Like everyone else I assumed that in the future we’d have flying cars just like on The Jetsons. I never would have thought that instead, the car of the future would be more like The Flintstones, one that we power ourselves. And yet here we are. On the verge of getting a bike powered car while flying cars have yet to take off.
As Fast Company puts it:
“Biking to your job is great until it rains and you show up soaked to work. Biking to the store is splendid until you spot a good deal on canned goods and try to lug too much stuff home. So many of us, in the U.S. especially, bite the bullet and buy a car for all those situations where a bike is a tricky fit.
But what if your bike was your car? According to the bike manufacturer Canyon, it’s an idea a lot less out there than you might think. Together with the Technical University of Aachen, Canyon has developed an intriguing concept for the future of mobility. It’s basically an electric car that you pedal.
On the outside, it looks like a small hatchback car—complete with four wheels and a big front windshield. But on the inside, it’s actually a recumbent bike, a bike that you sit in almost like a La-Z-Boy and pedal from a reclined position (which is known for being easier on your back, butt, and knees than a typical bike). When fitted with an electrical assist engine such as you see in modern e-bikes, the car helps the rider-driver pedal to speeds up to 37 mph, and it has nearly 100 miles of range between charging.
The temptations of the design are obvious: The vehicle’s body offers the rider a sense of shelter, which is why Canyon suggests it could be ridden confidently in rain and even snow. (An innovative roof slides open like a convertible to let the passenger inside. And on sunny days, they can leave the roof open while riding to enjoy the fresh air.) The car also features a back storage area, which can hold groceries or even a child.
But Canyon imagines the biggest benefit to this design is having a vehicle that can snake its way through the urban jungle, confidently cruising down the streets alongside cars at a maximum speed of 37 mph, but also cutting into the thin bike lane when traffic gets backed up.”
I highly doubt that this Flintstones style car ever goes mainstream. Most people who drive cars are too lazy to pedal power them. But I do think it has staying power as an alternative to bikes in certain situations, such as going shopping or needing protection from the weather. So who knows, maybe the future really will be more like The Flintstones than The Jetsons. Who would’ve thunk it?
Leave a comment