If you're a regular Gizmag reader, then you're probably familiar with velomobiles – they're recumbent tricycles covered with an aerodynamic shell, often featuring an electric motor to assist with the pedalling. Intended to fill a niche between bicycle and car, they're still quite a rare sight in most of the world … perhaps because they're just too weird to be big sellers. Swedish design engineer Mikael Kjellman has set out to change that, with his decidedly car-like PodRide.
Kjellman's 70-kg (154-lb) creation features four wheels for added stability, a waterproof fabric body mounted on an aluminum frame, and a seat height that offers the same visibility as that of a small car. He's been using the prototype as a daily commuter for the past year in all four seasons, and found it to be "a very practical and comfortable little vehicle."
Augmenting the rider's pedalling power is a 250-watt crankshaft-mounted motor, taking the PodRide to an electronically-limited top speed of 25 km/h (15.5 mph). One charge of the onboard battery pack should be good for a motor-assisted range of about 60 km (37 miles).
Other features include a full LED lighting system, 14-speed hub transmission, airsprung suspension, rear cargo compartment, interior defogging fan, and a manually-operated windshield wiper.

The PodRide is narrow enough to fit on regular bike paths, and is classified as an e-bike in Sweden – that means no special licenses or insurance are required in order to use it. In fact, it's not even the only Swedish cloth-bodied four-wheeled cycle car we've seen. We also recently heard about the Velove Armadillo, which Kjellman tells us is not related to his project.
If you'd like a PodRide of your own, take note that Mikael has turned to Indiegogo to raise funds for an assemble-it-yourself kit. He estimates that a final fully-assembled production model might ultimately sell for around €2,500 (about US$2,845), if the market were large enough.
The prototype can be seen in action, in the following video.
Sources: Indiegogo, JMK-Innovation
Please keep comments to less than 150 words. No abusive material or spam will be published.
Love it
(Also, calling vehicles like these, or the Veemo, "velomobiles" is controversial among some velomobile fans - an idea I had, that actually comes from both velomobile and recumbent history, is to call vehicles like this velocars - many modern recumbents (via the Vélo-Vélocar, which was a long-wheelbase recumbent bicycle), and all modern velomobiles, can consider the Mochet Vélocar as an ancestor, but the Vélocar was specifically trying to be a human-powered car.)
BTW love the studded tires, mini heater and ice donuts....