Opens San Jose, California Facility

10/02/2013
Organic Transit, manufacturer of the ELF pedal-electric vehicle, is moving to a larger facility in Durham, North Carolina, and opening a West Coast manufacturing center in San Jose, California.

Its ELF, legally considered a bicycle, can travel on bike paths and roads without a driver's license, the company said. Organic Transit’s new 7,500 square foot location in North Carolina is located near Durham's Central Park District. The company will use sustainable design in the building renovation and implement a higher-volume manufacturing process.

Organic Transit outgrew its old retail furniture store location in downtown Durham, where it began in 2011. "We love the old building, and it was perfect for getting us into business," said Rob Cotter, Organic Transit Founder and CEO, "But like Henry Ford realized 100 years ago, we need more room for a proper assembly line to increase our productivity."

"We will utilize recycled and upcycled materials in our build out. And the building is being prepared with skylights, LED lighting, edible gardens, green walls and beehives," he added.

Organic Transit is also opening a San Jose manufacturing facility in partnership with Good Karma Bikes, a non-profit that trains homeless individuals to become bicycle mechanics.

"Interest in the ELF on the West Coast has been huge," said Cotter. "Through this partnership, we'll have an assembly plant to service customers in western states, as well as give something back the local community." Cotter said the San Jose location will also be a base to make local deliveries of vehicles and act as a regional maintenance facility.

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