Green at WIRED NextFest: Human-Electric Hybrid Vehicle by Humancar
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 09.30.08
Imagine_PS by Humancar
We often hear about hyrbid vehicles, and that usually means gas & electric, or sometimes diesel & electric, but the Imagine_PS by HumanCar is different. It is a human-powered vehicle, but we're pretty far from the Flintstones. It is also a PHEV that can be charged by plugging it into the grid, you steer it with your body, by leaning on one side or the other, not with a steering wheel, and it can actually act as a 110V A/C power station.
Read on for more details
60 MPH, Zero Gas
The Imagine_PS can hit 60 mph (100 kph) without burning any fossil fuels (As they say, you pump instead of gas pumps.)! You can either go for the full workout and row all the way, or you can use the electric motor to assist you, particularly with hills. It is also apparently very stable because of the low center of gravity.
How to Buy a HumanCar
If you go to HumaCar's website, you can actually reserve one for $99 for when the actual production begins. Price of the vehicle is set at $15,500, but if it's a hit we can probably expect that to go down (though to get to that point, they will need early adopters who can afford the initial sticker price).
More about the HumanCar on page 2!
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That looks like fun! I'm sure they could rent some next to scenic roads like they do now in cities with bikes and segways.
wowzers, I really want one!!! Bit pricey though :-(
The real question is if one person can do 15 mph.
It looks exhausting!
umm... row row row the boat gently through traffic..!!! HA HA HA HA HAAA
I think thats a nice concept. send it to the Oxford and Cambridge coxswains... they'll put it to VERY good use..
But I don't see people doing this on a daily basis. It'll blow over I guess.. I mean really, in this current Green fever, sure everybody will applaud the idea,pass kudos, shake hands and nod heads, but actually drive..er.. row it?! extremely unlikely.
Tho, I would say that the video makes this look like a GREAT activity for a small group out for fun. all in all I'd say decent vehicle, but maybe all 4 seats should be pointing forwards huh? I certainly won't be comfortable hurtling down a road doing 60 in reverse. Or going through traffic in reverse for that matter. I want to see where I'm going, not where I was 2 seconds ago!!
nice idea. nice modification of the pedal push car.
It exist for at least a hundred years on the Belgian coast :)
http://tinyurl.com/5xa9an
Hahaaa someone reinvented the old railroad pump cars into a road car this ought to be funny to see how they steer.
Any rail road historians remember the two man pump railroad service cars?
it was cool to see them in old movies.
It would be nice to see if they invent a hydraulic storage method that pumping actions make the system
TSS
60 mph?! with no windshield, and what looks like no seatbelts, airbags, or any safety features whatsoever, I think making it capable of 60 mph is neglegent.
Here http://www.twike.com/ is another human power/ electric hybrid. It looks practical but the price is too high for me.