
anyone seen that on the BBC lunchtime news?
costs $ 40,000 -
some german geezer invented it - it can go at 50 mph and claimed to be zero emission.
what was not siad or maybe I missed it is how it is powered - no mention of having to plug it in to charge it -otherwise it would not be 0 emission
but a quick glance on t'web says it has generator that is pedalled to charge battery.
that has to be BS since the rider was pedalling really slow - and to reach 50 mph is something only the top sprinters, who can deliver more watts, can
muster for only few seconds pedaling like the clappers!
so there has to be battery that needs charging as surely a person cannot supply that much energy, whcih includes losses to convert from:
mechnical (rider) -> electrical(generator)-> chemical(battery) -> electrical(motor) -> mechanical (motor)
http://www.erockit.net/
quote:
This is possible due to the proprietary eROCKIT electronics monitoring the driver's muscular effort and multiplying it by a factor of up to 50. The multiplied force is then transmitted to the rear wheel propelling the eROCKIT to a top speed of up to 80 kph (50 mph).
If you watch the video it kind suggests that basically it's just an electrically assisted bicycle but the level of assistance is dependent on how
hard you are pedelling IE no pedelling = 0mph.
Bit silly really. The person probably only contributes 10% of the power used...
ok, seems it is a con; reading between the lines:
Q: What is the cost of recharging the batteries?
A: Fully recharging the batteries costs in Germany around 60 Eurocents.</dd>
Q: How much carbon dioxide does the eROCKIT emit?
A: The eROCKIT uses an electric motor - therefore there are no CO2 emissions while driving[/.b].
so in effect a rechargeable battery powered bike with a pedal driven generator .... for $ 40,000 ... must be having a laugh.
ehem 40k sure thats right?
it appears to be an electric push bike
I think I'd rather use my cbr125 tbh, even that does over 50mph
They definitely said 40K on the news report - that'd buy me a whole lot of petrol!
quote:
Originally posted by SteveWalker
They definitely said 40K on the news report - that'd buy me a whole lot of petrol!
It really appears to be an electically driven bicycle with rider assist. There was something in law in this country that stopped electric drive only bicycles, more recent ones require the rider to pedal and hence assist the motor. Just seems like an advanced one of those.
so the batteries have to be charged up by plugging into a fossil fueled electricicty grid. zero emissions? i dont think so...
even better was the bicycle they had on Newsround (yeah... i know...) made of bamboo, so very environmentally friendly, the bamboo is grown in
thailand, shipped all the way to california where the bikes are assembled, and then shipped to britain to sell. so as you can see, VERY evironmentally
friendly, hmmmm......
on £4k for a normal push bike too... great