The 60MPH Hand-Cranked Hybrid Car
Posted by Alec_Liu on Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010
Professor Charles Samuel Greenwood first began working on human powered cars in 1968. The recently announced Imagine PS (the PS stands for power statsion), built by HumanCar, is the culmination of nearly half a century of dedicated work and should be available sometime next year.
It’s a four seater street legal vehicle where if everyone is cranking — essentially a rowing like motion — the vehicle can run on human power alone. The company notes that even a senior citizen of reasonable health should be able to handle the physical burden with no problem. And for those days you just want to chill? The vehicle has an electric battery and can be plugged in.
Understanding today’s culture of personalization, HumanCar has made the chassis customizable with different styling and battery options that can be easily swapped. With a top speed of 60 mph on flat land and about half that uphill, the car isn’t fast but it’s certainly no slouch.
And it’s reasonably priced. For only $15,500, you can be environmentally friendly while also getting a modest upper body workout. The company is accepting pre-orders now for a $50 100% refundable deposit.
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