http://www.thelocal.de/lifestyle/20090623-20149.html Berlin motorcycle inventor puts the human in hybrids Who says green vehicles can?t be cool? A Berlin-based inventor has created a ?human-hybrid? cycle combing a zippy electric motor with pedal power. Andrew Mach takes the eRockit out for a spin. ?The idea was to build a machine like a motorcycle, which can out-accelerate cars,? Gulas told The Local during recent test ride in Berlin. ?It?s our own system. It?s a new technology not implemented anywhere.? Formed in late 2004, his now 12-man company builds a variety of bikes, mixing the asthetics of a motorcycle with a battery motor and adding bicycle pedals to come up with a totally unique two-wheeled vehicle. Powered by electricity, the ?human-hybrid? still relies on pedalling to propel it forward at speeds of up to 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour. ?We?ve tried to keep the character of a bike,? said Gulas. ?Something that?s electric, that?s cool and sexy that people want to ride ? that was the driving force.? Despite its powerhouse performance, the eRockit otherwise behaves exactly like a regular bicycle. The rider must pedal to accelerate and brakes are located on both handlebars. But the 12-horsepower electric motor situated between the rider?s legs offers a ?superhuman? sensation, according to Gulas. ?It feels like you?re riding a bike, so you always compare it to the speed you could go on a bicycle,? he explained, adding that easily passing cars ?just keeps you smiling.?
