⚡ Trike Truck 🦵
A human/electric hybrid alternative to the car
- IN DEVELOPMENT -
- IN DEVELOPMENT -
Why?
I use my bicycle for as much of my transportation needs as possible, and I sometimes run errands by bike as well. However, when the weather is bad and/or I need to carry stuff/people with me, I take my car - a RAV4 Hybrid. It's a good car, but it's built for carrying 5 people AND cargo across a variety of terrains in quiet, climate controlled comfort at 75 mph for about 350 miles between dinosaur juice fill-ups. All this capability and comfort means it weighs a TON (actually over 4,000 lbs) and because of that, it requires a lot of energy to travel around, degrades our roads much more quickly than a bicycle and costs me MUCH more to operate than a bike. In short, it's simply wasteful to use it when it isn't absolutely necessary, and being wasteful makes me sad.
There are a lot of scenarios in which I opt for the car. The main reason I use my car over my bike is for weather-related reasons. If it's snowing or raining, it is just downright nasty to gear-up and fight through it on a bike. I do it from time to time, but let's be honest: sweating in the cold underneath waterproof layers is not something that anybody enjoys, even if you are warm enough, and it's unsafe to bike on curvy canyon roads when there's snow and ice present. Speaking of sweat - another reason is convenience. I love pedaling, but I'm not ALWAYS in the mood to get sweaty. One final reason is that sometimes I need to carry a lot of cargo and/or a passenger. These three scenarios probably account for 30-50% of all my car trips. The other 50-70% is used for driving to far-away MTB trail systems or going on snowboarding or camping trips.
So, if I want to avoid as many trips by car as possible, I need a vehicle that:
I have a few goals I am trying to achieve by doing this project:
To get a sense of the energy savings made available by switching from the average car to a few other more conventional eco-friendly options, take a look at the following:
There are a lot of scenarios in which I opt for the car. The main reason I use my car over my bike is for weather-related reasons. If it's snowing or raining, it is just downright nasty to gear-up and fight through it on a bike. I do it from time to time, but let's be honest: sweating in the cold underneath waterproof layers is not something that anybody enjoys, even if you are warm enough, and it's unsafe to bike on curvy canyon roads when there's snow and ice present. Speaking of sweat - another reason is convenience. I love pedaling, but I'm not ALWAYS in the mood to get sweaty. One final reason is that sometimes I need to carry a lot of cargo and/or a passenger. These three scenarios probably account for 30-50% of all my car trips. The other 50-70% is used for driving to far-away MTB trail systems or going on snowboarding or camping trips.
So, if I want to avoid as many trips by car as possible, I need a vehicle that:
- Protects me from weather and keeps me from falling on snow & ice
- Assists my pedaling effort with at least one electric motor
- Allows me to carry one passenger and cargo
- Can be used just like a bicycle to take advantage of bicycle path networks and bicycle lanes
- Is simple to build, maintain and repair so that more people can follow this model of personal, in-town eco-friendly transportation
I have a few goals I am trying to achieve by doing this project:
- Reduce my personal environmental footprint while also improving my physical fitness and mental health.
- Create the product that will allow as many people as possible to join the cause
- Bring awareness to and address the myriad of issues exacerbated by using a car for everything - including, but not limited to: Air quality issues; environmental impact of waste associated with producing and operating multi-ton vehicles; city congestion & revenue lost to parking lots/car infrastructure; pedestrian/cyclist safety; infrastructure maintenance; mental and physical health issues associated with a sedentary lifestyle, and financial drain/stress of vehicle ownership
To get a sense of the energy savings made available by switching from the average car to a few other more conventional eco-friendly options, take a look at the following:
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2020 EPA Average U.S. Car
Weighs 4,156 lbs (1885 kg) Uses 133 kWh / 100 miles (25.4 MPG) 2022 Toyota Prius
Weighs 3,220 lbs (1461 kg) Uses 61 kWh / 100 miles (55 MPG) Uses 46% of what U.S. Avg. Car needs 2022 Tesla Model S
Weighs 4,561 lbs (2069 kg) Uses 25 kWh / 100 miles (135 MPGe) Uses 19% of what U.S. Avg. Car needs E-Velo (2-Person)*
Weighs 200-300 lbs (91-136 kg) Uses 3.13 kWh / 100 miles (1,079 MPGe)** Uses 2.4% of what U.S. Avg. Car needs Bicycle*
Weighs about 30 lbs (13.6 kg) Uses 0.83 kWh / 100 miles (4,060 MPGe)** Uses 0.6% of what U.S. Avg. Car needs * Please keep in mind the numbers here for the electrified velomobile (e-velo) and the bicycle are rough calculations. I estimate that the energy consumption of the e-velo will vary wildly depending on how much pedaling is done compared to electric assist. I used numbers that I believe are easily achievable, even if using a generous assist setting.
