1. Electric Bike
I want to start with the bike for a couple of reasons. First, because what was already a big expense for us has become ridiculous due to the steep rise in gas prices. On a trip too Solvang, Ca a couple of years ago, my family rented these multiple rider bikes for fun to cruise around the little vacation town. As gas prices started to rise I remembered that trip and thought it would be great if we could have a bike like that to replace all of our short run drives around town; to school, the grocery store, the post office, soccer practice, etc.
I found an old beat up one for a bargain and renovated it. We began riding it all over town. People were waving and smiling at us where ever we went. It was fun and we were getting exercise. But that bike is heavy when someone is not pulling their share. So I designed an electric motor attached to an assist wheel in the back. It was like night and day. With that assist wheel, we could drive everywhere. Now the problem was that the motor would only last for one hour per charge. So I had a friend put on a solar panel that would keep the motor charged indefinitely as we rode. Now we can ride the bike around town for hours on end. When my relatives from England came to visit us, we rode this bike up to the Rose Parade in Pasadena.
We have literally cut our gas bill in half because of this bike. So, financially, we have not really felt the impact of gas prices.
The second reason I started with this bike is because gas consumption in America has gotten to the point where we are so dependent on gas that rising gas prices severely cripples our life style. My comment to that is “Come on, we are Americans! We are the innovators of the world. We can beat this thing!” I’m just a regular guy that knows very little about motors, efficiency, etc. Man, some engineer should be able to have a field day coming up with all kinds of solar powered alternatives to our mobile lives. I should be able to see some wacky professor on TV showing off all this stuff. Everybody is getting more conscious about making small contributions to a “greener” community. So I think people would be willing to consider some lifestyle adjustments, if presented with some alternatives like this bike. |