Interesting Ways the World is Using Solar: Tricycles to Navigate the Traffic

Nikhil Gupta | 9th January 2020

The Consumer Electronics Show or CES is an annual event held in Las Vegas, Nevada, the United States where the future of personal technology and automobile is on show. While the show in the recent few years has lost some of the novelty it carried, it is still a place to discover a couple of cool prototypes. One interesting tricycle we found out about makes to the list of our Interesting applications of Solar that we frequently feature on the MYSUN blog.

3D Image of a Solar Tricycle

The tricycle manufactured by Wello is a cross between a bike and a car. The hybrid vehicle has an optional battery and solar panels on the rooftop. This way, not only can you pedal your way to your destination but you can use the power of the sun to take some load away and use the electric power of the vehicle. The solar-powered tricycle is aimed to navigate the streets of urban areas through the traffic and aims to encourage people to abandon cars. There is a nifty application that connects via Bluetooth and gives live updates. The tricycle is developed in Réunion Island and can go as much as 25 to 40 km per hour.

Solar Tricycle running on a road

The vehicle brings the benefits of a car in the profile of a slightly bigger bike. It has space for one passenger in front and two children or another adult at the back. A lightweight solution, the Wello tricycle is a good solution for those who are looking to cover short distances in the day. Wello says that the tricycle has zero carbon dioxide emission making it a good addition to the road for daily short-distance commuters with consideration for the environment.

Solar tricycle in a parking lot

With 7.4 feet in length and 2.7 feet in width, the tricycle has enough room to carry small luggage and a hard outer shell to keep the riders safe. What’s most interesting is that the bike is already on pre-order for about 7,900 euros with solar panels.

Video credit: CNET

MYSUN’s Take: The Wello Tricycle no doubt is a useful little concept vehicle. However, at the price it is marked, it may be a hard sell even in Europe. Having said that, innovative solutions like these are what will push the industry forward and while the Wello may not become a household name, we hope more people will integrate solar energy as their energy source in automobiles and bring us a truly commercial solution.

Image credit: wello.io

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Nikhil is a Marketing Executive at MYSUN. An adman by education & an eye for wordplay. He is always on a lookout for making statements. He can be reached out @ [email protected]

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