Elf Electric Pedal Car: When 1 Horsepower Is Enough

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323368704578593651252009998.html#project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB10001424127887324879504578597992560021074%26articleTabs%3Darticle

by ph0rque • 13 years ago

25 14 13 years ago

online.wsj.com

trothamel• 13 years ago

A top speed of 20 mph seems dangerously slow for public roads.

gensym• 13 years ago

I think that's why the article mentions "bike-lane legal". It sounds like it's trying to be a bike with a big cage attached and an electric assist. Personally, without the maneuverability of a bicycle, I can't imagine how it can be at all practical on US streets.

ChuckMcM• 13 years ago

More of an enclosed recumbent bike than it is a 'car' so you could say "dangerously fast for a 3 wheel bike" :-) (tricycles are notoriously prone to flipping over because of the way they convert angular momentum.)

I suspect it is a bit more fun than a golf cart though.

jholman• 13 years ago

My understanding is that it's single-wheel-in-front trikes that are dangerous when cornering at speed. This vehicle has the single wheel in the back.

lambdasquirrel• 13 years ago

20mph is slow even for a bike. That figure was "top assisted speed."

HaloZero• 13 years ago

I guess the main benefit of a motor on a bike would be to get up hills quickly so you don't have to pedal as much, flat pedaling would be fine.

I wonder where you would park it though? Would you need to have a parking spot for it? That's expensive in a city like San Francisco and finding a parking spot sucks going anywhere.

josephlord• 13 years ago

An expanded one of these with room for a couple of children would probably be useful. I know one person who cycles the school run with a 5 year old in a seat at the back of the bike and two younger children in a bike trailer.

schmrz• 13 years ago

The first thing that crossed my mind when I read this is that it would be a huge and tragic disaster if that person would get hit by a car. It just doesn't seem safe enough.

brent_noorda• 13 years ago

You're right. Those things are death traps, accidents just waiting to happen. And by "those things" I mean "cars".

radiowave• 13 years ago

A latter day Sinclair C5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_C5

IvyMike• 13 years ago

As a rule of thumb, if you need to move a horse-like weight at horse-like speeds, one horsepower will do.

tocomment• 13 years ago

Why are most law mowers 5 hp?

WayneDB• 13 years ago

Probably because the horses are used for moving the blade more than the mower.

kamakazizuru• 13 years ago

For the price they're offering it - I feel like it might end up going down the same road as a Segway. For 5000$ - why not buy a used car if you really cant get around those distances on foot? I just feel like the speed vs price vs safety vs existence of other much cheaper options - will make this thing a lot less attractive.

Elf Electric Pedal Car: When 1 Horsepower Is Enough

Related Stories