Bicycles are on the rise – and for good reasons. Emerging from this movement, velocars are redefining individual mobility by offering the comfort of an e-bike, cargo capacity and weather protection.
The inherent joy and benefits of riding a bike surely are some of the main incentives of cycling. However, many people find that these are not enough – especially in a car-centric environment. Cargo bikes, e-bikes and velomobiles are answering these needs by adding transport capacity, power, speed, comfort and weather protection.
Origins
So why not combine these aspects in one pedal powered, fun-to-ride vehicle? As with many technological advancements, the idea of a velocar is not new. In this case, it’s as old as increasingly car dominated cities – roughly 100 years.
Originally coined by Charles Mochet in the 1920s, ‘Velocar’ has become the designation of a very special type of bicycles. They might be seen as the bigger, somewhat stronger relatives of the usually more speed-oriented modern velomobiles.
Main characteristics
- weather protection
- a significant capacity for the transportation of passengers and goods
- the reliance on the legal status of the bicycle and its technologies
- electrically assisted driving
- and in some cases ‘sociable’ tandem funcionality.
Present Velocars
Once numerous and closely related to the historical microcars and cyclecars, they are currently seeing a certain renaissance. Modern e-bike technologies and the cargo bike boom in conjunction with global warming and the consequences of massive car use have created a favourable environment for experimental bicycle designs.
Today, a growing number of manufacturers around the world are developing and releasing velocars of varying designs. This site is dedicated to their work and intends to provide a neutral, yet necessarily subjective overview of current developments.