We’re back with a brand new Cribs, the TechCrunch TV series where we go inside the gates of the hottest tech companies and get a grand tour of what the day-to-day work life is like — warts, perks, and all.
In this episode, we headed to an industrial stretch of San Francisco’s Folsom Street that’s generally better known as a home for greasy car mechanic shops than for geeky web startups. But that’s fitting, because the company we were visiting is a unique combo of both worlds: Lit Motors, the startup that made it to the Battlefield finals at the most recent Disrupt SF conference with the C-1, the sleek self-balancing fully electric car that is so plugged into the latest digital tech that it purports to function like a “rolling smart phone.”
We were able to have some hands-on time with the C-1, which really does make you feel like a real-life Tron character when you climb inside, as well as the Lit Scooter, which is aimed at the developing world.
But what’s really fun about Lit Motors’ office is the genuine maker spirit that permeates everything founder Daniel Kim and his team do, from vehicles, to furniture, surfboards, guitars, and more. That environment leads to some interesting (and terrifying exhilarating) moments for visitors — climbing up a fully homemade staircase was a personal first, for example.
But all’s well that ends well, and we had a lot of fun with this Cribs. Check it all out in the video embedded above.
Lit Motors designs and develops sustainable personal transportation solutions. The company is currently focused on a vehicle code-named “C-1”. This fully-electric, two-wheeled vehicle is self-balancing, using a pair of flywheels to maintain stability in all conditions. The flywheels are also used as part of a KERS regenerative braking system, contributing to an overall efficient, human-centered design.
New York City
