Power your Home by Riding this Bike!
Manoj Bhargava rides his Free Electric bike invention. Photograph by Paul Sheppard.
I love riding a bike, though I avoid stationary bikes… however – this amazing invention could change my tune! I have always thought that stationary bikes should somehow use the energy we put into them, for example, a stationary bike could power a fan in front of you to cool you off while you were riding. Or, at least it would charge the resistance battery that some stationary bikes have. Well, here’s an even better idea:
Manoj Bhargava, founder of the Free Electric hybrid bike, is sharing his power-generating stationary bike. Bhargava: “Human mechanical energy is so amazing why can’t we use that, to create energy?”
Bhargava has invented a hybrid bicycle that you peddle for an hour to generate electricity for 24 hours. This will be used throughout the world by people who do not have access to reliable electricity, which is great. I think it would also be think it would be a great alternative-energy source in our own homes to generate our own electricity.
Imagine all the spinner-folks out there who could generate electricity every time they ride versus just spinning their wheels.
“It’s so simple that we think we can make it for $100 … A bicycle repairman anywhere can fix it,” Bhargava says in an interview. Pedaling turns a turbine generator that creates electricity, stored in a battery. The first 50 bikes will be tested in 15 or 20 small villages in the northern state of Uttarakhand before a major rollout in the first quarter of next year. The bikes will be made in India.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all have one in our homes? It sure would encourage me to ride everyday!