Re: Happy Talk
Posted: Sun 31 Jan 2021, 14:36:57
AdamB wrote:How well are these selling in the marketplace?
Unmotorized velomobiles have waiting lists up to a year long with backlogged orders.
The companies building them are small and are of limited capital, and the vehicles are hand-built, which keeps the labor cost high. The materials cost to build one is much lower than a car or motorcycle, or even a motorized scooter or moped. Hundreds of hours of labor go into each one.
This is also in a market where the vast majority of the population doesn't even know these vehicles exist, and where they currently cost into the low five figures. There's no telling what would happen if these became part of mainstream knowledge, and these types of vehicles saw mass production reduce their cost to between $1,000-2,000 USD. One would then only need $1,000-2,000 in EV components to turn one into something that could perform like and get range similar to a modern electric car. I've got less than $1,000 of EV components in mine, including the batteries that I'm using to build a pack that is not yet complete. One could also use a small 49cc ICE in one and get about 1,000+ mpg @ 30 mph if the aerodynamics are on par with typical examples on the market(eg. Quest, Strada, DF, ect.).
Ultimately the world's electrified transport buildout isn't likely to be home built pedal power. In part because the cost difference between liquid fuels and kWh allows less efficient but fully functional and very normal cage-like EVs doesn't increase enough for folks to go lightweight and pedal powerlike.
All true, but this is a possible means towards keeping the cost of an electric vehicle with car-like functionality down in cost to where it is an order of magnitude cheaper than a car. Lots of "ifs" have to happen first, none of them relating to technology.
I could see such a vehicle, if it became comparable in purchase price to a moped or scooter, becoming popular in poorer nations. If some of the worst doom-porn predictions come to pass, it could also become popular in wealthier nations due to its almost-free operating cost. Considering my generation generally can't afford cars here in the U.S., such a thing also has potential to catch on on that merit alone as well.
In my case, I built it to be an "off grid" vehicle that isn't plagued by license/registration/title/tag/insurance requirements and their associated expenses. And it has no such thing as range anxiety. Just today, I was doing 50 mph down a hill and cruised along on flat ground at 30 mph for about 2 miles with the motor shut off. Imagine what it would do if I had one-quarter of the aerodynamic drag.
Today during some steady state cruising at around 30-35 mph I was doing about 8 miles/kwh? Jumped out on the 4 lane, into a headwind and climbing in elevation, and was lucky to get 1 mile/kwh.
That's pretty good. I expect my electric Triumph GT6 to get similar economy at 60 mph to your Leaf at 30-35 mph, mainly because of a focus on drag reduction. I have to find the money to finish it... if I can even manage to save my mom's house first. It's still going to be a pig compared to my velomobile.