Rowing a viable way to go green

As a kid, I wanted one of those little cars you could sit in like a real driver and move by pedal power.

I never got one, and maybe that crushing disappointment explains the memory flashback when I saw a photo of the HumanCar Imagine PS.

At first glance it could be an oversized kiddie car: a bright orange bathtub sort of thing, with four sets of handlebars, each sporting a pair of bulbous hand grips that channel giant bug eyes on antennae. It has no doors – you clamber over the low bodywork into the open cabin – and the seats are mere stools compared with the plush armchairs in most modern cars.

Early reports of the car have sparked surprising vitriol on the Internet. Skeptics who remember the Flintstones' foot-powered rockmobile are quick with "yabba-dabba-doo" taunts.

Yet this is an intriguing idea, devised 40 years ago by engineer Charles Greenwood and now being developed and promoted by him and his son Chuck, in the deep woods of southern Oregon. They've created what appears to be a sophisticated vehicle that runs on plug-in battery power, assisted by as much human energy as its occupants are willing and able to contribute.

The Imagine, the latest of three HumanCar versions, holds up to four people or a total of 455 kilograms. It could hit 100 km/h, but since it's rated as a "neighbourhood electric" vehicle in the United States, the maximum is electronically limited to 40.

There's no pedal power. Rather, each seat has a handlebar that's pushed and pulled in a rowing motion to operate a generator that charges a battery. One person can propel it and any occupants can pitch in. Steering is controlled by a mechanism that detects when and how much the driver leans, and turns the car accordingly.

The dual electric motors kick in when the Imagine sets off because, "launch ... takes a lot of watts," Chuck Greenwood says. Beyond that, it can be programmed to require more or less effort, generating more or less electric power.

"The human-assist system may be operated zero to 100 per cent, depending on what you want out of the vehicle at that moment. It's a sliding scale. Elderly folks like just to stretch out; athletes try to break the wattage records."

The body is a jetlike aluminum monocoque structure. The car includes regenerative braking, four-speed transmission, cruise control, something called the HC X axle (described by Greenwood as "several transmissions and power interfaces combined into one unit"), and a computer to manage the systems and run GPS and other gear.

"There's a ton of black art underneath the deck," he says.

"Why not use a bicycle?" critics scoff. Greenwood replies: The Imagine holds more people or stuff; those in it can travel on grid electricity alone or, if they choose the active route, generate twice the power output of the best professional cyclist – up to three watts with four people rowing. It's good for the environment and provides a healthy full-body workout.

The car can also send power to the grid. A few minutes of rowing could run a personal computer for hours, Greenwood says.

And it could benefit parts of the world where gasoline is scarce or too expensive, as well as provide an alternative source of electricity.

The Imagine's future is uncertain. Greenwood is taking fully refundable $50 (U.S.) deposits for the car, which will sell for $15,000. He says it "may" go into production with 800 orders.

For now, it's as much idea as practical product – but, despite the naysayers, too good an idea to dismiss.

peter.gorrie@sympatico.ca

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