** The rough estimation I've found online is that the human body is about 25% efficient at converting food energy to muscular kinetic energy. So, even though it might only take about a kilowatt of input to go 100 miles on a bicycle, a human would have to eat four times the equivalent food energy in order to produce that power, making the human engine fairly inefficient, but on the plus side, it's the only engine out there that actually improves in health and power the more it's used! These MPG numbers can be adjusted to 25% of their value if pure human power is being used. |
tNote: kWh/100 miles(or kilometers) is the best way to directly compare energy consumption across all vehicle types. When doing comparisons using this metric, a smaller number is preferable as it indicates less energy required to travel a given distance.
In order for these energy requirements for each vehicle to go down (or for fuel economy numbers to go up), we need to do some combination of electrification (because electric powertrains are significantly more efficient), reducing weight, and improving aerodynamics. As we go from the average car to a Prius, the car loses weight, gains the ability to recouperate energy and drive the wheels with less losses by using electric motors, and it becomes more aerodynamic than most cars, leading to the Prius only requiring 46% of the energy the average car needs to go the same distance. Going from the Prius to the Tesla, we see that the weight increases substantially. However, despite the extra weight, the enormous gains in efficiency from ditching the internal combustion engine (ICE) & drivetrain for an electric system means that the Tesla only requires 41% of the energy the Prius needs to go the same distance, and only 19% of the energy that the average car needs to travel 100 miles. That's pretty impressive for electric cars in terms of efficiency... I mean regular cars need FIVE TIMES the energy to do the same task as them... But I still think we can do better... because we don't always need to be piloting a 4,500-pound vehicle that is capable of doing 155 mph or 0-60 in 3 seconds... or a vehicle that has an insulated and climate-controlled interior cabin. So, what if we take the most efficient version of a regular car (an electric one), and mix it with the most efficient vehicle that exists - the bicycle? We end up with a slightly heavier bike with a ton of added features. We still pedal to move, but now there's an electric motor to compensate for the added weight of the vehicle and a passenger. In some configurations when we have a passenger, they can function as an additional motor by pedaling with us. We have a shell around us that protects us from the weather, helps us transport bulky things and gives us a surface to mount things like lights and solar panels to. This electrified velomobile (e-velo) doesn't go as fast as a Tesla, or as far on electric only, but it only requires 12.5% of the energy to travel the same distance as a Model S, and only 2.35% of the energy required by the average car. Also, because it is so small and energy-sipping, the solar could easily trickle charge a meaningful amount of charge back into a battery while parked, AND even if you run your battery to 0%, the vehicle is light enough to pedal it home with a little sweat. |
Putting it all together...
Most of us need to travel somewhere away from home on a daily or near-daily basis. The average commute is 16 miles, for a travel day of 32 miles. Using the energy consumption numbers from above:
The world seems to be focused on getting people out of internal combustion cars and into electric cars for the sake of the environment. Once EVERYBODY is driving electric, this will improve our efficiency by about 5x, which is decent! However, as we can see here, that solution doesn't go nearly as far as replacing the car and opting for a bike or something in-between a car and a bike for half or more of our trips. The energy savings from ONE person opting for an E-velomobile makes the same positive impact as SIX people choosing electric cars for the same trip, and the energy savings from every ONE person opting for a bicycle has the same positive impact as THIRTY-TWO people choosing to use electric cars over ICE cars.
Because I cannot or will not use a normal bicycle for ALL my trips, but I DO care about the environment and my wallet, it makes sense to design and build something that uses bicycle technology in a more utilitarian way, and remains a bicycle for all legal and practical purposes. This vehicle will allow a person to only use a car when the situation requires it - which in my opinion is the only time they should be used! Using a 4,000-pound SUV to pick up 2lbs of eggs at the grocery store on the other side of town is like using a 747 jet engine to dry your hair after a shower. Completely unnecessary and grossly inefficient.
