Have your say on human powered vehicles

The idea of travelling in an extremely small and lightweight vehicle that will not move without physical effort from its driver will seem outlandish to motorists who do little more than turn a key, but we are great fans of human powered vehicles (HPVs). These environmentally benign vehicles could have a transformative effect on the way we get about town and cities by putting an end to road danger, noise pollution and the obesity epidemic.

The HUMO - seen above in its prototype form without bodywork- is an open source project taking a novel approach to the HPV. Inspired by the industrial application of ratchets, inventor Sebastian Cruft aims to build a human powered vehicle with an unassisted cruising speed on 25 mph. On a HUMO, the cranks rock through the vertical position. With a choice of axle positions you can end up with cranks that are up to three times the length of a normal bike crank.

The arrangement trebles the torque for the same amount of human power. At present the penalty for the clever engineering is weight – the current prototype has a steel construction and weighs 80 kg. However, the team expects an aluminium version to tip the scales at only 20 kg. Further details at humocars.com

The idea of human-powered cars is not new. Pedal-powered vehicles proved a popular way of getting about towns and cities in France during the 1930s and 40s. So efficient were these lightweight machines, that they broke cycling speed records. As a result, they were declared ineligible to race by cycling's governing body.

It is estimated the Humo prototype will soon run at 25mph/40kph on a flat road, using only human power.

Your views about HPV travel

Please use the comments section at the bottom of this page to rank the following benefits of the Humo HPV with: number 1 being most important, number 6 least important. If you can think of another benefit that isn't listed, please mention that in your comment - and where you would rank it.

1. Environmental (no carbon-emissions, no pollution, negligible wear on roads, low vibration and noise levels, little environmental burden from manufacture)

2. Performance (easy cruising speeds 20+ mph (30+ kph) under human power only, swivelling headlight means that when you’re travelling in the dark, you can actually see where you’re heading, electric assistance helps on steep hills and in headwinds)

3. Economical (Saves money - no need to buy fuel or electricity [you can recharge the battery by pedalling when stationary], maintenance costs very low, low road and infrastructure costs)

4. Practical (Four-wheel stability, all-over weather-protection, can be folded and stored safely indoor, good visibility, and easily seen by other drivers, can carry light loads – eg laptop, toolbox, sandwich-box, causes far less damage on impact than any motor-vehicle, no need to dismount and get your feet wet in rain)

5. International (available for local manufacture – can be adapted to conditions in Iceland or Ethiopia, driver’s health benefits from exercise)

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