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Automotive

120-mph Twike 5 adds exercise to even the fastest commute

By Loz Blain
March 18, 2019
120-mph Twike 5 adds exercise to even the fastest commute
Germany's Twike: an enclosed electric trike with pedal generators for exercise as you go
Germany's Twike: an enclosed electric trike with pedal generators for exercise as you go
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Germany's Twike: an enclosed electric trike with pedal generators for exercise as you go
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Germany's Twike: an enclosed electric trike with pedal generators for exercise as you go
Up and over: an offroad version of the Twike 5.
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Up and over: an offroad version of the Twike 5.
Twike: expanded view
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Twike: expanded view
With max speeds up to 120 mph, this thing can certainly party
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With max speeds up to 120 mph, this thing can certainly party
The Twike 5 prototype chassis at Geneva, showing the steering handles that replace the steering wheel
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The Twike 5 prototype chassis at Geneva, showing the steering handles that replace the steering wheel
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The shift to electric will open up all sorts of new vehicle categories – and we found this one super interesting. The Twike 5 is kind of like a pedal-assist ebike, except it's a fully enclosed car capable of 120 mph speeds and 310-mile range figures while letting you sneak in a bit of exercise.

Based on a device originally built to take on the Automotive X-Prize challenge back in 2010, the Twike 5 is an ingenious road vehicle that allows commuters to steal a bit of fitness work as they sit in traffic. You sit in the twin-seat, waterproof, lockable cabin and pedal away like you're on an exercise bike – and you are, really. The pedals connect to a generator that tops up the battery on this nifty little jigger as you drive along.

Steering is accomplished through a pair of push/pull levers instead of a steering wheel you might bang your knees on. Oh, and there's pedals for the passenger too, so you can both work up a sweat.

Up and over: an offroad version of the Twike 5.
Up and over: an offroad version of the Twike 5.

The doors appear at this stage to open as one unit that tilts forward from the front of the Twike, which we're not sure will be a great idea in wetter areas. There's a trunk in back for carrying cargo, making it quite a practical little vehicle.

The price? Well, these are short-run vehicles, so Twike is expecting to charge as much as EU€50,000 (US$56,700) for a fully pimped out Twike 5 with 120 mph (190 km/h) capability and a range up to 310 miles (500 km). Lower power/battery specs will be available, down to a EU€30,000 (US$34,000) model that ships without any battery whatsoever.

Twike says its vehicles can be driven on a range of different car and motorcycle licenses in the EU, depending on its power output. We took a look at the prototype Twike 5 chassis at Geneva, and while the prices are obviously a severe deterrent at this point, we love the idea of working a bit of exercise into what's otherwise dead time during your commute. There's no word on when this machine will make it to production just yet.

We'll stick with our ebikes for the moment, but this fitness commuter class is one to keep an eye on for sure!

Source: Twike

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AutomotiveFitnessElectric VehiclesTrike
9 comments
Loz Blain
Loz Blain
Loz leads the New Atlas team as Editorial Director, after nearly two decades as one of our most versatile writers. He's also proven himself as a photographer, videographer, presenter, producer and podcast engineer. A graduate in Psychology, former business analyst and touring musician, he's covered just about everything for New Atlas, concentrating lately on clean energy, AI, humanoid robotics, next-gen aircraft, and the odd bit of music, motorcycles and automotive.

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9 comments
PhilippeHolthuizen
At those prices, this project looks to be dead in the water...
Motomunkey
120mph with one front wheel and push pull steering? You might want to wear a crash helmet.
KaiserPingo
Nice one, but weight could look to be an issue (?). Doors should definitely be Seagull Doors instead.
Trunk should have space for two midsize+ backpacks.
No matter what, its useless in desert sand. The front wheel will dive deep in to it.
highlandboy
Stability will be a major factor. Just lookup reliant robin. If you break while turning it will tip over. Needs 2 front and one rear if you want a “stable” trike.
ChairmanLMAO
looks great except for the single front wheel. guys are right, needs to be two wheels in the front. the concept is great. wonder if excersize gyms thought of this yet. i supose the boss at the office won't do it because the meme potential. but i could see google powering their company with these self generating/excersizing power containers. just need some autonomous softwares.
Grunchy
Ridiculous. If you look at what customers are demanding from pedal vehicles, they pay more for LIGHTER bikes, in fact down below 7kg. This weighs so much, you can pedal like mad and perhaps hit a walking pace. So why not walk for far less effort? Plus it's fully enclosed so you pedal like mad and stew in your own steam. This is just a fancy looking computer rendering that's never gonna be built, and if it ever were built, it will never EVER be used. I like the shape of the hind end, kind of looks like a Honda civic. The civic is a better vehicle by far.
E-Pionnier Au Maroc
Awesome, and guess what, the TWIKE 5 is already sold out! I already ride my TWIKE 3 since 2011 and I will never ever change it for a "normal" vehicle. TWIKE exists already more than 20 year, so they have a real experience on building 3-Wheelers. I am looking forward to the upcoming TWIKE 6. It will have less speed (motor reduced from 40kW to 15kW) and will be produced in a higher series, so TWIKE will be able to reduce prices. Thank you for this article, since we definately need more LEVs on the road.
Concerned
E-Pionner Au Maroc, What you are really saying, if one reads between the lines, that in TWENTY YEARS Twike has failed to bring a mainstream EV to market, and like ALL evangelists, you're saying "it's coming soon! The End (of your wait) is nigh!" But in reality, if the idea was any good, it would have come to fruition by now. Good luck, come again....
YouAre
I think coupling a velomobile with electric assist is a better implementation of an exercise and ride idea. I did just that plus a solar panel resulting in a much cheaper yet slower one-seater: pvvelo.blogspot.com/p/main-page.html The battery-only range of my trike is almost the same, but the cycling input is not only for the exercise’s sake but also for propulsion. I plan to bring it to Spezi this year. Stop by if interested.