Vermont Environmental Consortium

And

BRATTLEBORO REFORMER

December 4, 2007
RunAbout Pioneers Human-Electric Hybrid Transport
by
Daniel Hecht

I first rode one of Josh Kerson’s RunAbout Cycles, briefly, as part of Montpelier’s 2001 Fourth of July parade. I could pedal the trike, or it could pedal me, supplying propulsion via a battery-powered electric motor.

Josh calls his trikes “human-electric hybrids”; the technology category they belong to he calls “HPV,” for human-powered vehicles. Bikes are still mostly used for recreation in the U.S., but much of the world relies on them for transportation. Josh is betting that we Americans will soon accept the need for utilitarian alternatives to the automobile – such as his shop’s sturdy, high-tech hybrids.

Industry growth suggests that he’s right. In 1999, he attended a trade show in Pennsylvania at which bike component manufacturer Shimano displayed human-electric hybrids made by 25 Asian firms. Today, Josh says, there are around 250 Asian companies manufacturing them, selling over 17 million units in 2006. About 90% are two-wheeled cycles, with the other 10% being three wheelers capable of carrying heavier loads, including human-electric rickshaws that now serve as taxis in many Asian cities.

Josh lives in Massachusetts, but his family are long-time Central Vermonters, and his trikes can often be found at their home and arts complex in Middlesex. His experience developing his product and business has followed a path similar to that of many young entrepreneurs: An avid BMX biker and ski bum, he took jobs that fit his lifestyle, such as racing team member for a bike company, ski technician, bike and auto mechanic. Later, it seemed natural to build upon his affinities and the skills he’d acquired.

He was fortunate to find a progressive educational program at the U Mass Amherst’s University Without Walls, which allowed him to take classes at both U Mass and Hampshire College and to take courses in subjects as diverse as ergonomics, electronics, and economics. His first prototype was finished as a project for his BA in Appropriate Vehicle Design and Entrepreneurial Business – a nicely hybrid degree for the purposes at hand.

He built five generations of prototypes, cobbled together capitalization from friends, family, and grants, and in 2004 formally incorporated RunAbout Cycles LLC in Florence, Massachusetts.

Three years later, their production level is still small. “We’re still proving the point,” Josh says. “We’re still perfecting the product through customer feedback. But we’re creating a base of satisfied customers, building momentum that will bring in a larger investor group and let us expand.”

At first, sitting in a RunAbout cycle is disconcerting for a hard-core two-wheel rider. But it is great fun: You lounge comfortably in a low-slung seat, legs extended forward to the pedals; the batteries and drive system are beneath you, the handlebars rise on each side. Two wheels lead the way, one wheel brings up the rear.

Because you’re not leaning forward, you’re not craning your neck to watch the road; visibility is good, and there’s none of the shoulder tension that can come from leaning onto your arms. You grip the handlebars at about waist level to steer, brake, shift, and manage the electrical power. The nearly-silent, effortless surge of forward propulsion feels quite luxurious.

Originally, Josh hoped to incorporate a regenerative braking system to recharge the batteries while riding. But the generator’s sudden drag caused steering problems, and the gain in range was small. Now his cycles’ lithium-ion batteries plug into a conventional outlet, providing 40 miles per charge at a brisk 20 miles per hour. For those wanting zero emissions transportation, Josh supplies a solar photovoltaic kit that can recharge a trike in one day.

The tricky part for an entrepreneur in an environment-related field is to be just far enough ahead of the wave. You need to anticipate future trends so that you’re well-positioned when society wakes up to the value of your product. But you don’t want to be too far ahead, because your cash and morale may run out before the market wave arrives.

For now, Josh stresses mainly that his cycles provide healthful exercise and are fun to ride, a point their luscious candy-colored paint emphasizes. Their environmental benefit depends on whether they’re used as serious transportation, displacing fossil fuel burners.

The hand-built cycles are fairly expensive, comparable to very high-end two-wheelers; Josh sees his best immediate market as well-off people who use the trike for fun and exercise. But as factory production and cheaper high tech reduce cost, he believes college students will start using them to get around; aging Baby Boomers will buy them to enjoy some power assist during recreational biking.

Will they ever become staple transportation in the U.S.? Skepticism about HPVs is understandable in our car-enamored society. But the human-electric hybrid suggests a promising solution to the pending energy transition, and production is growing world-wide. Visit the website for Information Center for Light Electric Vehicles at www.extraenergy.org for news about the HPV phenomenon.

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Daniel Hecht is a novelist and executive director of Vermont Environmental Consortium. For more information on any Green Grapevine topic, contact vec@norwich.edu.

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