Tag Archives: human-powered vehicles

Hungarian hybrid, planned for 2012 production, gets 150 mpg

Jorge Chapa, writing in Inhabitat, reports that the Hungarian prototype for the Antro Solo, production planned for 2012, gets 150 mpg, and here’s how:

  • The hybrid electric/fossil fuel engine, familiar now to most of us – which captures energy while braking, thus recharging the electric batteries;
  • an exceptionally light carbon composite frame;
  • solar panels on the roof which can provide power for a 15 – 25 km trip (the post doesn’t specify how long that charge takes);
  • The two passenger seats (it’s a three-seater) come with bicycle pedals, which can offset the car’s energy consumption;
  • So if it’s dark, the battery is exhausted, you and your passengers are exhausted, what’s the last option?

Trick question: two options – a dual-fuel petrol/ethanol engine. Sound like an easy fit for a “station car,” if there’s any light at all. TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: Antro Solo gets 150mpg at Inhabitat, in turn viaAutoFiends. [singlepic=261,288,216,,right]

If this technology, and others like it, become competitive – whoever has developed it stands to make a lot of money – and contribute to a gradual drip-drip of oil company profits. (Today’s Times has a comment from a Saudi official, who articulated some anxiety that current price shock and anger might result in people remembering the current state of affairs, and reducing long-term demand for petroleum; we’ll try to post about this later – but – you read it here first – at least some of the Saudi leadership think’s we’re intelligent and adaptive. Flattery).

Things with wheels that can be used to transport people and stuff.

We’ve been thinking about this a bit: perhaps part of the standard inventory for CERT teams should be a few cargo bicycles or carts that can be pulled by bicycles – or by people. (It’s hard to find donkeys and burros in our part of Brooklyn).

Here’s a design from the Netherlands:

Querida bike from dutchbikes.usQuerida bike from dutchbikes.us

Dutch Cargo Tricycle

Here’s a link to the U.S. importer. They’ve got a number of other models, too.

Here’s cart – other models of this product are in use by the U.S. military – they’ve got one that supports a stretcher – check out how compactly it stores:

Charlie’s Horse Model 601

And here it is folded up:

Charlie’s Horse Model 601 - folded up

Link to the Charlie’s Horse Deployment System.

We’re going to see if we can find them in use locally and see how they hold up.