Electric micro-cars make a lot of sense for quietly and cleanly navigating packed inner-city environs. As do ebikes or velomobiles. A French startup has combined all three for the Karbikes pedal-assist quadricycle.
I love ebiking into the city, but who wants to arrive at a destination soaked through to the skin from a sudden downpour? The Karbikes four-wheel people transporter is designed to fix that by marrying the benefits of a small car with the ease of ebiking for getting around town.
The Karbikes vehicle has been in development for just over 2 years by a Strasbourg-based startup founded by Lucas Vançon and Gaëlle Richard. It's essentially a partially covered electric quadricycle built around a metal chassis that has proportions suited to rolling down bike paths (though you may need to check local regulations before heading out).
There's a 250-W pedal-assist motor and Valeo automatic gearbox combination for pedal-assist speeds up to 25 km/h (15.5 mph), in line with European ebike regulations. And a 1.24-kWh battery pack is included for a per-charge range of around 75 km (46.6 miles) – though the promo video states 160 km – with a 100-W rooftop solar panel helping to top up the cells while out and about and potentially extended time between plug-ins.
Though most of the available photos show the vehicle's sides open to the elements, there are zip-up fabric doors available according to France Info, with solid lockable doors in the works. This, along with an aluminum roof and polycarbonate windshield, helps ensure rider and passenger(s) stay dry during unfavorable weather.
Inside you'll find bench seating to the rear that can reportedly accommodate one adult or two children. The rider in the high-back seat up front adopts a central, semi-recumbent position, with a bike-like handlebar offering steering and braking control. The demo shots show a bar-mounted smartphone for navigation assistance, but there's no mention of a companion app at this stage.
Rounding out the given specs are hydraulic disc brakes for reliable stopping power, four shocks to absorb uneven terrain, wing mirrors, headlights and braking tail-light plus turn signals. An integrated alarm system is also mentioned, along with a horn for alerting pedestrians who may cross your path, and a rear storage compartment for up to 400 liters of cargo.
The startup's website also shows a version with a sunroof, and another with a cargo box in place of the passenger seating that's aimed at inner-city delivery services, though such things appear to be still in development.
The Karbikes hybrid getabout reportedly comes with a rather high price tag of €12,000 (which converts to around US$13k as of writing). Orders for 10 Karbikes have already been secured, with delivery to customers expected to take place over the coming months. The video below has more, though you may need to break out your French dictionary to read the captions.
Source: Karbikes
