What would you call something that can be tagged like a trolley luggage bag and when needed, simply open it up to drive around the town? No dear, am not playing riddle game here. I just stumbled upon a vehicle that can be summarized like this! Dubbed as the Sun Fold Bike, its name does most of the explanation. Sun = it is solar powered, Fold = it can be collapsed in to a compact handy structure and lastly Bike = two wheeler bike (simple isn’t it?). But that’s not all to it. Designer CaO dawei has given shape to his idea of green bike which has won accolades at international design competitions. Focusing on two elements, that is optimizing and utilizing solar energy plus space-saving, this eco-friendly concept includes a folding bike that is juiced up by solar panels.
The solar panels absorb the sun’s energy which is transferred to the battery. Surplus energy is stored in inverter to be used at night. Hence powered by an electric motor and two batteries, this bike can run without hesitating even in dark. However it gets more interesting as this extra stored energy can also be used to power standard house hold electronics like TV or music player. Mr. CaO, you’ve scored bonus points for this feature.
And coming to the point of how do you feed this bike with its share of solar power. It is supposed to be hooked up to a lotus-like pedestal that opens up its computerized reflective panels. These panels follow the sun rays and result in maximum sun power. When placed on a reflective pedestal, about 95% solar energy is effectively absorbed. However the designer has also accommodated solar panels on the bike’s outer body so that it can feed on to the sun’s rays even as you drive.
A perfect compact green bike for urban commuting!
