A standard family car can hold five adults and has a large trunk or hatch area at the back for storage. But most cars never travel with a full load. Usually, it’s just the driver on board, and maybe one passenger. So very large, resource-hungry vehicles are using unnecessary energy to move very few people per unit. The FRIKAR addresses this problem head-on and still offers a lot of space for cargo.
It deliberately has a much smaller footprint than carbon-fuelled cars, both in terms of physical size and the resources needed to transport a driver and (potentially) one other person. (A toddler in a carseat.) This earlier blog posting talks more about the importance of weight to power ratio when it comes to moving people short distances in the FRIKAR: Why weight and resources matter.
FRIKAR CAN HOLD A LOT OF CARGO AND A CHILD SEAT
Even though the FRIKAR is an ultra compact people-mover, it also has a sizable storage area behind the driver. You can stack boxes and bags all the way to the canopy. And accessing the cargo/child seat area is easy: just lift the canopy and fold the driver’s seat forward. The following video will give you a good idea of how the system works:
CARRYING CARGO IN FRIKAR
The most obvious use of this rear space is to carry cargo. As you can see from the photo below, the dimensions are generous enough to allow parcels, a stack of shopping bags, a gym bag, and any other small to medium-sized items you might need to transport.
The FRIKAR ist not only an e bike with full weather protection, but also a small cargobike. Credits: Christoph Kress
To prove the FRIKAR’s storage capabilities, we took one on a shopping run near our design
headquarters in Norway. We stacked it high with shopping bags, as you’ll see in this video:
Our German test pilot, Christoph Kress has been driving the FRIKAR almost every day for the last 18 months and has ridden it more than 7,000 kilometers, regardless of the weather conditions. Rain, hail, snow, or sunshine, Christoph was out there. He rides to work in the FRIKAR, runs errands in it, goes shopping, and takes it on leisure rides.
“I also get in the FRIKAR when it is raining cats and dogs outside. That’s no problem” Christoph said.
Prior to the FRIKAR, Christoph had never ridden a recumbent bike. He wouldn’t even describe himself as a cycling enthusiast. For him, getting around on an e-bike needs to be practical. The FRIKAR had to achieve all the things a weatherproof, gasoline-powered car would do and not disrupt his daily routine.
“For me, it has to work for everyday use. So it can’t be complicated or uncomfortable.”
WHAT ABOUT CARRYING CRATES OF DRINKS?
In Germany, it’s standard to buy juice, mineral water, and beer in crates at the supermarket. We don’t do this in Norway, but we know the need for it among our European customers, so FRIKAR’s cargo area was built large enough to comply.
“Unfortunately, Norway doesn’t have the beer crates with 20 half-liter bottles that are common in Germany,” Christoph (he is German) said.
“But I could imagine stacking two of them, one on top of the other, behind the seat.”
These posts might also interest you:
Video: Feedback from a test pilot (german)