Commuting - Just the right amount of exercise, and an interesting ride

This is an electric-assisted velomobile called the Go-One. I commute in it from SE Portland to Hillsboro (20 miles) on a frequent basis. Zero gas consumption, and just the right amount of exercise!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gdyV6cZ4ZMg&mode=related&search=

That is just too cool!

Sweet. How is it in the rain? Does the canopy fog up?

Sweet. How is it in the rain? Does the canopy fog up?

Electric defroster my friend, electric defroster :) or probably a vent somewhere. I'm sure it's not exactly an airtight bubble (what would the driver breathe?).

Interesting unit. I'd get claustrophobic in there, but I can see how it would work great for some!

Electric defroster my friend, electric defroster :) or probably a vent somewhere. I'm sure it's not exactly an airtight bubble (what would the driver breathe?).

Well I know it has vents, the question is how well they work.

Some of these machines have duct systems, electric fans, air intake scoops, removable windows or panels, removable or convertible tops, etc.

The Swiss-designed, German-made Twike has a glass option, with heating filaments in the glass.

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This (Aptera) unit is not much larger than the Twike.

I suppose one could add pedals -- that seems to be the one thing that is missing. Otherwise, it outperforms the Twike in many ways.

And the design aesthetic -- it leaves the Twike several centuries behind....

http://apteramotors.com/photo.html

this one has something too,

http://youtube.com/watch?v=orrOIoZKPgs

Well I know it has vents, the question is how well they work.

They'll probably work pretty well considering where that video is from. Doesn't it rain an awful lot (compared to here anyway) out there in Seattle land?

They'll probably work pretty well considering where that video is from. Doesn't it rain an awful lot (compared to here anyway) out there in Seattle land?Seattle gets somewhat of a bad rap because it happens to be in the western US, where most other places are comparatively dry. If you look up the rainiest cities in the US (http://www.weatherpages.com/variety/precip.html), though, you find that Seattle isn't even in the top 50.

Sweet. How is it in the rain? Does the canopy fog up?
This is an interesting question.

The giant bubble canopies look great from the outside--but in Europe where these vehicles are arguably more popular, most of the designs do not use a massive bubble canopy for the exact reason that they don't stay clear in the rain, snow and humidity. Euro models like the WAW (http://images.google.com/images?svnum=30&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&c2coff=1&q=velomobile+waw&btnG=Search+Images), Quest (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=velomobile+quest&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2) and Mango (http://images.google.com/images?um=1&tab=wi&hl=en&q=velomobile%20mango) all use basically the same design, where the rider's head sticks up, and they ride either with their heads exposed, or with a very small windshield that can be removed or flipped up like a visor for when it's raining.

The downside is that some of these things cost as much as a good used car--well into the thousands of dollars. The typical flat-ground speeds are not great, 12-15 mph seems normal. The main advantage you seem to get is that they can be used comfortably even in temperatures that are below freezing without wearing a lot of clothes, because the rider is shielded from the wind.
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Cagers...