My aim is to create something easy to build and sell plans for others to make their own versions. Excess weight and complexity are being avoided as much as possible in order to maximize range, cost effectiveness and serviceability. As such, below are a few of the features I have planned for it:
- The energy required to power the average car for 32 miles (1 day of use)...
- Would have powered a Prius for 70 miles (2 days of use)
- Would have powered a Tesla for 170 miles (5 days of use)
- Would have powered an E-velomobile for 1,376 miles (43 days of use)
- Would have powered a person on a bicycle for 5,128 miles (160 days of use)
The world seems to be focused on getting people out of internal combustion cars and into electric cars for the sake of the environment. Once EVERYBODY is driving electric, this will improve our efficiency by about 5x, which is decent! However, as we can see here, that solution doesn't go nearly as far as replacing the car and opting for a bike or something in-between a car and a bike for half or more of our trips. The energy savings from ONE person opting for an E-velomobile makes the same positive impact as SIX people choosing electric cars for the same trip, and the energy savings from every ONE person opting for a bicycle has the same positive impact as THIRTY-TWO people choosing to use electric cars over ICE cars.
Because I cannot or will not use a normal bicycle for ALL my trips, but I DO care about the environment and my wallet, it makes sense to design and build something that uses bicycle technology in a more utilitarian way, and remains a bicycle for all legal and practical purposes. This vehicle will allow a person to only use a car when the situation requires it - which in my opinion is the only time they should be used! Using a 4,000-pound SUV to pick up 2lbs of eggs at the grocery store on the other side of town is like using a 747 jet engine to dry your hair after a shower. Completely unnecessary and grossly inefficient.
My aim is to create something easy to build and sell plans for others to make their own versions. Excess weight and complexity are being avoided as much as possible in order to maximize range, cost effectiveness and serviceability. As such, below are a few of the features I have planned for it:
Planned Features:
- Steel frame trike, delta configuration
- Front wheel drive & steering
- Coroplast/aluminum & lexan fairing
- Electric assist via clutchless geared hub motor & regenerative braking.
- Integrated lighting, turn signals & horn
- 1 rider, one passenger and/or cargo behind
- 20" x 2.4" (standard BMX - ISO 406) wheels all around
- Standard bicycle disc brakes on all wheels (only for emergencies/parking - regen should provide most braking)
- Steel frame trike, delta configuration
- Front wheel drive & steering
- Coroplast/aluminum & lexan fairing
- Electric assist via clutchless geared hub motor & regenerative braking.
- Integrated lighting, turn signals & horn
- 1 rider, one passenger and/or cargo behind
- 20" x 2.4" (standard BMX - ISO 406) wheels all around
- Standard bicycle disc brakes on all wheels (only for emergencies/parking - regen should provide most braking)
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To do: ⚙️
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In progress: 👨🏭
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Done: ☑️
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Design 👨🏭
Main frame ⚙️
Seats ☑️
Steering ⚙️
Front brake mounts ⚙️
Front boom ⚙️
Bottom bracket ⚙️
Main chain routing ⚙️
Battery tray ⚙️
Test ride phase ⚙️
Disassemble + paint frame ⚙️
Floor ⚙️
Shell ⚙️
Canopy ⚙️
Convertible soft-top ⚙️
⚡⚡ Electronics ⚡⚡
E-Assist System ⚙️
Turn signals ⚙️
Headlights ⚙️
Taillights ⚙️
Horn ⚙️
Solar array? ⚙️
Finalize plans ⚙️
Main frame ⚙️
Seats ☑️
Steering ⚙️
Front brake mounts ⚙️
Front boom ⚙️
Bottom bracket ⚙️
Main chain routing ⚙️
Battery tray ⚙️
Test ride phase ⚙️
Disassemble + paint frame ⚙️
Floor ⚙️
Shell ⚙️
Canopy ⚙️
Convertible soft-top ⚙️
⚡⚡ Electronics ⚡⚡
E-Assist System ⚙️
Turn signals ⚙️
Headlights ⚙️
Taillights ⚙️
Horn ⚙️
Solar array? ⚙️
Finalize plans ⚙️
