Solar-powered bicycle

The solar-powered bicycle is the Holy Grail of urban transport – a sustainable and near-silent way of reducing congestion that opens up cycling to a new audience of commuters.

The Solar Bike prototype is charged directly by the sun via solar panel disc wheels. Solar power frees the rider from electricity bills and the need for charging points.

 What about cloudy weather?

Fair point. A power optimiser maximises the energy harvest from solar photovoltaic systems, which is especially useful when the performance of solar panels will vary widely because of shading or cloud. The solar bike’s cells are ‘shadow optimised’ which means they can provide 2-25 km of powered riding per day depending on the sun hours. But remember, if all else fails, the bike can be pedalled.

On a full charge, the battery stores sufficient energy for 70 km of assisted riding.

Solar-powered bicycle

More information about the solar-powered bicycle at offgridquest.com

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.

A solar-powered cycle path for your solar-powered bicycle…

SolaRoad is new surface for cycle paths that converts sunlight into electricity and the first stretch, near the Dutch town of Krommenie, opens next week.

Solaroad

The idea behind SolaRoad is simple: sunlight on the road surface is absorbed by solar cells and converted into electricity, which is used for street lighting.

SolaRoad is laid as prefabricated slabs topped with crystalline silicon solar cells protected beneath a translucent layer of tempered glass. The surface has been engineered to be skid resistant.

More information at http://www.solaroad.nl/en/