Vehicles and Mechanical Systems

HPV Hybrid Pedal CarNear Riverscape


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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