THEKPV electric bike with 50-watt solar array, the greenest way around your neighborhood

Here’s what happens when you hook on some solar panels on a bike. You end up with something like the THEKPV. The Hybrid Electric Kinetic Photovoltaic Vehicle by Terry Hope is the greenest bike we’ve ever come across. Powered by a 50-watt solar array packed with a battery and a capacitor to boost its acceleration capabilities, this one also boasts regenerative breaking and weighs just around 44 pounds or 20 kilos. With a total power of 424 watts, the THEKPV uses A123 batteries with 396 Wh and a Maxwell capacitor with 28 Wh.

Taking just 15 to 30 minutes this one would indeed be the ideal way to travel around your neighborhood, if only it included pedals. You really can’t depend on the sun all along, and the pedals might just work to your rescue!

[GreenOptimistic]