Name: Twike Active

Age: 9

Birthday: 1998

Place: Switzerland

Propulsion: Electric & Pedal

My favorite links

1. •My first caretaker, Margaret James
   

2. •My Wikipedia Entry
   

3. •Twike/Ecocarforum
   

4. •Vitor Muñoz’s site -- EV Sermon is a good read
   

5. •Ron Manganiello ’s story
   

6. •Fine Mobile GmbH, makers of Twike
   

7. •Twike USA
   

8. •My Del.icio.us Bookmarks
   

9. •Der Twike Klub (Google Translated from German)  Good technical info for keeping the Twike running.
   

10. •Cool Techno Pictures of my innards from www.AtomAuto.de (again Google Translated)
    

FAQ’s

How fast can you go? 

1. 50-55 mph on the flat... I’ve been up to 59 mph on a slight downhill into Monticello from CU... but I’m not about speed, I’m about efficiency.  I get an estimated 250-600 mpg!
   

How far can you go? 

1. 35-45 miles per charge, but not all at 50 mph!
   

Can you go by just pedaling? 

1. Nope, Empty I tip the scales at around 600 pounds!  Just like riding a one-speed bike up a hill, it’s far easier to get out and push.
   

So do you have to pedal?

1. No.  Pedaling merely serves to extend the range by reducing the workload placed on the batteries (and of course pedaling burns fat).  Pedal or not, it’s your choice.
   

Do you make electricity by pedaling? 

1. The pedals and the motor are linked in parallel to the drive train -- much like the Prius.  That means that the pedals reduce the amount of workload required of the batteries/motor, obeying the first rule of Green: Reduce.  Electricity is Indirectly generated by the pedals when you use my regenerative brakes, so pedaling when braking generates electricity.
   

How much?

1. I’m not cheap.  My batteries alone (NiCad) cost in the neighborhood of $6,000 dollars.  The NIHM set are even more.  A new Twike will run you between $27,5 and $35,000 (I’m priced in Euros).  As a used vehicle, I didn’t cost that much ;-)  The State of Illinois has up to $5,000 back in rebates and loan incentives for new (and used) alternatively fueled vehicles.
   

How could you spend that much on an in-town vehicle???

1. The short answer is some guys have a Harley-Davidson mid-life crisis, my current caretaker had a green-life crisis.  Either way, the up-front cost is about the same, but I save money and the environment in the long run.  The long answer has its own page.
   

Are you safe?

1. Safe for whom?  I’m much safer for pedestrians, bicyclists or other vehicles  than an H1  (2 or 3) or an Escalade.  As for occupant safety, due to my seat-belts I’m one of the safest motorcycles on the road.   Will you survive a crash with a bus or hummer in  me?  Hard to say, but you’ve got a much better chance in me than on a bicycle or motorcycle.
   

2. 
   

3. 
   

Favorite Quotes

If your life’s work can be completed in your lifetime, then you aimed too low.

        -- Some dude on a Chipoltle Cup