Have you ever seen a four wheeler running on human energy? Don’t be taken by surprise, the 100 watt hybrid vehicle has already commenced its marathon tour across America, on its four limbs and with a firm determination to save energy. This joint mission pursued together by the father and the son has an interesting story to relate. Pierce Hoover, a journalist by profession, was acutely displeased by the reckless behavior of his son Nash. Nash had a tendency to leave the bedroom lights on even when he was out of the house. In a bid to teach him a lesion, the father made him work out on an exercise bike that had the ability to display the amount of electricity generated by peddling it. The son was directed to produce as much electricity as he used for his lighting and video game purposes. Initially, the father had thought of charging him for the wastage, but considering the tuppence he got as penalty, he changed his mind.
It was this little incident that incited the father and the son to embark on their exhilarating journey of making eco-friendly hybrid vehicles. The experience he had in making Swamp Crawler (An old golf cart converted into an off roader) came in handy for him. The duo finally came up with a side by side, two sitter human-electric hybrid vehicle with an available energy supply of 2400 Watt, equivalent to the energy a 100 Watt bulb would consume in a day.
The vehicle is built lightweight intentionally to save energy. For this purpose, Hoover chose to use chain system in place of belt. The vehicle can acquire a high speed of about 24mph (40 kph) and can easily be categorized under bicycle class. A brushless eco-speed motor is installed to generate electricity and a roll bar structure at the rear end to guard it against mishaps.
The exultant pair has conveyed their determination to cover 60 miles a day on the way to their incredible mission. They will also
stop at various towns and cities to transmit the message they intend to deliver. The soft cover that runs over the vehicle roof will rarely be able to grant them the much needed shade, but if this attempt could teach human kind any good lesson, their journey will prove itself to be worthwhile.
Via: Gizmag
