Just because it's easier to transport a heavy load in a wheelbarrow, doing so can still be a lot of hard work. That's where the eBarrow Kit comes in, as it quickly adds an electric boost to your existing wheelbarrow.
Invented by appropriately named American entrepreneur Moe Power, the eBarrow Kit is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign.
Reportedly compatible with all US-sold wheelbarrows in which the wheel is mounted to the frame with four bolts, it consists of a waterproof electronics case that gets bolted onto that frame, along with an attached front wheel that replaces the existing one. A hard-wired throttle lever runs up to one the wheelbarrow's handles.
Swapping the whole thing in is claimed to take less than four minutes.
The wheel is driven by a 350-watt hub motor, which delivers 50 Nm (37 lb ft) of torque. That motor is in turn powered by a 10-Ah lithium-ion battery (in the case), one charge of which should be good for at least several days of usage, depending on factors such as load weight. A display on the case lets users monitor the charge level.
Assuming the eBarrow Kit reaches production, a pledge of US$349 will get you one. Power tells us that the planned retail price is around $500, which is still a lot less than most purpose-built electric cargo-hauling carts.
It's demonstrated in the following video.
Sources: Kickstarter, eBarrow Kit
