466 diy EVs and other bits of the future



Above is a prototype solar RV. It has all the RV stuff, but it's built super light weight. This is perhaps the theme of this edition of "Bike and Battery": reimagining vehicles in a lighter, electric version.

Even old fossils like Shell Oil are recognizing that EVs are the future. But there will be a step beyond simply putting a bunch of batteries into a more-or-less traditional vehicle.

The average car is the size it is because that's the width of two horses, and two horses were better for pulling a wagon than one.

But things are changing.


Batteries are taking over for internal combustion. 

Traditional (if you can call something that's only been around a hundred years "traditional") cars are running into more and more roadblocks.

Of course, full-size EVs, made two horses- asses-wide are also having some supply issues.

But what if, like, everything was changing? What if this current wave of EVs is just, like, temporary? As we move to something even better?

People are starting to buy homes based on their energy use and availability. Having a solar system and a car charger is the new conversation pit and microwave oven.


But what if the vehicle didn't even need all that?


What if it could just charge as it went along?


There's a YouTuber called "creative channel" who builds all kinds of cool EVs out of old bike parts. (Well, and a bunch of other parts.)



He does this at home, in a garage, by himself.


They look fun as hell, but also, they prove that you can get around just fine in something less than a two ton two-horse-wide vehicle.

We're in the early days of all this. Here I spotted my first Sur-ron bike. It has pedals, but, uh, yeah, let's just say we're in a golden age of unregulated EBikes right now. I love it, but I don't expect that you'll be able to get away with riding one of these and calling it a bicycle forever. Not at 60mph.

But what about this? Under 30mph.


Two wheel drive. 80 miles range.

Despite how much it looks like one of these old school motorcycles, I hope we continue to call it a bike. Because too much regulation will let the F-150s win again.

And we don't really need an F-150 to do an awful lot of cool shit.



Like van-life lite.

Or even carrying lots of cargo.


So, here's to a new generation of light-weight vehicles designed for human asses, not horse butts.

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