Pedal-powered

Pedal-powered "velocars" certainly are fun, eco-friendly and even practical, but they can also be tippy. Canadian builder Wally Swarchuk has addressed that problem in his one-off Tilt4orce, which uses a clever tilting system to lean into turns.

French champion of pedal power, Stéphane Rousson, is developing a twin-prop waterbike designed to beat a 30-year-old world record for the fastest human-powered watercraft. The first prototype has been built and tested on the water.

Hydrofoil cycling is among the more intriguing new water sports out there, but it's also rather intimidating. JetCycle skips the high saddled frame and drops its pedaled foil down to kayak level, offering high-flying glide with less intimidation.

If you're going on a self-propelled river journey, is it really self-propelled if someone drives you back when you're done? Perhaps not – and that's why inventor Ben Kilner created a paddle-board/bike-and-trailer combo known as the Duckleberry Finn.

Back in February, Arcimoto revealed an awesome tilting e-trike called the Mean Lean Machine. Now the e-mobility company has announced three models will make up the MLM lineup, and has rolled out a new mid-tier prototype to celebrate.

Although pedal-powered boats do exist, most use either a propeller or flapping fins. Ben Kilner's one-off Jamima Paddleduck takes a different approach, with two rear paddles mounted on a bike frame – and the setup has some definite selling points.

Stand-up paddle boards certainly can be fun, but kayaks are generally a faster, more efficient means of getting around. Watercraft company Bote has now combined the best features of both, in its redesigned Rackham Aero paddle board.

We've told you about quite a few velomobiles over the years, some more polished and professional-looking than others. The two-seater four-wheeled Kinner is certainly one of the most exquisite we've seen so far.

A couple of years ago, we covered a two-seat electric pedalcycle called the Screecher that rocked a curved solar canopy above the rider to charge its batteries. Now the next generation is going into limited production.

Screecher riders can zip up to 15 mph on motor power alone, or choose from five levels of pedal assist. The onboard battery can be plugged in for a top up, or users can park up in a sunny spot and let the solar panels do their thing.

Pedal-powered paddle boat (pedalo) designs tends to swing between cutesy kitsch and blandly pragmatic, which is why Beau Lake's Runabout – a paddle boat that actually looks like a boat – is the most ironically out-there thing to happen to these little leisure craft to date.

​Among other things, Josep Rubau has designed cars for Volkswagen, and was the creator of the Tramontana supercar. Now, the Spanish industrial designer is CEO of RedShark Bikes, a company that sells a pedal-powered prop-driven trimaran which he invented.