Maybe already presented above, I don't remember ...
Halfway between the recumbent bike and the racing car, this is the ultimate clean vehicle. Equipped with a cabin and an electric assistance, it could compete with the bicycle. And even the electric car ... if the law allowed.
Riding a bike rather than a car: everyone is for it, but who does it? In practice, wind, rain and the proximity of other vehicles are often the reason for our ecological convictions. Especially when it comes to going far. Even in the Netherlands, a bicycle paradise, 77% of bicycle journeys are made on less than 5 km and only 1% on more than 15 km.
While in France, 26 km on average separate our home from our work, would our Titines be irreplaceable? Not necessarily. A clean alternative vehicle already exists and it does not require millions of euros of investment like the electric car.
This vehicle is the velomobile. Coming from northern Europe, it appeared in the 1980s and has not stopped improving since. This strange pedal car is made up of a recumbent three-wheeled bike, protected by an aerodynamic shell.
The latter reduces air resistance by up to 30 times. Add to that pedaling in the supine position, and now the cyclist spends three to four times less energy than the handlebars of a traditional bicycle. This allows it to drive longer distances, but also to go faster. And this without sacrificing comfort: the bodywork protects it from bad weather and collisions, while the three wheels provide it with stability.
PEDAL AT 40 KM / H
A bicycle mobilist without training can easily reach 40 km / h on flat ground. It is therefore not uncommon in northern Europe to see one of these vehicles flashed for speeding. A source of pride more than bitterness in the small world of cyclists.
However, this tricycle has some flaws. First of all, its price: count between 2 and 500 euros to acquire one. This cost is explained by a still artisanal production and the use of high-end materials (carbon, kevlar, fiberglass ...). An important price certainly, but lower than that of a car and its fuel. Next comes its weight: weighing between 10 and 000 kg, it is slower at start-up and on hills than a conventional bicycle. This does not facilitate its use in the city.
80 TIMES MORE EFFICIENT THAN AN ELECTRIC CAR
Kris De Decker, author of the Lowtech magazine blog, claims to have the solution: electric assistance. To demonstrate this, he compared the assisted e-WAW velomobile and the Nissan Leaf electric car, two vehicles with a comparable range of 150 kilometers.
Weighing just 30 kilos, the velomobile is 46 times lighter than its competitor. This allows it to only carry a small 288 Wh battery, compared to 24 kWh for the car. It is therefore 80 times more efficient.
Especially since, according to his calculations, if all Americans traded their traditional car for Nissan Leaf, it would be necessary to multiply by 20 the production of the wind farm (that is 7200 gWh) to recharge them in an ecological way. Conversely, using e-WaW, a quarter of the wind power already installed would be more than enough (86,4 gWh).
THE ONLY REALLY SUSTAINABLE MODE OF TRANSPORT
In terms of autonomy, the velomobile is still a winner. For the e-WaW to reach a range of 450 km, it would suffice to add 6 kg of batteries. To do the same, it would be necessary to equip the Nissan Leaf with 400 kg of additional batteries. Enough to fill all his trunk and his back seat. Even without its pedals, the velomobile is still 20 times more efficient than the car, consuming only 0,7 kWh per 100 km compared to 15 kWh for the Nissan Leaf.
According to the author, assisted velomobile is none other than the only truly sustainable mode of transport. But for this alternative mode of transport to develop, legislation would have to evolve. Today considered as electric bikes, assisted velomobiles are indeed restrained at 25 km / h in France. Precisely the threshold from which their aerodynamics makes them more efficient than the bike ...
In the United States, an all-electric prototype running at 110 km / h already exists, the Raht Racer. But if you are rather a fan of slow, maybe you will be seduced by an amphibious velomobile, equipped with a small propeller to go on the water.
Jean Jacques Valette
Source: https://www.wedemain.fr/Le-velomobile-8 ... _a954.html