Raht Racer: If Tony Stark built bicycles

If you have faced a tortuous hill and wished for superhuman powers, consider the Raht Racer; an electrically-assisted pedal trike that can speed you along at 70 mph without breaking a sweat.

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The Raht Racer uses a flywheel generator to convert pedal power into electrical energy. You pedal as you would a conventional bicycle, but travel as fast as a car.

The Raht Racer features an aluminium roll cage frame, composite body, seat belts and an airbag as standard.

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The small team behind the Raht Racer have turned to crowd-funding website Kickstarter to further develop the prototype.

There are many ultra-light car concept cars, including the Edison 2 VLC (Very Light Car). The four-seater vehicle uses a rear-mounted, single-cylinder motorcycle engine running on a blend of 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent petrol to produce 40 horsepower. It is capable of carrying four people a distance of 200 miles on one tank of fuel, 0- 60 in 12 seconds and a top speed of 100 mph.

What is a safe car?

The Edison is truly remarkable vehicle; a cheap and easy to build four-seater car that boasts 120 mpg and a performance comparable with most city cars.

However, there is a perception that large, heavy cars such as 4X4s are safe, and that lightweight vehicles such as the Raht Racer and Edison are dangerous. The truth is that heavy cars pose an increased risk to pedestrians in the event of a collision. Ultra-light cars on the other hand are designed to operate in urban areas at low speeds. The average traffic speed in Britain's major cities is about 15 mph.

The Raht Racer stands out because it encourages the driver to pedal. Such vehicles could transform the way we travel if only there was the appetite. Monitor the Raht Racer team's fundraising progress at Kickstarter.

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.

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