Human powered car can reach 60mph
Human powered car can reach 60mph
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johnhere

Original Poster:

168 posts

219 months

Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,918 posts

237 months

Friday 20th August 2010
quotequote all
The Article said:
An American engineer has developed a car that can run purely on people power and reach speeds of up to 60mph.

Known as the HumanCar Imagine PS, the vehicle is operated by hand cranks. The driver and passengers crank levers back and forth to generate power that propels the car. It can reach 60mph on flat ground and 30mph on hills.

The Imagine PS can accommodate up to four passengers and it's a case of the more the merrier, as more bodies mean more power. There's also a back up electric battery to boost power when there are less passengers.

The vehicle is the brainchild of engineer Charles Greenwood, who has been developing it for over 40 years. He began the project in 1968 as a way to reduce exhaust pollution and make lazy drivers healthier.

The Imagine PS is due to go on sale next year and cost about £10,000. HumanCar says that it has already received 100 pre-orders.

A roof is being developed for production cars and there are plans to add a touch-screen satnav system and airbags.

The company has a long-term business plan and intends to market the Imagine PS in developing countries. Full production will begin when the firm has 800 pre-orders, but the Imagine PS is already road legal.
Feel the imagine.... biggrin


Scraggles

7,619 posts

245 months

Friday 20th August 2010
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seems to be battery powered with human backup, suspect a dead battery and going uphill would take a long, long time

Mikey G

4,848 posts

261 months

Friday 20th August 2010
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Must be a wind up shirley?

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

225 months

Saturday 21st August 2010
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60 mph by human power only in that i'm sorry i call bull

These guy can do 80ish by pedal power but they are a bit slippier n the aero department

VYT

585 posts

283 months

Tuesday 24th August 2010
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Not a cat in hells chance of that doing 60mph with one person cranking, or even 2. I build Human powered race cars and Pedal / Petrol hybrids. The pedal petrol Hybrid and just do 100km/h with the engine at full tilt and the rider pedalling like crazy. Total power about 1kW. Vehicle CdA is about 0.1

Morningside

24,143 posts

250 months

Wednesday 25th August 2010
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Sinclair take note. THIS is where you went wrong.

FranKinFezza

1,073 posts

200 months

Thursday 26th August 2010
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That's not a car.

It's an exercise bike screwed to a gocart
horrible thing you wont look like a tit pumping the hell out of that at all will younuts

and "only" 10000 too.

Evangelion

8,296 posts

199 months

Sunday 29th August 2010
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That looks so flimsy it's not true. Just imagine (no pun intended!) how many construction and use/health and safety regulations it must contravene.

It's not going to be so efficient once they add all the necessary ABS/ESP/side impact bars is it?

foilist

101 posts

189 months

Thursday 2nd September 2010
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The world's fastest bicycle was Fred Rompelberg who managed 167mph at Bonneville. He was assisted by a hot rod immediately in front of him acting as the mother of all lead out men

http://www.teammccallusa.com/history.html

yak541973

9 posts

185 months

Thursday 2nd September 2010
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I can't understand why he chose to power it using arms rather than legs? Your legs can do much more work.

javedjee77

1 posts

185 months

Friday 3rd September 2010
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I agree with you.

Evangelion

8,296 posts

199 months

Friday 3rd September 2010
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yak541973 said:
I can't understand why he chose to power it using arms rather than legs? Your legs can do much more work.
It's also more instinctive to steer with the arms rather than the legs!

yak541973

9 posts

185 months

Friday 3rd September 2010
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I wasnt talking about steering, POWERING!

DullBoy

89 posts

184 months

Wednesday 22nd September 2010
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I bet some wker manages a quick 1/4 mile

fido

18,294 posts

276 months

Sunday 26th September 2010
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Is it only 60mph? The current record over an hour is 54 miles!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recumbent_bicycle#Per...

Evo8MR JR

291 posts

192 months

Thursday 30th September 2010
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Which would be 54 miles per hour no?

johnnysniper

7 posts

184 months

Friday 1st October 2010
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A failure engineering idea worth 10000..