Results 1 to 15 of 15

Thread: Twike

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Tallinn, Estonia
    Posts
    2,861

    Twike

    The TWIKE is a human-powered/electric hybrid Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) designed to carry two passengers and cargo. It can be driven in electric-only mode or electric + pedal power mode. Originally developed in Switzerland, the TWIKE is now manufactured in Germany by Fine Mobile GmbH and may be driven on public roads by drivers with a full driving license.

    Constructed of lightweight materials (like aluminium and plastic), this 246 kg (542 lb) (unladen) tricycle vehicle uses a 336 volt, 3.3 kilowatt-hour nickel-cadmium battery or a 6 kilowatt-hour nickel metal hydride battery and 3 kilowatt electric motor for primary power to the drivetrain. The battery can be fully recharged from a common 230V house outlet in 1.5 to 2 hours (NiMH: 3 hours). Additional energy is reclaimed while driving through regenerative braking, and load is removed from the electric system by use of the pedalling system which transfers its input directly to the drivetrain (ie, both systems operate in parallel, not in series).

    Pedaling extends the range of the vehicle but does not substantially add to the vehicle's top speed. The vehicle cannot be driven solely by using pedal power.

    It is generally capable of speeds up to 85 kilometers per hour (53 mph). Fully charged, the vehicle is capable of travelling between 40 and 90 kilometers (25–55 miles) per charge on the NiCd batteries, and up to 90 miles (140 km) per charge on NiMh, depending on terrain, speed, driving style, weight of passengers and cargo, and of course the amount of pedaling by the pilot and passenger.

    Normal pricing for a TWIKE is between 17.800 € to 32.200 €, depending on the model chosen.

    Sources: twike.com, wikipedia.org
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Revo; 05-12-2007 at 12:08 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Tallinn, Estonia
    Posts
    2,861
    Twike#2
    Attached Images Attached Images

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Eindhoven, The Netherlands
    Posts
    7,833
    A real pity of the price tag. But as you can imagine with a vehicle like this the development costs are way too high ! Pity, because this thing could sell...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Tallinn, Estonia
    Posts
    2,861
    Quote Originally Posted by drakkie View Post
    A real pity of the price tag. But as you can imagine with a vehicle like this the development costs are way too high ! Pity, because this thing could sell...
    Yep, the price tag is outrageous. Thirty-bloody-thousand euros?!?

    I like the overall concept, but there is absolutely no way I would pay that amount money for a fancy bicycle.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    8,068
    That's another Sinclair C5, right there!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Surrey, England
    Posts
    4,000
    Looks like someone thought it'd be funny to swap the guys keyboard letters around before he named it.
    V0R5PRU7NG DUR6CH T3CHN1K

    Motion & Emotion

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Québec
    Posts
    5,749
    That thing is way too pricey, what are they thinking? I would love to see these things selling for cheap, there could be a nice market for them.
    Reginald *IB4R* says:
    it was a beautiful 35 seconds.
    David says:
    that's what she said

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    East Coast of the United States
    Posts
    11,994
    Wow, this thing is not going to sell like hotcakes. A tarted up trike like this? I'd rather get a hybrid than this.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Without commenting on the price, this thing is awful.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Maryland, USA
    Posts
    2,038
    Seems like an answer to a question that no one asked, or, at least, no one should have asked.
    Go n-ithe an cat thu, is go n-ithe an diabhal an cat

    When you go Home, Tell them for us and say 'For your tommorrow, We Gave Our Today.'

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Calgary AB
    Posts
    1,580
    i'd perfer a block of cheese over this

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Tallinn, Estonia
    Posts
    2,861
    Amazingly, they've managed to sell more than 750 units over the last 10 years. There are plenty of filthy rich tree-huggers, I suppose.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    East Coast of the United States
    Posts
    11,994
    Quote Originally Posted by Revo View Post
    Amazingly, they've managed to sell more than 750 units over the last 10 years. There are plenty of filthy rich tree-huggers, I suppose.
    Sure, with no taste.

    Greenpeace probably has a fleet of these.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    True North
    Posts
    7,682
    How utterly dull, imo.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Tallinn, Estonia
    Posts
    2,861
    Quote Originally Posted by NSXType-R View Post
    Sure, with no taste.
    No no no! You've got it all wrong.

    Rich people without any taste prefer cars like Lincoln Navigator/Porsche Cayenne/Hummer etc. That is Level One. Those who are buying vehicles like Twike have reached Level Two - slightly eccentric, bit wacko, but loaded with cash and looking for something different.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. illu's Twike
    By illusionest in forum Chop forums
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 05-06-2007, 02:04 AM
  2. Twike Challenge 98
    By McLareN in forum Multimedia
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 01-28-2005, 03:46 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •