There is a category of vehicles called velomobiles, defined as human-powered vehicles designed to do many of the tasks of an automobile. Basically it means a bicycle (or more commonly a tricycle) with a streamlined body and roof for weather protection and enough luggage space for grocery shopping. Current examples include the Leitra, Quest/Mango and the Cab-Bike. There are more advanced designs being developed such as the Aerorider, Go-One and the Flevobike Versatille. The streamlined shell adds some weight but reduces air resistance, so they are often faster than conventional bicycles on flat roads. Electric motors can be added to help you up a hill, but human power would still be the main power source. (Otherwise the vehicle becomes very heavy.) A 10-mile commute would take between 30 minutes and 1 hour depending on rider fitness and road conditions, but you also get your excercise at the same time.
They are definitely niche products, costing well over $5000. But what if they could be sold for under $1000? Would such a product have a noticeable effect in reducing the number of cars on the road? Would you ever buy one and if so, how much are you willing to pay?
Perhaps I should have explained that I am in no way involved in design or production of velomobiles. However, some people who are involved think that if they can be produced in large numbers (tens of thousands) then the price could be brought down to the $1000 range. I personally don’t know if that is realistic, but it doesn’t seem farfetched considering that a bicycle frame with decent components can be purchased for under $300. A velomobile just needs a composite shell, plexiglass windows and a simple frame to support them.
I don’t think generating electricity is a very productive use of human power. You can only generate about 100W. On the other hand a velomobile is much lighter and more energy efficient than an automobile. If you use a velomobile instead of a car for a 15-mile trip, you are essentially replacing 1/2 gallon of gas with 1 hour of pedaling. OK, so that’s only worth a dollar, but it’s still worth a lot more than 50 watt-hours (100W x 1/2 hour) of electricity.
Good point, but a moped still uses a fair amount of gasoline. The Vespa ET2, for example, gets 65 mpg which is not much better than the 40mpg claimed by hybrid cars. Mopeds also have less sophisticated emission control systems. Some of them even use 2-cycle engines.
I was hoping we could discuss the practicality of such vehicles, whether they would make a difference in American (or other) cities.
Well, I recently bought a new Hyundai. It gets nearly 40 mpg. it’ll really haul ass and has a 10 yr. bumper to bumper warranty. At a buck/half a gallon for hi-oct gas at an avg 35 mpg at 70mph. The sticker price at $12K…man I can’t save money pedaling. I used to ride a 10 speed over 40 miles a day…EVERYDAY! 20 to work and 20 home. damn that’s tough! rough ass country too, lots of hills. I got pretty good though, I could do it in 40 minutes easy (one way).
The hybrids are pretty cool, but $$ financially speaking, they’re still a long way off from being an incentive.
NOW, if the US gov. would make it a tax write off…you’d have 'em coming outta the woodwork. HMMM not a bad idea!
I would buy one if it were under 1k. If there was infrastructure for them (like bike lanes) I would be rushing out to buy one.
My main concern would be how well it meshes with public transportation. Right now I can just snap my bike to the bus and take off, and if I don’t bring a bike there are no limits to what I do on public transportation. I hate being weighed down by heavy expensive hard-to-transport things.
For the record, I do not own a car. I walk or bus everywhere I go.
I have a hard time seeing the price coming down to $1000. A decent quality bicycle costs nearly that much, and if one of these is going to be at all reliable (not to mention light enough) it’s going to need very similar specs - butted chromoly frame (or fat tube aluminum, composite, or whatever), decent quality bicycle components, and then the composite fairing on top of that. Plus it will probably need hydraulically activated disc brakes, since it has way more kinetic energy than a bicycle, and probably a few other things I’m not thinking of. $2000 with a good sized production run, maybe.
These things may me drool with lust. I want one.
Other posters are correct to point out there are some issues with integrating it into current traffic. Even with the aerodynamic gains, it takes effort from a reasonably fit person to hold 30mph, the typical speed on non-gridlocked urban traffic, which means you have the shower/changing issues of bicycle commuting, plus there are visibility in traffic issues. But if cities start banning/limiting traffic in downtown cores, these things could become more popular, if not common.
This phrase needs a small modification, but the change in meaning is not quite so small.
