OpEd: Meet my Bintelli

Want to re-imagine mobility?    Meet my Bintelli.

The debate on mobility was hyper-focused on scooters.   The council citied a few main reasons for approving the ‘on-demand rental scooters’ program.   One of those reasons was to lessen greenhouse gases emitted by cars.   But really the better solution was something other than on-demand scooters.   For one we could have banned the on demand’ scooters laying on the street and encouraged the pride of ownership by offering incentives for  scooter ownership.   Peope who own their scooter don’t leave them laying on the sidewalks interrupting the public right of way. 

Anyway,  I’m a visually impaired driver.   But you can fail the eye test at the DMV and still get a drivers license by petitioning for a road test.   And that’s me, I need to get around.   A car leaves me with many blind spots and a few months ago I sideswiped a sheriff on Santa Monica Blvd.   I finally realized that it is not safe for me to be on the road behind the wheel of a 3,000 pound vehicle.   

So I dumped my car.  And thought of my brother-in-law driving around La Jolla in his golf cart.   After some research I got a Bintelli.   It’s street legal, has seat belts and blinkers and lights, and offers me full visibility for around town driving.   

And now that I crossed over,  do you really need a 3,000 pound car that can drive thousands of miles for simple urban living?   Do we all really need cars that can go 100 miles per hour?   There are so many alternatives.     And the cost.    I’m saving a $389 a month car payment, $200 plus a month insurance, and a a tank of gas per week is another $250.   Think about it.  

When I bought my Bintelli it was a roll of the dice because there are no dealers in the Los Angeles area.  I pitched home base in South Carolina on becoming a dealer.    They were sold on my Pride-themed, and other possibilities on their Beyond LSV vehicles, e-scooters, and e-bikes.  They loved the idea.   

Our video was presented to the Senior Director at Bintelli who replied, ‘this is the best dealer video we have seen from any dealer.”, the video was shot in an hour by one our super brilliant residents, off the cuff, no scripts, no rehearsal.

Things have stalled on opening a dealership due to a number of reasons, including obtaining the proper licenses in California to sell street legal vehicles that have VIN numbers.   But I’m on team Bintelli.   

And btw, if we are really trying to move WeHo forward and set an example for climate change, pass on the $30 million to remove traffic lanes on fountain … and offer residents incentives to give up their cars for any number of alternatives. 

Anybody want a test drive?

Footnote:   The BintelliLA.com is not an active website.   Video above was a presentation to Bintelli for the Los Angeles distribution rights.