Scaramobile, a prototype car powered by a combination of human pedal power and photovoltaic electricity, was presented in France. The latter is powered by a body almost entirely covered in solar panels
Designed by Denis Baulier, a farmer and environmental activist, the new vehicle is called Scaramobile and is driven without a steering wheel using a joystick.
The aim is to provide a vehicle capable of meeting local and short-distance travel needs without having to resort to small cars equipped with internal combustion engines. The vehicle weighs 600 kilograms without batteries and is rated for a top speed of 90 kilometers per hour. However, this very performance raises some doubts.
Doubts
On flat ground and in the absence of headwinds, propelling a 600-kilogram mass at just 20 kilometers per hour requires at least 500 watts of power, close to the aerobic threshold of Tadej Pogačar, the Slovenian cycling champion. Even assuming photovoltaic panels help, it’s hard to imagine reaching and maintaining 90 kilometers per hour.
Title: Scaramobile, the prototype car powered by a mix of human and electrical energy (with some doubts)
Translation with Google
