[Gasification] [Terrapreta] FUELS AND VEHICLES: ANINTEGRATEDSOLUTION

[Bob Stuart]

On 22-May-08, at 11:20 AM, Roger Samson wrote:
> Sure there are limitations to electric bike use in northern  
> regions. Even
> here in montreal we have our dedicated year round riders. I think 8  
> months
> on a bike is realistic for much of North America. People will only  
> put up
> with working for gas for so long. Electric biking is a pretty nice  
> way to
> move. Here in Montreal, cars are on the way out and bike paths are  
> making
> big headway.
After riding a bike year-round in Winnipeg and Toronto, I discovered  
velomobiles.  If you add streamlining to a bike it gets faster but  
sensitive to crosswinds, so it needs a third wheel.  Voila!  a  
perfect winter bike, that is sometimes too hot to ride in summer.   
Unassisted, the cruise speed can be about 1.4 times that of a bike  
with the same rider, which translates to twice as many destinations  
available per hour on a grid.  Electric assist is needed mostly for  
acceleration and hills, and as regenerative braking to avoid  
dangerous downhill speeds.

Best,
Bob Stuart