By Andrew Liszewski
When it comes to alternative fuel sources for powering a vehicle I think pedal power has solar, hydrogen and electric all beat. Besides a bit of sweat there’s no harmful emissions to speak of and the driver and passenger both get a great workout. Unfortunately though pedal powered ‘cars’ usually look pretty dorky but the 2cycle from ZEM (Zero Emission Machines) doesn’t look half bad.
While I don’t recommend if for your daily commute to the downtown core it could make for a nice trip around the neighborhood, retirement village or even campground. Without any passengers the 2cycle weighs about 93 pounds but can support 2 riders with a combined weight of up to 485 pounds. It has 2 independent 7-speed hub gears with reverse gear for all speeds, 4 18 inch spoke wheels, 2 independent hydraulic disc brake systems, a parking brake, 4-point Elastomer shocks, 2 folding bucket seats with safety harnesses and even a large baggage platform.
But at about $4,500 for the 2cycle ‘red’ version pictured above, and about $7,100 for the more advanced ‘silver’ version you just might be better off taping a couple of bicycles together with some old lawn chairs.
[ ZEM 2cycle ] VIA [ ThisNext ]
If you’re going to spend that kind of money, might as well buy something like – http://greenspeed.com.au/gtt.html – which would go way faster and be safer too.