HumanCar's Electric-Assisted Quadcycle
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA 
on 08.22.06
Bicycling can sure be fun, and are an efficient, clean way to get around, but when it comes to hauling your friends around with you, the traditional two-wheelers come up a bit short. With only one seat, it's tough to safely haul more than just yourself on a bike...until now. Though more of a quadcycle than a bicycle, the HumarCar is a human-powered, electric-motor-assisted, street-legal ride. The prototype, after being tested in "downtown Seattle traffic, raced downhill (faster than the turbo charged camera chase car was willing to go at our secret testing facility)..." plus given the once over by "several groups of 70+ year old folks," has been deemed ready for production and can be had after a quick email and deposit to the folks at HumanCar. Powered by two of the four occupants, assisted by an electric motor and steered by the two riders in the front, we aren't convinced it's the future of transportation, but it's a pretty cool application of technology and a dang interesting concept. Much more info on how it all works is available here; if the HumanCar too much, there's always the Couchbike. ::HumanCar via ::AutoblogGreen
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[Comedian steps up on stage]
"I just drove in from ten blocks away, and boy, is my back killin' me!"
Just across the lake from HumanCar's Seattle offices, in Redmond, Washington, there is a company called Rhinokarts that sells something similar (although nowhere near as complex or expensive). Rhinokarts look like an off road go-kart but they are pedal powered rather than motor powered. Worth checking out, I think.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4877597114726040003
that is kick ass Carl - check our new site
-digidaddy