Biomega SIN

“Maybe you missed it,” the kind but out of touch environmentalist said aloud.

They continued: “Folding city bicycles, like the Brompton? What about cargo bicycles with electric motors, or the nearly maintenance-free Bakfiets…

“Recumbent bicycles, which are sold with or without fairings and are great for longer distances; surely you’ve heard of those? They are like better versions of the Sinclair C5 and can cruise upwards of 60 km/h on flat ground with no electric assist…

“OK. Fine. Well, have you heard of the Honda Cub…” they asked without missing a beat, “…or the Vespa…hell, scooters in general…? It’s like…60-plus mpg no matter what!”

Frustrated, they cupped a scratched and scored white mug and took a final sip of a cloudy brown brew before gesturing toward the counter. Another pot of hot water for another satchel of foraged tea.

“Some companies took scooter parts and made tiny cars like the Messerschmitt and the Peel P50–” “–Like on TOP GEAR!!” a voice interjected.

“…right. Top Gear…so the Peel P50 was indeed pretty trash, and Top Gear made those cars look like a joke, when in reality, the world’s wealthiest corporations in the world’s wealthiest nations literally built entire industries and motor-based sports on the concept of MORE.”

A server’s white-sleeved arm crosses the environmentalist’s eyeline, swiftly extending to place a scalding hot metal teapot on the table, replacing the empty one. 

“The problem with MORE is that once you’re used to speed, comfort, features, and perceived safety, it’s incredibly difficult — if not impossible — to see how dangerous your 7-seat SUV is to society, not to mention Mother Earth.”

The environmentalist pointed toward a late-model dark grey Jeep Wagoneer outside.

Without looking, they rummaged in their bag and fished out a twig-filled cheesecloth satchel and plopped it into the hot water.

“And that’s on you, but it’s kind of not. Sometimes we forget how helpless we are to confront this…and even less likely to know how to change things for the better… So imagine how hard it is for those employees in those gigantic corporations that only know how to add to their products, it’s MORE MORE MORE no matter what vehicle is being made…which lead to more bonus cheques when there’s more profit…

“That’s why I gave up on car companies…they are not driven to fix the problems they perpetuate…because to a corporation, customers addicted to MORE are not a problem! That’s the solution– MORE!”

They chuckled to themselves and stared out toward the familiar, fully loaded, beaten-up cargo bicycle and homemade trailer at the periphery of a truck and SUV-filled gravel lot that ringed the rural diner. 

“I trust bicycle companies, if anything. Before I went up to the cabin a few years back, I tried to put a deposit on this car called the SIN — short for Singapore, for where some of the the project’s investors were from…

“It’s incredibly lightweight, with four in-wheel motors and four-wheel steering. It has a range of 160 km, and they said it would even go 130 km/h, which I love because the trucks around here don’t give a lot of room even to me…

“That was 2018 and it’s…20-19…20-20…”

Briefly silenced while counting with intention, they quickly ran out of fingers on their right hand.

“20-24? Oh god, already?”

A bitter expression snapped onto their face. It had been six years since they’d been excited about an automobile…since life imploded and they withdrew to an abandoned cabin far from the closest town. 

Biomega’s rejection of the SIN for production wasn’t the catalyst for their seclusion, yet at the time, it crystallized the environmentalist’s worldview, which was this: We ar–