The Twike is a hybrid, but not in the conventional sense – it blends human and electric power for an emissions-free transportation solution. Originally conceived in Switzerland as a purely human-powered TWIN BIKE, a German company has taken over and added electric batteries and regenerative braking to the current iteration.
The Twike’s definitely is not your typical “car”: The interior is basically a side-by-side recumbent tandem. Both driver and passenger have an optional “pedal drive interface.” The pedals operate independently, so the driver and passenger can pedal as they please. According to Twike, “the fitted 5-gear box allows comfortable pedaling at speeds between 15 and 45 mph. The pedal drive is connected directly to the drive train by a freewheel to provide maximum efficiency.”
The vehicle’s range is 20 to 90 miles per charge, depending on terrain. The claimed max speed is 53 mph, with an acceleration from 0 to 40 in 9 seconds. The driver steers, brakes and accelerates with a joystick and buttons, leaving plenty of room to pedal. Best of all, the Twike’s electric motor gets about 565 miles per gallon!
Both the efficiency and range can be extended by as much as 50% by hard-pedaling participation. The driver and passenger can each contribute as much as 250 watts towards propulsion. I would imagine that the human-powered range would actually be infinity per charge if you can operate just by pedal power, as long as the car’s systems (braking, etc.) don’t shut down with low batteries.
At $27,500 these babies aren’t cheap. But they’ve already sold out for 2007, and there’s a waiting list for 2008 models.
From Twike:
It all starts in the human heart.
That gets the blood pumping,
which gets the legs moving,
which gets the Twike rolling.
Breathing helps,
and the Twike helps breathing,
both in the lungs of the well-conditioned pilot,
and in the clean air flowing smoothly
behind the aerodynamic shell.
Tailpipes?
We don’t need no stinking tailpipes.
The Twike has 7000 watts on tap
at the touch of a button.
In addition, a hard-charging pair of riders
can produce 500 watts of power
All power sources have some associated environmental impact (including food), but electric motors, even when powered with “dirty” sources like coal, are still much cleaner systems than fossil fuel-powered engines. They also enable the consumer to choose greener, sustainable power sources. Combine that with the vehicle’s engine efficiency and the ability to pedal assist – Seems like the ideal around-town car. And, if you happen to live in London or certain parts of California, you can park and get recharged for free!
