Eco Factor: Pedal-powered zero-emission car.

In a bid to reduce the amount of pollution produced by cars, manufacturers have developed several vehicles which run on everything from electricity to air. However, all these cars are mostly too expensive and the electricity they consume mostly comes from conventional sources which aren’t as green as electricity itself. Car designer Eliseu Santos has tried to solve the riddle with a pedal-powered trike called the Human Energy Moving Urban Vehicle, or simply URB21.

The car is equipped with a system that accumulates the energy produced by pedaling using an inertial fly wheel, which is transferred to the rear wheel. In order to reduce muscular fatigue and make the car more user-friendly, the designer had to think of an alternative to the steering wheel and pedal controls, which Eliseu accomplished by mounting all controls on handlebars which are located on either side of the seat.

According to the designer, the 2m long, three-wheeled car can easily reach a top speed of 45mph, which is decent if you truly want a car for all your shopping needs.

Via: Design21SDN