[Thomas-]

Over rijden op zonne-energie, een Japans bedrijf is bezig aan zo'n brommer voor pendelaars:

"This is an electric bike, powered by storing the electricity generated using a solar panel. On rainy or cloudy days, the bike can be charged from a home power socket. It can go 220 km on a full charge. The electric bill for that is about the same as running a home air-conditioner for one hour. In other words, this bike can travel 220 km for less than 2 yen."

"Here's the solar panel, on the back of the bike. If you commute 50 km each way, for example, you can ride to work in the morning, and leave the bike to charge during the day. When it's time to go home, the bike is fully charged. So your commute, both ways, costs you nothing."

This bike's top speed is 72 km/h. As an electric-assisted bicycle, it can be used on public roads.

Another feature of this bike is its small wheels, which have low rolling resistance. If you rotate the front wheel gently with your hand, it keeps rotating for 20 minutes. This feature arose from experience by the developer, Mr. Yamawaki, with exhaust and propulsion systems for the planetary rover Minerva, which was carried on Hayabusa, an asteroid probe.

"Space is a vacuum. In air, if heat is generated, it dissipates through the air, but in a vacuum, heat doesn't dissipate. Consequently, axles and bearings heat up and stick together. To prevent that happening, friction must be reduced as much as possible. We've played with this technology by using it in wheels. In the future, we think it'll be possible to utilize this technology in the shafts of new electric vehicles. That might enable them to go two or three times as far."

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/05/h...sun-not-on-it/
http://www.diginfo.tv/2010/08/03/10-0126-r-en.php