The first release of URB-E, a compact, foldable electric vehicle, drew a lot of fanfare in 2016. Capable of traveling up to 20 miles, it might serve as some urbanite’s main transport method. And the new lighter, cheaper version is even more convenient, according to Grant Delgatty, co-founder and chief creative officer at URB-E.

According to Delgatty, the new URB-E Sport is lighter (at 30 pounds versus 35) and cheaper at $899 versus $1,500 for the original. During the 2017 North American International Auto Show, he told Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile live streaming studio, what catalyzed the changes.

The original URB-E “was still light enough to carry, but we had a lot of customer feedback that said, ‘Can you come up with something even lighter than that?'” Delgatty explained. The vehicle also doubles as a mobile power source that can charge seven devices.

Beating traffic the URB-E way

Delgatty said that URB-E users have told him that the product has changed their lives. They tell him “how they’ve been dealing with traffic and traffic jams and how long it takes them to get into the city,” he said. Now they jump on the train and just rely on URB-E for the last few miles of their commute.

Despite this, Delgatty said he loves cars and even sees potential to collaborate with car makers in the future for some sort of car-URB-E package innovation. He stated that he attended the last Car and Driver Show, and “the car companies were coming up to us going, ‘Hey let’s talk, you’ve got some interesting things going on.'”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of the North American International Auto Show.

Photo by SiliconANGLE