Kronen Zeitung 18.07.2022
Okay, strictly speaking, the assistance is rather the other way around, i.e. by pedaling, you support the battery, which drives the 70 kW/95 hp electric motor, not the other way around, as we know it from cargo bikes or electric rickshaws, for example. Whether you pedal or not is not so relevant for reaching high speeds, so the we-are-now-independent-of-Putin effect is rather small.
The slower you ride, the more exercise you get. At 50 km/h, 10 to 20 percent of the power can come from the muscles.
Full power only with the larger of the two batteries
The battery of the two-seater is correspondingly large, with two variants on offer: a version with around 18 kWh of energy content and a range of around 250 km and a battery with double the capacity (36 kWh) and therefore double the range. This means that you can not only drive around the sandpit, but also up to 500 kilometers. The manufacturer gives the fuel consumption for the low-drag vehicle (cW 0.24) as 7.3 kWh/100 km.
The top speed is over 190 km/h with the large battery and 130 km/h with the smaller one.
IWhen the battery is empty, it becomes difficult to propel the “human power hybrid” forward: the Twike 5 weighs at least 600 kg. So it’s a good thing that at least the passenger can also pedal the pedal generator. Or you can simply plug in the vehicle. With alternating current, you can recharge for a range of 7.5 kilometers in ten minutes, and with direct current, you can recharge for 45 kilometers in the same time.
Behind the two passengers, the Twike 5 has space for 300 liters of luggage. There is no steering wheel or handlebars. The whole driving experience takes some getting used to. It is steered using two levers, one on the left and one on the right.
“Germany’s most innovative vehicle” is set to go into small-scale production of 500 units at the end of the year. The price: 39,900 or 49,900 euros, depending on the battery size. The pedal-powered vehicle is being built in the small town of Rosenthal, not far from Frankfurt.
Hinter den zwei Personen bietet das Twike 5 Platz für 300 Liter Gepäck. Was es nicht gibt, ist ein Lenkrad oder eine Lenkstange. Das ganze Fahren ist eher gewöhnungsbedürftig. Gelenkt wird mit zwei Hebeln, die man links und rechts in der Hand hat.
„Deutschlands innovativstes Fahrzeug“ soll ab Ende des Jahres als Kleinserie von 500 Stück aufgelegt werden. Der Preis: je nach Akkugröße 39.900 oder 49.900 Euro. Gebaut wird der Pedalritterbolide im Städtchen Rosenthal unweit von Frankfurt.
