Yabba Dabba Huh? Forget the Flintstones buggy, this human-powered car has style

Road King ^ | March 2, 2009

[2ndDivisionVet]

Horsepower can be so overrated. At least that’s what the developers from HumanCar, an industrial design firm, are betting on with the Imagine_PS, or Power Station, vehicle. The vehicle uses electric motors and regenerative braking along with human power to keep it moving at a decent clip.

“The human part is a patented bi-directional human-power interface, which is like a rowing action that uses your entire body,” says Chuck Greenwood, CEO. “One to four people can operate these cars and they create enough electricity by themselves to power computers, cell phones, etc.” He claims that the car is able to reach 60 miles per hour.

Plus, consumers will get one of the most intense workouts of their lives.

“The closest full-body workout I know is cross country skiing or Enduro motocross,” says Greenwood.

Sounds great, but image is a pretty important factor to today’s consumer. So it’s a good thing that that the Imagine_PS is showing off a sporty and sleek look, nothing too far away from the grid to turn off potential buyers.

“Our goal is to coexist with the radically different small cars that will soon take over our streets,” Greenwood says. “The time is drawing near when all of the elements — manufacturing, marketing, and product optimization — come together in a cost effective and aesthetically pleasing form.”

The human-powered car has been in the works for years, beginning when Greenwood’s father, Charles Samuel Greenwood, started building fuel alcohol dragsters in the 1950s.

In keeping with its environmental impact, design plans for the Imagine_PS call for using recycled plastics, hemp fiber and bamboo.

Not on the market yet, the car has been on display at a few technology expos and CNN did a piece on it. There’s a promotional video on YouTube, and anyone who believes in the concept can preorder the car for $99.

Some have expressed skepticism about how well the Imagine_PS will work in real world situations. Is it really any better than a good bicycle, even if it looks cooler?

“We are an evolving species and it’s natural to resist change, but at the end of the day these cars have the ability to solve our current U.S. cash crisis,” Greenwood says. “Think about it.”

[2ndDivisionVet]

Sounds like what we'll all be buying after a few more months of The Obamanation. That and buses, bicycles and Shank's ponies will be our major modes of transportation.

[allmost]

“The human part is a patented bi-directional human-power interface, which is like a rowing action that uses your entire body,” says Chuck Greenwood, CEO. “One to four people can operate these cars and they create enough electricity by themselves to power computers, cell phones, etc.” He claims that the car is able to reach 60 miles per hour.

I would love to see 60 MPH.

[Nervous Tick]

>> One to four people can operate these cars

Bumper sticker:

“Gas, grass, or a rowing action that uses your entire body! No one rides for free.”

[MediaMole]

Does it include a change of clothes for the office? It sounds a little impractical for the morning commute — arrive for work covered in sweat following “the most intense workout.”

[allmost]

I would love to see this at 60.

[2ndDivisionVet]

This isn't for workers, it's a car to get to the welfare office, liquor store or nightclub on Saturday night. Can you imagine 22 inch rims on that thing? B.O. is de riguer at those places, anyhow!

[Nervous Tick]

>> It sounds a little impractical for the morning commute — arrive for work covered in sweat following “the most intense workout.”

Clearly you’ve never shared an office with a die-hard bicyclist.

[2ndDivisionVet]

"Bumper sticker:

“Gas, grass, or a rowing action that uses your entire body! No one rides for free.”

Post of the day nominee.

[Recon Dad]

Won’t happen......no way to tax it.

[NellieMae]

This sounds like something my Daddy would have invented and built. He built my brother and I our own little kid powered ride in our back yard.

[Oztrich Boy]

[AgThorn]

Cool!! 60 mph? and four people fit in this? would like to read more ... and how can it cost only $99??? A good bike cost 3 times that!!

[Richard Kimball]

Plus, consumers will get one of the most intense workouts of their lives.

I think this tells us quite a bit.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I wonder if that is actually the price or just the deposit?

[Cronos]

I think bicycles and buses have their uses in some cases -- just like SUVs and sedans have their use in others. For instance, if you have a commute or a journey of up to 15 miles, a bicycle really makes a lot of sense: exercise + cheap. In the cities, a bus or a subway makes tremendous sense. In a snowstorm, there's nothing like an SUV. For long interstate drives, a sedan is better than an SUV or a bus.

With oil prices rising again (and we KNOW they will go back up to $70 by the end of the year), the nation will have to learn to flex --> a friend of mine commutes about 25 miles daily: in winter he uses his F-150, the rest of the year he uses his harley, net result: he saves a bundle in gas and last year, the rise in gas prices hardly hit him. That's not possible for everyone, I agree, but people are smart -- they'll think up something.

[Cronos]

hmmm.... this might encourage people to take more hitchikers — get a hh on board and make them do the rowing :))

[chasio649]

That is exactly what i thought of...LOL

[thackney]

if you have a commute or a journey of up to 15 miles, a bicycle really makes a lot of sense: exercise + cheap

Only if you don't value your time.

[Smokin' Joe]

if you have a commute or a journey of up to 15 miles, a bicycle really makes a lot of sense: exercise + cheap

Only if you don't value your timeDepends on traffic, could be a wash, timewise.

[Smokin' Joe]

if you have a commute or a journey of up to 15 miles, a bicycle really makes a lot of sense: exercise + cheap

Only if you don't value your time

Depends on traffic, could be a wash, timewise.

Preview, dangit, preview...