Whenever the green community is asked if there is a vehicle that a single person can use for short travel distances (or long if they like) yet doesn’t add to carbon emissions, they usually provide the answer in the form of a bicycle. To this day, the old progression pedal system on two wheels is the cleanest and greenest way anyone can get from point A to point B. However, the green community does understand not anyone is capable of using such.
Therefore, one within the green community utilized solar energy – which was already implemented into water desalination and automotive transportation – and applied it to bicycles. The end result: the solar bike – the world’s greenest electric bike.
According to Übergizmo , the leaps and bounds in design for both photovoltaics (that’s the fancy scientific term for solar energy studies) and bottle batteries and hub motors have made the solar bike possible to make. Invented by Jesper Frausig from Denmark, the solar panels are installed on the wheels of the bike while the battery is inside the down pipe/tube of the bicycle.
“The on-wheel solar cells deliver clean energy directly to the battery. While the Solar Bike is standing still, it charges the battery. When it is in motion, the solar cells and the battery provides energy for the motor.”
The solar bike is said to have a range of 70 km (43 miles), maxes its speed out at 50 km/hr (30 mph), and has a standard speed of 25 km/hr (15 mph). It should also be noted that its basic design is that of a bike, so the pedal system is still incorporated for those who want to switch over to manual power (like going downhill for example). The only concern about the solar bike are the questions left unanswered , according to Minds . For example, how long does the solar bike take to charge?
Despite such inquiries, if people are looking for an electric bike that never needs to be plugged in to the power grid, one is now available. And if one needs more information on the solar bike, Jesper Frausig provided the following promotional video to help sell his invention.
[Image via Jesper Frausig]