The future is here! Not only are Velomobiles fun and useful, they will save you thousands of dollars!

Nicholas Asch on his new Catrike 700 which replaces his motor vehicle for his transportation needs.

Total annual savings: $5,764.29

One less car on the road…

Congratulations to Nicholas of Team Pedalus on his recent acquisition of a Catrike 700 tadpole tricycle in place of his gasoline buring 1999 Nissan Sentra which he is selling.

Here’s why:

Nissan Sentra

Insurance: $3500/year
Mileage: 15,000 miles/year (average based on US drivers)
Gas: 15,000 miles/(35 miles per gallon) = 428.6 gallons
Fuel Cost: 428.5 gallons * $4/gallon = $1,714.29
Maintenance Cost: $600/year
CO2: 428.6 gallons*5.5*3.7=8,722 pounds of CO2 (from
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/Feg/co2.shtml)

TOTAL: $5,814.29/year

Environmental Impact: Severe

240 million registered drivers in USA http://www.usatoday.com)
240 million drivers X 8,722 pounds of CO2 =
2,093,280,000,000 pounds of CO2 from US drivers

Social Impact: Increased Traffic, Environmental Hazard
Personal Impact: Increased Stress, Economic Liability

Catrike 700 - Human Powered Vehicle

Insurance: $0/year
Mileage: New Jersey to Montreal on regular basis
Gas: $0
Maintenance Cost: $50/yr
CO2: 0

TOTAL: $50
Environmental Impact: NONE
Social Impact: Decreased Traffic, Provokes thought of other drivers
Personal Impact: $5,764.29 per year saved, healthier, lowered stress levels.

Team Pedalus had the opportunity to try out a new Velomobile this weekend from RBR in State College, PA.   For more information about their wonderful project see RBR.info.

$4.76 per Gallon

With oil prices going up rapidly, the need to replace fossil fuels grows.

Check out http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip_crude.html to find the latest and predicted oil prices.

At $145.18 per barrel, future gas prices will reach $4.76 according to gascalc.appspot.com. Replacing or augmenting a car with a human powered vehicle can save hundreds or thousands of dollars in fuel costs alone, not mentioning eliminating high insurance premiums and expensive maintenance.

Think Ahead. (Picture courtesy of ecoagile.com)

Seeing is believing: Our Safety Priority

Along with the quest for global sustainablility, safety is a priority to Team Pedalus. Team Pedalus wishes many Human Powered Vehicles to be used on the vast road infrastructures available to cyclists today. Unfortunately for cyclists, an obvious danger lurks when sharing these efficient pathways with large motor vehicles.

Recumbent bicycles and tricycles are low to the ground and naturally have a lower frontal area for better aerodynamics which seems to make them less visible. Due to the unique design, it is often thought that recumbents are more dangerous than upright bikes. Luckily for recumbent cyclists, the opposite has been found true. Over thousands of miles and the experiences of many cyclists, we have found drivers to be more respectful of the “cool” and “awesome” recumbents. Because the sleek and odd designs of recumbents differ so greatly from familiar upright bikes, drivers tend to recognize the unfamiliar shape of the new machines and give them much more respect than our higher counterparts.

Although the sleek designs of recumbents have been found very visually attractive, Team Pedalus believes that enhanced visibility is the key to safety and has begun testing new methods and technologies to make recumbents and other human powered vehicles stand out. So far, Team Pedalus’ Tadpole Tricycle has been equipped with front and rear LED lights capable of being seen from over a mile away, bright yellow pannier covers, a Team Pedalus flag, reflective tape and of course multiple reflectors. These affordable additions to Team Peadlus’ Trike have dramatically increased the visibility and safety of the vehicle.

We believe that human powered transportation can be as safe as or even safer than motor vehicles by employing enhanced visibility modifications along with advanced spatial awareness and cycling techniques. We will continue to enhance safety techniques and technologies of Human Powered Vehicles and report our findings to you here on Pedalus.org.

Who needs to burn gas?

This past weekend Team Pedalus set out to show the capabilities of the Human Powered Tricycle. The 135 mile journey stretched from Central New Jersey into Eastern Pennsylvania following much of the Delaware River and crossing many of the area’s beautiful cities and towns.

Over the many miles the team recognized that within city limits they were able to pass cars and trucks safely and consistently. The 20+ mile per hour average speed of the Human Powered Tricycle matched or exceeded the speed of the motor vehicle traffic allowing for extremely efficient and fast intercity transportation.

During this weekend’s journey, we were stopped over 30 times by interested spectators and motorists from all around the area. We would like to say thank you to all the fans for your wonderful encouragement and interest in Project Pedalus and advanced Human Powered Vehicles.

Here are some statistics about our ride this weekend and beyond…

Gasoline Burned: 0 Gallons

Fuel Saved This Weekend: 6.75 Gallons (Average U.S. Vehicle MPG = 20)

Money Saved: $27 (6.75 Gallons at $4/Gallon)

Fuel Saved (if half the US population used human powered vehicles for 135 miles per year instead of motor vehicles): 1,012,500,000 gallons

Money Saved: $4,050,000,000 (1,012,500,000 gallons at $4/Gallon)

That means, if only half of all Americans used human powered vehicles for 2.6 miles every week instead of fossil fueled vehicles, we would save over $4 billion a year.

Being green can help your health, the environment, and your wallet.

Who needs to burn gas? Team Peadlus’ Tricycle has been meeting or exceeding the speed limits within cities and towns across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Note to officials: Team Pedalus tries not to exceed the posted speed limits.