"While driving back and forth between his home in the suburbs of Bogota (Colombia) and his university in the city center, Javier Sánchez suffered the inconvenience and delays of public transportation. But he couldn´t afford to buy a car, which he wouldn´t have been able to drive every day in any event due to the ""pico y placa"" restrictions (the temporary circulatory prohibition within the city limits according to license plate number). So Sánchez decided to create an alternative mode of transportation which didn´t suffer these problems. Thus Lizard was born, a compact, electric, two-seat vehicle that combines the advantages of cars and motorcycles which allows users to get around traffic-ridden cities safely. Thanks to this innovation, Javier Sánchez has been selected as one of MIT Technology Review, Spanish edition´s Innovators Under 35 Colombia 2016.
Thanks to his experience at racing car manufacturing companies, Sánchez has been able to design a low cost, three-wheeled vehicle with a simple production process without compromising on quality nor safety, which also helps to protect the environment. A single worker can produce one unit in two days, at a cost of only 5,000 dollars (approximately 4,600 euros).
With Lizard, the user ""can get around just as quickly as with any other vehicle, with the safety of a car and the enjoyment of a motorcycle,"" its creator boasts. And he adds that the driver doesn´t ""get wet like with a motorcycle or have to pay tolls like a car."" The motor runs on four 48-volt batteries that can be recharged through a standard 110-volt outlet. With a full, three and a half hour charge, the Lizard can run for 135 kilometers.
Sánchez is clear about who his target audience is: young people who commute daily to a large city and with an ""environmentally-friendly mindset who want to do their part in taking care of the environment."" Many of these users already use electric motorcycles in Bogota, which makes Sánchez confident regarding the adoption of his product: ""the transition will be very short, we might say 10 years, to be conservative.""
Sánchez´s project can ""have a great impact in terms of reducing air pollution and improving the city, two critical factors for urban development,"" according to the executive president at ProAntioquia (Colombia), Rafael Aubad. In this jury member for the Innovators Under 35 Colombia 2016 awards´ opinion, Sánchez´s accomplishments with Lizard demonstrate ""how talented he is and how well designed his concept is."""