“it takes effort from an extremely fit person to hold 30mph”
Having done most forms of racing on cycles I can say that I’ve never yet managed that speed over ten miles, and I was very fit indeed.
I know only a very small number of individuals who have managed this over 25 miles, and there are very few indeed who can do this over 50 mile, if any.
Racing in a bunch is somwhat differant, but this does not apply here.
Usually an average club rider will make around 15-18mph as a steady average for a leisure ride, the ordinary Joe would be fortunate to maintain 10mph consantly.
In a modern car society, the idea of most folk switching to cycles is most unlikely. Folk will use excuses such as the traffic danger(to which they contribute), or lack of changing rooms at work, or lack of secure parking etc.
My opinion is that it really is down to indolence, nothing else.
HPV’s will not catch on even if they were $2 a dozen, folk are simply too lazy.
In countries such as Holland and Belgium, the car idolatry culture has never really been the same as the UK or the US, simply making life harder for car drivers will just result in innovative transport planners being replaced by politicians who fear being voted out of office.
Now if the next gulf war put fuel prices up very very dramatically, there might be some posibility.
I think you don’t understand how much you gain from the aerodynamics of these things. Unassisted they hit upwards of 70mph, admittedly with top-flight riders. 15mph on an upright is seriously loafing if a person is in reasonable shape. Sustaining 20mph on an upright bike takes a bit of effort, and I’m figuring that the gain will be at least 50% at these speeds, if not more, which would make 30mph doable with effort for anyone in good, but not great shape. I could be wrong, but I doubt I’m off very far.
Speaking as a southern Californian, I have to say that I’d seriously consider it - not for the value or the money saved, but rather I need more exercise, but the thought of riding a bike to work every day doesn’t appeal to me. Something like this, however - with storage space, a protective cover, and a motor for tough uphills - appeals to me. And in this neck of the woods, you could use it year-round. Plus I live close to work, so it wouldn’t be a far commute. I would, however, keep my car for longer travel, of course.
If I lived somewhere flat, and where the local geography was not marked by several large bodies of water, and the top were removable (depending on the weather that day). I probably would buy one for $1000.
But I can’t see using one in the greater Seattle area (or at least not while I’m on both sides of the lake every day and up hills).
Of course these things won’t replace an automobile for moving multiple people or cargo. The idea is more to replace a second car that’s currently used exclusively for commuting.
I’d be willing to try it. HPVs are not as uncomfortable as you mignt imagine. In winter the fairing blocks the wind, and your body generates quite a bit of heat when excercising. In summer you can open the vent holes to let fresh air in. Or you could remove the top, though it’s hard to say if that helps. The top does provide a shade for your body. (Ideally the vehicle would have an opaque body and a small canopy for your head.)
Well, maybe $1000 is a bit optimistic. But I think $1500 for an unpowered vehicle and $2000 for one with electric assist is definitely possible. Currently the EZ-3 and Americruiser recumbent trikes are priced under $800. They have no fairings/shells but they do have all the mechanical components and most of the structure needed for a velomobile. A fancy carbon-fiber fairing would cost thousands, but there are cheaper (albeit somewhat heavier) material available.
Some very fine points there “casdave”, but sadly, your message (one which I agree with entirely by the way) is not one which is often met with very “receptive ears”.
I myself, am a former Olympic representative for Australia in Road Racing (LA '84) and I still do lots of miles to stay fit.
There’s no denying that the wind tunnel work on the vehicles linked in the OP are fantastic jiggers. The problem as I see it, is simply one of numbers and reality. If I could, I’d incorporate my training miles before work on my racer into my transport requirements to and from work - which I did for years. But I have to be honest and admit that the hassle of packing a change of clothes and other toiletries into a back pack etc on a daily basis has worn thin for me over the years.
Nowadays, I far prefer to do 50 or more klms before work, then shower, then drive to work. It’s just, well, nicer.
However, if my office had decent showering facilities with a locker setup to store a weeks worth of clothes - hell yeah - I’d be doing the bike thing for sure I suspect.
So, it’s more than just the vehicle itself it seems to me. Greater effort has to be considered regarding the “support facilities” involved in using cycling as a means of regular transport.
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