The design firm Pedal Power created two such cycling generators that produce electrical power known as Big Rig and Pedal Genny.
The Pedal Genny is a more portable, single function machine. It has an optional seat, but no work surface.
It features a flywheel to smooth pedalling, full-size cranks, and an all-steel, hand-built frame, the company said.
It has been used for generating electricity, milling grain and pumping water, but can be configured to power most any mechanical device requiring less than 1 horsepower.
Big Rig is designed for off-grid applications and features a work surface, ergonomic seat for comfort, quick adjustments for different riders, a flywheel to smooth pedalling, a wide range of gearing, and an all-steel, hand-built frame, the company said on its website.
An average adult can use it to generate 100 watts of electricity, pump 5 gallons of water per minute, grind a variety of grains, as well as operate an air compressor, a hydraulic pump, most any hand-cranked machine, and a variety of small shop tools, the website said.
It has been found to be particularly suitable for small scale agricultural applications such as cracking grains, churning butter, and pumping water.
“With an efficiency of 97 per cent, bicycle technology is nearly perfect. So why do we use it only for transportation?
“Bicycle technology can and should be used for many everyday tasks. Using your own power rather than plugging into the grid is not only fun, but helps you understand your energy use and reduce your ecological footprint,”
2 Responses
Hey I hope you realize that these Guys Pedal Power, are completely ripping off numerous individuals in their pursuits of CrowdFunding.
We had already informed the public of the coming days of our new vehicles and have made steps recently to guarantee that we are able to launch this year…….
But now Im not sure….
We are both Pedal Power Work Bikes, and Pedal Power Bike Taxi, in Burlington, VT, having been established as a service and online with websites operational during the 2008-2011 seasons, as well as operating a Publicly Recognized service under those names.
There has been a ton of work here in Burlington, and we are still a driving force in this Work Bike Industry that we are creating monumental advancements for.
Their crowdsource funding page features a logo that uses the same exact Arial Black Logo, Bold and Italicized and says “Pedal Power” on it…….exactly mimicking our name and shortening it to make it seem different and unique. The same as was on our website, and business cards matching perfectly.
That LLC, Pedal Power, is already owned by another party who is unaware they are trying to go to market with their branding in this manner.
They have violated that to start, then coming from upstate New York to make their home base in Vermont to rob us of our foundation of public recognition here, through affiliations that know of our efforts already, nationwide and globally.
They have given the public a page to donate money to their efforts of creating “open source” designs for the public to use………these designs are supposedly free, yet they now need more money to release designs for free, that they already have created working and marketable models for???
This is against the Kickstarter rules, and is something that is a degree of fraud we dont want our names affiliated with in any manner.
They give thanks on their page to the individual who they also robbed. They used designs for a preliminary frame and seat concept, mimicking his inventions to use for their power resources, and styled them to suit their needs…
…..while he was COMPLETELY UNAWARE THEY WERE DOING THIS WITH HIS COMPANY NAME AS A REFERENCE FOR THESE TYPES OF INVENTIONS…He does not approve either and is reviewing this as a potential violation of his intellectual properties as are we, in a legal argument that we are beginning to gain recognition for.
Please review this information as we are finding that this is the third “Local” “Bike Friendly” business started up using our Company Name here in town to run us out of business. The last attempt was called Pedal Power Electric Bikes…….now Pedal Power???
Who do these men think they are fooling ???
Certainly not those who’s Bike Rumors stink as bad as a trike with 81 speeds and a working load bearing capacity of 1000 lbs???
Sincerely,
James Simpson
Founder/Owner
Pedal Power Work Bikes
Green Mayoral Candidate ’09
A win-win in every aspect; you generate power and get a work-out while working at your desk.