Minneapolis-based inventor Rich Kronfield has created an electric-assist “Raht Racer” velomobile that he claims can travel at up to 160km/h.

“The Raht Racer is a power biking vehicle that uses state-of-the-art pedal-electric hybrid technology to amplify pedal power, enabling the rider’s legs to propel the vehicle up to highway speeds, giving the rider the feeling of super strength,” Kronfield says.

“On a bicycle, your pedals are the accelerator. Same with the Raht Racer, only multiplied a hundred times.”

The Raht Racer’s pedals are connected to a unique flywheel generator rather than directly driving the wheels, as in a traditional velomobile.

The pedals power a 20-kWh electric motor, which sits in the rear wheel hub.

The vehicle senses the torque being applied to the pedals, and then amplifies it so that most people can maintain a cruising speed of around 48 km/h.

The body of the two-seater Raht Racer is made from carbon fiber and includes a roll cage, headlights, seat lights, air bags and a trunk.

During pedaling, a 2-kWh li-ion battery pack also gets charged to help extend the 259-kg velomobile’s range.

When activated in throttle mode, using just battery power, it has a range of approximately 80 km and a top speed of 160 km/h.

Kronfield has created a prototype and is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to create a commercial mode.

According to the Kickstarter campaign, “The Raht Racer is a totally new experience and a new entry into the power sport market. It’s the fastest, most advanced production pedal vehicle in the world.”

It is estimated the price of the Raht Racer will start at US$35,000 if the campaign is successful.

美国明尼阿波利斯的发明家里奇•科伦菲尔德研制了电动“拉特赛车”，据说这种人力躺车速度高达每小时160公里。

“拉特赛车是一种动力自行车，使用顶尖的脚踏电动混合技术来增强脚踏的动力，使骑行者踏车能够达到高速公路行驶的速度，让骑车人感到超级强大，”科伦菲尔德说。

“在自行车上，踏板是加速器，拉特赛车也一样，只不过拉特赛车的加速器增强了一百倍。”

拉特赛车的脚踏板与独一无二的飞轮发电机连接，而不是像传统的自行车一样直接与车轮连接。通过蹬踩脚踏板，骑拉特赛车的人为处于后轮毂处20千瓦时的电动机提供动力。拉特赛车能感应到脚踏板上的扭矩并放大，令大多数人能维持在每小时48公里左右的行驶速度。两座的拉特赛车主体由碳素纤维制成，包括一个防滚架，车头灯、座位灯、气囊和一个后备箱。

踩踏过程还能为一个2千瓦时的锂电池组充电，延长总重量259公斤的躺车在道路上行驶的时间。

启动电动模式时，也就是完全使用电池电源动力时，拉特赛车能跑80公里，速度最高可达每小时160公里。

科伦菲尔德创造出了一个模型，目前正在美国Kickstarter众筹网上筹款来制造可商用款。

Kickstarter网站的介绍说：“拉特赛车提供了全新体验，是动力运动市场的新兵。它是世界上最快最先进的脚踏车产品。”

如果这个项目成功的话，拉特赛车的售价预计约为3.5万美金。

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

   【维罗车】wéiluóchē velomobile a bicycle car, or a human-powered vehicle enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and protection from weather and collisions

    【原型】yuánxíng prototype an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept recovery