EDITOR Eli Blevis eblevis@indiana.edu
Indiana University | eblevis@indiana.edu
If you are at all concerned about the environment
or even just worried about the rising cost of gaso-
line, you’ve probably wondered about the realities
and promises of electric, hybrid electric, ethanol,
biodiesel, propane (LPG), natural gas (CNG), hydro-
gen, even compressed air, and other alternative
vehicle power technologies. There’s another pair of
alternatives you may or may not have considered—
human-powered vehicles (HPV) and hybrid elec-
tric-assist human-powered vehicles. An HPV or
perhaps an electric-assisted HPV—the other
hybrid—may be in your future.
Forms of Human-Powered Vehicles
HPV might seem like a fancy
term for a bicycle, and it is.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of
HPVs that appear to be coming
into their own, ones that go
well beyond what you might
think of as the upright
two-wheeled form of the
common bicycle.
Recumbent bikes. A
bike is recumbent
if you ride it in a
seated position,
legs forward rather
than beneath you.
Recumbent bikes
are a bit odd look-
ing, but they are
more comfort-
able and more
aerodynamically
efficient than
upright bikes.
The recumbent
design is in no way
new, but there is a
renewed interest in
recumbent bikes.
Delta trikes. A delta trike has three wheels,
one in front and two behind the rider, who takes a seated position. You probably associate delta trikes with small children, but there are some very sophisticated—and expensive—designs now available that would make wonderful commuting vehicles, notably the Kettwiesel line from Hase (www. hasebikes.com). Like recumbents, delta trikes are very comfortable and have the added advantage of stability. Also, the rider does not have to remove her or his feet from the pedals when stopping.
Tadpole trikes. A tadpole trike also has three wheels, but two in front and one behind the seated rider. Tadpole trikes are generally lower to the ground than delta trikes and more aerodynamically efficient as a result. On the downside, they are much less easily visible to cars, and their proximity to the ground may make them more difficult for older riders to “mount” and “dismount.”
Fairings. A fairing is a partial enclosure mounted commonly to the front of an HPV, which offers protection as a windscreen from adverse weather conditions, as well as offering oftentimes substantial improvements to aerodynamic efficiency
Velomobiles. Fully enclosed HPVs are velomobiles, which are usually based on tadpole trikes and are often available with electric-assist motors. These machines can be very sleek—the go-one (www.go- one.us) and the aerorider ( www.aerorider.com) are some “sweet ride” examples. A comprehensive list of these machines appears at www.velomobiling. com. The stability of a trike, the weatherproofing of full enclosure, and the benefits of exercise are among the most attractive elements of velomobiles. As for downsides, they include the expense of being an early adopter and the safety issues of being in a vehicle that is low to the ground and barely visible to cars.
If you are lucky enough to live in a city that already embraces bicycles, much of this is probably not news to you; you may have already seen all of these HPVs. If you don’t live in such a city, these HPVs may be part of the recipe for changing the place you call home into an HPV-friendly and environmentally friendly area. It’s possible that one of
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