View Single Post
Old 12-30-2008, 09:58 PM   #3 (permalink)
Bicycle Bob
EcoModding Apprentice
 
Bicycle Bob's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: N. Saskatchewan, CA
Posts: 1,805

Appliance White - '93 Geo Metro 4-Dr. Auto
Last 3: 42.35 mpg (US)

Stealth RV - '91 Chevy Sprint Base
Thanks: 91
Thanked 460 Times in 328 Posts
That won't be doing 60 MPH without a battery or a hill. There has been a lot of research into human powered vehicles, but these folks don't seem to have studied it. Pedals are still the best way to interface a person and a generator and four badly synchronized rowers are by no means analogous to a four cylinder heat engine. Also, few people are willing or even able to sustain an output of 1/3 HP, especially on a stationary generator, as proposed. To beat a standard bicycle, you mainly have to improve the streamlining, which can double the speed in racing models.
__________________
There is no excuse for a land vehicle to weigh more than its average payload.
  Reply With Quote