Hand Crank Hybrid!

Did you know that there is a hybrid model of the Chevy Silverado Bradenton available for purchase now?  It is the third most fuel efficient truck on the market today, or the most fuel efficient full size truck.  American engineers are coming up with great things on a daily basis.  There is a man by the name of Charles Samuel Greenwood and he has developed a car that is powered by electricity and human power.  While you won't find this car at your local Honda Pittsburgh dealership, the entrepreneur is taking $50 deposits and he will make you one of these nifty little inventions for a low price tag of $15,500.  This zero emissions vehicle is completely street legal, but its speeds are limited, as one might guess seeing that the car is powered by a hand crank!

While we aren't sure how practical this idea is or if it will even catch on in our American society today, but the fact that someone has created something so ingenious is worth reporting on.  Regular, everyday consumers can still buy a great hybrid or clean burning diesel engine vehicle from your local VW Dealer.  Or, you can be patient and get yourself what Greenwood is calling the HumanCar Imagine PS.  His hopes is that this car will be available for purchase towards the end of 2011. 

So what was Greenwood's inspiration for creating something you might see in a Flintstone's movie?  It came many years ago when he was a young engineer in his first laboratory job in what we now regard as Silicon Valley.  Greenwood saw how overweight people were becoming and how much time they spent in their cars for their daily commute.  Not to mention that it is a commute that is continually increasing in time!  So, he put his thinking cap on and created a vehicle that requires human power to power the car!  At the same time you are helping improve the environment by reducing your carbon foot print, you are also improving your health. 

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