I have a question, and it might be the stupidest question you’ve ever been asked. I’m concerned about what rarely-used corner of my brain this thought came from. Ready?
Assume that Elroy Jetson, son of George and Judy, were to meet and fall madly in love with Pebbles Flintstone, daughter of Fred and Wilma. Assume further that Pebbles, impressed by Elroy’s knack for star geometry and charmed by his devotion to his dog Astro the Second, falls in love with him instead of that rabble-rousing Bamm-Bamm Rubble. What kind of car would Elroy and Pebbles buy for their son, Boulder, on his 16th birthday?
Answer: a velomobile!
Yes, that’s a real word, and it’s a type of transport vehicle best described as a “bicycle-car.” They’re human-powered with the option for an added electric motor, and ordinarily they have three wheels, balancing stability of the vehicle with its aerodynamics. Take a look at this list of 30 velomobile designs to get a feel for what these nifty gadgets look like.
Personally, I think they look like a load of fun. While you can get one in the United States, they appear to be much more common outside of it. In Australia, they even race these suckers! Here’s the promotional video for the Australian HPV Super Series. Seriously, take two minutes to watch this video - I guarantee you’ll both laugh and want to go watch one of these races. Plus, they call it the Pedal Prix, which is the greatest name for anything ever!
Alright, I’ll stop my gushing and bring this post back to relevancy. As we continue our climb up Mount Sustainability, velomobiles are basically the poster child for the fifth front, resource efficient transportation.
This article does a good job of breaking down the math. At speeds of 30 kilometers per hour, velomobiles require 3.5 times less energy than bicycles. Compared to electric vehicles, velomobiles are about 20 times more efficient. They are arguably the most efficient form of transportation on the planet.
Admittedly, I’m not expecting a velomobile revolution whereby our entire transportation system orients around these egg-shaped beauties. We live in too fast-paced of a world for that. Amazon Prime’s guaranteed two-day delivery likely can’t happen with a fleet of velomobiles.
But could velomobiles be a substitute for at least some cars on the road? For instance, could they be a good option for people commuting to and from work? That answer is a resounding yes.
Our transportation system is far from resource efficient, but at least we have better options. Instead of driving a car, we can walk, bike, take public transportation, and even velomobile (I have no clue what the verb form of that is). And every time that we do, we are choosing efficiency, which is a choice that we should celebrate.
Next week, I tackle the sixth front of Mount Sustainability – sensitizing stakeholders. Have a great week!
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