New wind and battery assisted recumbant trike
Pterosail has announced an interesting new way to get around if you live in a place with some wind and not too much traffic. The pterosail trike is based on a recumbent tricycle. The rider can pedal the trike like any conventional recumbent bike or trike. However, the first thing the casual observer would notice about this thing is the sail. If wind is available the rider can get an assist from the environment. The trike also has a pair 24V marine batteries to power an electric motor/generator.
The motor can provide extra assistance, but wind and gravity can also be used through regenerative braking to charge the batteries. The sail system apparently works well with 8-10 mph of wind and the trike is available in single seat and tandem models. If the human, wind and battery power aren't enough, there is even a solar panel on board to provide some more juice to the motor and potentially charge the batteries. Speeds of up to 40 mph are possible with enough pedaling, sun and wind. There's no word on pricing or availability, but this could be a cool transportation alternative as long as you don't have to much traffic to contend with.
[Source: Pterosail via Treehugger]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mark f 12:58PM (11/01/2006)
according to Bentrider, it'll be pricey - $10.5K for the single and $13.5 for the tandem.
http://www.bentrideronline.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=57&blogId=1
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Phil L. 1:41PM (11/01/2006)
I'm still trying to figure out who would use this as anything other than an interesting, overpriced toy.
As it turns out, I live in an area with a decent network of bike paths connecting many residential, commercial and industrial areas.
But the paths are all about 4' wide. This trike wouldn't allow for anyone else to be on the path, particularly if the sail is anything but parallel to the trail. And most of our trails are in wooded areas, so no wind advantage (plus the sail would hit overhead branches in many areas). While I've never seen enforcement of such laws, the battery/motor system probably means it can't legally use the bike trails anyway.
An amusing solution in search of a problem to solve...
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Hans Wurst 2:27PM (11/01/2006)
Here's a way cheaper solution:
Get an electric skateboard with regen, unscrew the screws holding the front wheel assembly yo the board, put a tin can on top of the board with holes aligned to the holes in the board and screw the wheel assembly back on, so that the tin can is now screwed to the board. Add any old wind surfer sail (minus the hinge thingy on the bottom) and off you go!
The battery is being charged when the wind propells you, and if you manage to get stuck without wind or battery charge, you can roll up the sail and get back in normal skateboard fashion (although with more friction and weight), or - unlike the trike - you can carry it all home.
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