Vehicles and Mechanical Systems
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HPV Hybrid Pedal Car | Near Riverscape
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With the close proximity of the area bicycle paths to the SWFTEC
headquarters we couldn't resist. Heres a "sometimes" hybrid solar
electric pedal car we designed and built. We can run it with the
electric motor, gearbox and battery pack in hybrid mode or stripped
down as seen here for bike path cruising. The pedal car also has a
removeable solar panel to charge the battery while cruising. The
power assist works good for fast acceleration, hill climbing and
holding speed into a head wind. With human power alone the vehicle
is capable of cruising at the bicycle path speed limit of 20 mph.
Slightly faster where permitted. Electric alone it goes around 18
mph and with both pedalling and electric assist it tops out at
about 26 mph. Earlier versions of this vehicle with dual motors
had a top speed of 35 mph but that was a bit fast. The left lever
is the steering lever. Sort of works like the wing warping lever
on a Wright Flyer. The right lever is the shifting lever. All the
way back is first gear. All the way forward is fifth gear. Control
box on top of the right lever is the electric motor control. Has
dual oversized caliper brakes on the rear wheels.
This is a simple example of our mechanical systems prototyping
capabilities. We have built machines of various types. Various robot
type things, autonomous vehicles, human powered vehicles, unique sail
boats, boats including hydrofoils, remote controlled submarines,
aircraft, hovercraft, helicopters and rockets to name a few.
Click here to E-Mail swftec@aol.com for more info, comments
or request
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