these alternatives could make commuting under your own power a more attractive option. When enough people find an option attractive, city governments will hopefully react accordingly.
If you think that HPVs are just too slow, you might find it interesting that HPVs and their riders can reach land speeds of more than 50 mph (judged from a standing start over a one-hour duration), according to the U.S. Human Powered Vehicle Association (HPVA; www.hpva.us/land. html) and the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA; www.ihpva.org/ Records). Of course, your own results may vary.
You don’t need to be an athlete to consider commuting by HPV. Many forms of HPV now come with optional electric-assist “hub motors,” which can be used “full throttle” or as an assist when riding uphill and from standing starts. Such systems let you balance the benefits of exercise with commuting via HPV and the need to arrive at work in dry clothes.
The 100-year-old-plus Heinzmann company offers complete electric-assist bicycles and kits that can be used to convert existing bikes to electric-assist configurations (www.heinzmannusa. com). The BionX system also offers electric-assist kits that include digital display controllers, varying rider-selected levels of assist programs, and the ability to regenerate power while coasting and braking ( www.bionx.ca). There are many other such systems available, including some that are designed to work in industrial and commercial light electric and HPV applications (for example, www.cyclesmaximus.com).
In a perfect world, one could just switch infrastructures to accommodate changing needs and new, greener technologies. Sadly, this isn’t a perfect world. HPVs need to be integrated into existing transportation and social infrastructures. There is a role for interaction designers in creating this integration.
First, interaction designers can design interactivity to motivate ordinary people to adopt environmentally friendly alternatives like HPVs. This may be accomplished through the myriad social channels afforded by present information technologies and others that are yet to be imagined. For
example, someone in our community could design a carbon-footprint calculator that helps people see the benefits of changing to HPV commuting, plan HPV-friendly routes, and understand the financial benefits as well as the environmental benefits of such a change. The health benefits that accrue from increased exercise are another issue, one that is an important but much less emphasized aspect of sustainable ways of being.
The use of computers on bikes appears to be mostly limited to measurement tools for athletes. Much more could be done to make HPVs more attractive to commuters and others. You can mount a GPS device to your HPV—GPS devices with settings for bicycles are available—use Bluetooth to enable hands-free speakerphone functions, and have embedded mp3 players. Our community has studied such devices for cars somewhat extensively, especially with respect to issues of cognitive overload, but the issue of how such devices create benefits and problems in the HPV context needs to be studied. Moreover, we could be the designers who call for making HPV systems that integrate gauge, controller, and battery systems into single integrated systems—from the assist motors to lighting systems to HPV-specific GPS devices to mobile communications that work in the wind. Some systemic thinking must take place to make HPVs practical for ordinary folks.
Some other issues to which interaction designers may wish to direct attention include understanding the relation of weather to HPVs. What constitutes “safe” weather for HPVs? How can interactive technologies be used to make riders aware of weather limits, and can such technologies be employed in a personal and mobile way? Yet another issue is the ways in which HPVs interact with public transportation systems. How can interactive technologies be used to manage such interactions? Is there a future in which you will be able to ride your velomobile to the train station or airport? Will you be able to take your velomobile along? There is an opportunity to design interactive systems to help with HPV-specific parking location and safe route planning while on the road.
One of the most important issues is safety. Wide adoption of various forms of HPVs implies a wider variety of vehicle sizes and types and nominal visibility, speed, and braking capabilities sharing the same pathways than ever before. Perhaps there is a
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