A man by the name of Brian has taken an interesting approach to designing an eco-friendly vehicle to replace some of the single-passengers cars driving all over the roads in America, and he calls it the Bricycle. Using three wheels — one up front and two in the rear — the Bricycle allows human power in the form of pedaling along with forty-eight volts of electric assist at the front. The rider/driver sits in a reclined position inside a canopy of composite bodywork. Brian’s design also features twenty-one different gearing choices for the operator.

While a vehicle such as this will likely never see mass-market appeal, it would serve to eliminate a certain amount of traffic and allow those who would choose to ride to work anyway an opportunity to do so with some weather protection. Additionally, the concept shouldn’t be too expensive to recreate after the initial design work is complete. We like it.

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BMW once came up with the idea to enclose a scooter and add some safety equipment to it. Crash tests showed surprisingly favorable results, but the idea never seemed to catch on and the C1 is no longer for sale. The fact that it already proved unsuccessful on the commercial market once hasn’t stopped others from considering the idea. One such group is the Saint Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. A group of students at this high school has created an enclosed electric motorcycle which uses sixty volts worth of lithium phosphate batteries powering a Briggs and Stratton ETEK pancake-style permanent magnet electric motor.

The current configuration is said to be good for a top speed of sixty miles per hour and a range of forty miles. The chassis is constructed from chromoly tubing. The body is made from a carbon fiber and Kevlar composite and should therefore prove very strong. The full seat even features a seatbelt. We are not certain that anything quite like this will ever be available for purchase again, but its good to see it in concept form at least.

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