Solar Powered Pedicab Rickshaw

Here’s a practical solution to help make pedal powered vehicles more prevalent in big cities. It’s a standard pedicab rickshaw cart but it has a big solar panel covering the top of the cab. This allows the cart to draw 80% of it’s power from the sun with the other 20% coming from the driver’s legs.

By using solar power to assist the pedaling driver, the cart can go faster and for longer periods of time (although I bet some of these guys could rival Lance Armstrong for endurance). It is also completely pollution free and helps to make the pedicab a more practical alternative to the ubiquitous taxicab. A side benefit is reduced driver strain from hauling around increasingly fat tourists from greasy restaurant chain to snack shops to fast food joints. So eat up, fattie!

Solarlab via Dvice