Homemade Electric Motorcycle Stopped on M25 in Hertfordshire

Post by arethuza » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 11:10 AM UTC

vanderZwan wrote: post #65

adwww wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also it's mildy amusing that the police stopped it because OBVIOUSLY that's not road legal, but it turns out that actually there was nothing they could cite it for - unlike a good number of cars on the road.

To be fair to the police in this situation: most velomobiles would be more like electric bikes and therefore not be legal on motor highways, wouldn't they? It probably wouldn't be the first time someone eccentric created something cool in their garage and not go through the motions of getting it properly registered.

Post by C1sc0cat » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 11:15 AM UTC

VBprogrammer wrote: post #34

adrianN wrote: post #5

IMHO the future of personal transportation is vehicles like that. We don't have the space in cities to support 2-3 tons of steel per traveler, and plain bicycles are uncomfortable in bad weather, or when you are physically impaired. But small (electric?) velomobiles with three or four wheels are perfect for city commutes when cycling is not an option. They also don't need 15-20kWh/100km like an electric car would.

I've expressed the same sentiment before. The problem is that even talking about electric cars gets people's knickers in a twist; they need to be able to drive for 1000 miles straight while towing an apartment on wheels behind them and any vehicle which can't do that just isn't good enough. They'd rather be dead than have to drive one of these.

Post by VBprogrammer » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 11:17 AM UTC

masklinn wrote: post #69

VBprogrammer wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've expressed the same sentiment before. The problem is that even talking about electric cars gets people's knickers in a twist; they need to be able to drive for 1000 miles straight while towing an apartment on wheels behind them and any vehicle which can't do that just isn't good enough. They'd rather be dead than have to drive one of these.

> The problem is that even talking about electric cars gets people's knickers in a twist; they need to be able to drive for 1000 miles straight while towing an apartment on wheels behind them and any vehicle which can't do that just isn't good enough. I mean that's understandable, if the car you buy can only handle small commuting that means at the very least the additional cost of using other transport methods or re…

Post by C1sc0cat » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 11:18 AM UTC

rubber_duck wrote: post #70

adrianN wrote: post #5

IMHO the future of personal transportation is vehicles like that. We don't have the space in cities to support 2-3 tons of steel per traveler, and plain bicycles are uncomfortable in bad weather, or when you are physically impaired. But small (electric?) velomobiles with three or four wheels are perfect for city commutes when cycling is not an option. They also don't need 15-20kWh/100km like an electric car would.

I drive a motorcycle daily and this seems like the drawbacks (low crash protection, lower stability, low load capacity) without the benefits (agility, effortless parking). If this looks viable to you - consider getting a scooter or a small bike, they are great secondary vehicles when you need to get from a to b alone or with one more person and a lot of fun to drive/very versatile for parking. There are some electric…

Post by C1sc0cat » Tue, Aug 20, 2019, 11:21 AM UTC

robk wrote: post #13

gcthomas wrote: post #3

Also odd, the driver is barefoot while he is stood on the motorway hard shoulder.

I'd almost expect that to be honest