IMO the electric assist should also be optional. Especially with price being a design consideration. The aerodynamics of the Quest are so superb that electric assist becomes more trouble than it is worth for the majority of units in operation. The weight of the composite body makes hills a challenge to SOME and this is why electric assist must be offered as an option. One of the earlier reviewers said the seat wasn’t high enough. I disagree. Situated over the rear wheel as it is, the seat cannot be lower than ~24in. if 20″ wheels are being used. That is too high for a non-tilting design. Trust me, the average velomobile buyer does not want to work as hard as to have to balance a TTW as they would a bicycle. I agree with the idea of using the more or less “standard” design of tadpole recumbent trikes to start with. The concepts of lightweight bodywork are worthy in and of themselves to not require re-inventing the wheel with respect to the chassis.

Finally, there will never be a completely separate, but equal, road system for HPV traffic in the U.S. It just isn’t going to happen. Advocacy for HPV traffic must be developed to “train” motorists to respect HPV traffic. This is being done in Portland, OR to good effect. When HPV traffic can use the roads as they are without requireing separate and expensive infrastructure for their exclusive use there will be less initial resistance to purchasing vehicles like the Petal.

H

Thank you for the feedback, I agree the tilting mechanism creates an array of issues that would dramatically increase cost and complexity. On that note, Arnold at Raptobike has seemed to have perfected a cost effective tilting mechanism, in a delta configuration, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEOGr3oy3H4 . Seems like it should be a breakthrough design.

I would be interested in discussing the membrane fairing more in detail, please feel free to contact me at ericbirkhauser@gmail.com

Thanks,
Eric

Thanks!

Again thank you very much for the feedback, I greatly appreciate your vote and vote on other concepts. My best to you.

Thank you for your thoughts, yes indeed, price is the stiffest design parameter in this competition. Some electric kits far exceed that price alone. However, I think it would be possible to make a stripped down version of this concept, with entry level components, and the frame, seat, drive-train, suspension, and wheel-set for around 1.5 K. My hope is that with mass production of the cnc bent fairing tube frame, complete with latches and hinges, could be produced for around five hundred dollars. It could then be possible then to utilize an inexpensive fabric to create the enclosure for around two hundred dollars. So I think it is possible to sell a base model in the 2K price range. However, adding OLED and LED lights and the polycarbonate bubble would then be more than likely an additional .5 to 1K investment. And when you seek to electrify the concept you will more than likely add another 1 to 3K to your investment. So it is feasible to have a base model for 2K, but a deluxe electrified concept, as shown in the renderings would more than likely approach the 4 to 5K range, which is on the lower end of the velomobile pricing spectrum. An on another note, I agree, there are many stunning velomobiles in production, but I think there is room for a few more…

My hope is that the advantages of purchasing a velomobile such as this over a cheap car will make it attractive to this new non car oriented generation. If the velomobile can truly become an attractive and safe mode of transit, then I believe with financing or zipcar type programs this product could become much more successful than it currently is. There are two enormous obstacles in this challenge; marketing and infrastructure. In the US, most people have no idea what a velomobile is, let alone the performance advantages of the recumbent position and a fairing. So great measures will have to be taking to increase the awareness of this new mode of transit. Great caution must be taken to not give velomobiling a black eye while it is in its infancy. Infrastructure, I believe, is the largest obstacle for the velomobile. As an everyday HPT commuter, I am challenged everyday with the limited or nonexistent bicycle facilities in the DC area, and it was recently ranked the 4th best American city for cycling. Similar to necessity of track for rail transit, an infrastructure of dedicated high speed bicycle facilities that are successfully separated from pedestrians and automobiles is absolutely essential. To truly capture the high speed potential of the velomobile, whilst maintaining the highest level of safety, this type of infrastructure is absolutely critical. This will be an enormous and extremely expensive challenge, but the these costs are miniscule when considering expanding automoble, bus, light or heavy rail transit systems (let alone the cost savings for health care). This is a very complex issue that deserves great study, which is why it is the subject matter of a book that I am currently working on.

So yes, Nick, the cost is one issue, one which I believe can be resolved, but there are many more obstacles on the road to success for the velomobile. Thank you very much for you insight and valid points on the matter, my best.