Velomobiles are basically an aerodynamic bicycle enclosed from the elements. Wikipedia says its one of the most efficient forms of transportation. An electric petal-assist velomobile seems like a great solution so why are they so difficult and expensive to purchase? Why haven’t many people heard of them?
Another consideration is hills. Pedaling up even a modest 10% incline (which isn’t exactly uncommon in mountainous cities) is already kind of hard unless you’re a sport cyclist, and on really steep hills your best bet might actually be to walk while pushing the bike (speaking from experience living in a mountainous city). This is just on a regular bike, where you can stand up to pedal in order to get more power. The Velo designs I’ve seen are such that you have to pedal in a full sitting position with your legs pushing something in front of your centre mass, instead of directly below it. I can’t imagine you can get a lot of power with that design. You also can’t easily push a Velo while walking like you can a bike, and a bike also has the benefit of allowling seemlessly connect to public transit using bike racks on busses and bike spaces on trains.
It’s the opposite. All recumbent bikes allow for higher power output.
Huh. TIL.
Bikes and velomobiles have the same issue and the same solution: electrification. Ebikes with pedal assist exist, just as velomobiles with pedal assist could exist. Velomobiles are just bicycles with an enclosure for aerodynamics and harsh weather protection.