Consider the Velomobile – Human Powered Vehicle
Next to walking, the Velomobile may be the greenest form of personal transportation available. This bicycle car is designed with a sleek, aerodynamic style not only will help keep the planet cooler but will add cool cache to the driver as well. Combining the brawn of Flintstone’s car with the brains of Jetson’s this bike is just what the world needs now.
If commuting with human powered vehicles becomes popular it could offer a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and also address the obesity epidemic. It is amazing that many people drive their car to the gym so they could workout on an exercise machine. Think of the money saved in gas and gym fees by just driving your Velomobile to work.
Many new models have a small battery electric assist as well as being human powered. If you live anywhere other than a very flat terrain then you could certainly use the assistance getting up hills and the like. As some of these vehicles weigh up to 70 lbs. going uphill without the assist could prove extremely difficult. You would need to research to see what the rules of the road are in your area and figure out if your terrain would be Velomobile friendly or not. One place to get this information is Velomobiling.net perhaps the ultimate place to go for all things Velomobile.
Some other advantages to the Velomobiles are; many gears with a wider gear range than regular bikes, it’s three wheels which gives it added stability, good maneuverability with steering and braking, good aerodynamics, has room for light cargo, some come with headlights and windshield wipers, and compared to a car – a much lower price (around $5,000 -$6,000 US)
Options for getting a Velomobile in the US are still pretty limited. One US dealer can be found at velomobileusa.com.
There are many companies making a wide variety of styles and types in Europe. The problem there will be more in deciding which model to choose from as they all look so amazing. Some people in the United States have been able to finance importing their Velomobile into the US by getting sponsorship/branding on the vehicle. Apparently, some have even made money on this deal as these machines are such eyeball magnets.
Here are links to a couple of European companies making Velomobiles. The Aerorider which makes a human powered/electric motor hybrid model that looks very cool. The Cab-bike is another awesome possibility, be sure to check out their videos
Cab-bike also has a dealer in Canada. This wiki has good general overview and some great photos on a wide number of models available. Finally, be sure to check out the Velomobiling.net video on their home page of the “Pedal Pub” – a 16 person bike-powered pub! Amazing!
April 30th, 2007 09:05
[...] Great Green Goods highlights a hipper Flintstonemobile; [...]
October 23rd, 2007 12:33
how the car cost ? i want to know how i can get that is that a leagal when i go on street?
December 27th, 2007 06:06
Ok…when will the two seater be ready for production? I want to get my hands on one of these incredibly cool Velomobiles…but I want at least a two seater. Because I would either like to have my wife or my son or daughter to be able to experience the next generation of where humanity SHOULD be going when it comes to transportation. There is no actual reason WHY teh worthless and deeply imbedded Bush/Saudi families should be so able to control OUR economy by manufacturing perpetual war. And all just to make trillions upon trillions of dollars to which they will never re-distribute evenly nor faily amongst the worl-wide population. I do not want to throw away my hard earned money anymore to a small group of Corporate Fascists. I ride my bike as much as I can to offset the massive payout just to drive my gas guzzling vehicle which I bought when I was definitely less educated about our miserable Foreign Policy. Human Power is exactly the right term for who and what we are as a species. Intellectually, physically, spiritually and financially. Don’t give these fascist criminal families such as the Cheney’s, Bush’s, Rice’s, Rumsfelds’, Clinton’s, etc. the power to control our lives by fulfilling their idiotic requests to purchase a whole lote of worthless junk/crap which is mostly produced overseas in countries such as China. It has only been proven time after time and purchase after purchase that developing countries produce CRAP! And it’s the greedy U.S. and European corporate manufacturers that have laid off hundreds of thousands of American workers to maintain their bottom line. If these corporations can’t survive in the real world without being given government hand-outs which is usually always OUR money! Then those corporations should be allowed to shrivel up and die. George W. Bush’s recent agreement to force automobile manufactureres to make their vehicles get 35 miles to the gallon by the year 2018 is an absolute JOKE! They constantly drag their feet and have their thumbs up their keester holes because the oil companies and the auto makers are deeply in bed with each other and they have been for a very, very long time, and they are not about to switch over to a more eco-friendly form of transportation overnight even though they could have done this at the turn of the 19th century when electric vehicles outnumbered gas powered air polluting vehicles. Horses were not frightened by the electric vehicles on the road then, but the gas powered vehicle came along and scared them to hell and back. Fossil fueled vehicles were dinosaurs when they were developed and they are just pretty (well only a few of them are actually pretty to look at, the majority are just butt ugly), much nothing more than dinosaurs now. Probably one of the most wasteful type of machine on theplanet. Only about .06% of the fuel burned in a combustion engine actually propels the actual vehicle. The rest gets lost in the weight and friction of the vehicle and its moving parts. That’s definitely the highest form of inefficiency that I have ever seen in my lifetime. No wonder we have already passed our peak oil levels. Scary. We truly can be a very ignorant, stubborn and extremely greedy species. Ask the Cetaceans, they know. We’ve been killing them for hundreds of years, and there is no reason to kill them anymore, yet the Japanese choose to ignore the international protections placed on whales by saying that they are going to kill over a thousand whales for scientific research. What ignorant, greedy, and incredibly STUPID human beings!!! Shame on them! And shame on us for allowing them to get away with it.
February 18th, 2008 09:50
Your prayers have been answered! We are starting the production of Computer Generated Velomobiles that are as big as a small automobile, starting at $5,000.00 dollars!
You might want the completely enclosed Mini-Van Version, which does have air conditioning, and can generate electricity.
Visit http://www.sky-wheels.com for more information, we are currently working to provide Law Enforcement with Bullet-Proof Non-Motorized Vehicles.
March 6th, 2008 15:58
How to buy cars and trucks from ez auto dealers across the USA by Paul Richard Hauke BA MBA…
Wouldn’t it be nice If you knew some EZ auto dealers that you could just visit each time you wanted to buy or lease a new or used car….
April 17th, 2008 19:56
This velomobile is quite the interesting one. i myself had made sumthing quite close to the same. i call it the guert mobile, i can send pics if you would like me to
May 6th, 2008 23:08
I’d like to see some of those Photos of the guert mobile, if you can post them, or send me to the link where theyr at!
May 22nd, 2008 09:36
Most people would rather commute in a velomobile than a car. Most fully enclosed velomobiles can even maintain comfort in harsh winter temperatures. The problem, it has already been decided behind closed doors that you must drive a gas car. This is one area the market has no say.
I would sell my car and pick up an Aero-rider in 5 seconds flat if I had the chance, but it has never been about what the people want.
July 14th, 2008 01:54
Velomobiles are a wonderful idea. They are hugely practical in Holland. What needs to change is public perception in the States. In Holland, you’re looked down upon for driving daily in a gas automobile. The whole society revolves around the bicycle. There are many places that cars simply can’t get to. And then you meet your neighbors. Oh gasp! The horror! And we need to train our newest drivers that there will be more of this kind of vehicle. They will have to pay attention to them. They will have to be responsible fore their actions because driving is a privilege. Let’s hope that the high gas prices change people’s perspective a bit.
January 15th, 2009 11:16
It’s like the Flintstones. These things are pretty neat, I hope they catch on.
January 25th, 2009 11:34
Check out the newest velomobiles to hit the market.
Available with power-assist.
http://www.GoblinMotors.com
February 16th, 2009 14:45
You might want to take a look at my VeloKit.
http://www.velokit.com
It is much more afordable, lighter, fits on numerous recumbent trikes.
And it can be taken off the bike, for nice weather.
KRASH
July 19th, 2009 01:56
Added to my RSS, Thanks!