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Thursday, 02 December 2010 00:18 |
A personal invention of an electric tricycle has become a fast, easy, and sustainable way to get to class for Tommy Ausherman, a senior at Appalachian State University who is double majoring in geography and appropriate technology.
His prototype model uses an environmentally safe battery, takes less than an hour to charge, and can go up to 30 miles per hour.
“At this time, this is one of the lightest and highest performance vehicles I’ve seen, so it’s definitely on the cutting edge of technology,” said Dr. Jack Martin of the Appropriate Technology Department.
Ausherman said he got started on the idea when he lived five miles off campus and had to bike down Highway 421, which has no bike lanes, to get to class every day.
“It wasn’t a bad ride, but those cars were going pretty fast, and it felt dangerous sometimes,” he said.
So, he began by creating an electric bicycle, but it was too heavy and took up too much space, so he wanted to improve on it.
Then, Ausherman entered Dr. Jack Martin’s Sustainable Transportation class, where he began to investigate different types of electric bicycles, though he eventually began to favor electric tricycles, since they have more room and are more stable.
From there, he created a product that could keep up with traffic, while still using much less energy than the average gas-powered car.
“He created this new product in only one semester, which is very impressive,” said Martin. “Overall, Tommy’s very talented, inquisitive, and he’s a risk-taker.”
After riding the tricycle around for about six months, Ausherman started to see a lot of interest from other people, so he created a website for his products, though he’s just now comfortable with the idea of selling them to the public.
“When I first started building the tricycles, I was thinking that college students like me would be the ones buying them,” Ausherman said. “They’ve turned out to be really popular with people in their thirties commuting to and from work every day, though.”
Part of the reason the electric tricycles haven’t caught on quite yet with the college generation is the price. At this point, these products are selling for about $5950.
“I want to sell the premium product so that customers always know they’re getting the best,” Ausherman said. “I do hope to make a couple of more affordable models in the future, though.”
As for other future goals, Ausherman says he just wants to stay “competitive and exciting,” and he one day hopes to make a sort of family of electric tricycles, including ones that can carry more than one person.
This summer, Ausherman is also planning to ride across the country on a solar powered tricycle in order to raise money to put solar panels in schools in Sri Lanka.
For more information on Ausherman’s products visit www.ffrtrikes.com.
Story: MOLLY SPEARS, Intern News Reporter
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