If you ever thought you’re spending too much time commuting to and from work but are not yet ready to embrace biking or walking as alternatives, you might consider the FitCar.
Not only will it help you get to and from work, but it will also help you burn calories, thus keeping you in top shape. The FitCar PPV (pedal-powered vehicle) aims to be a healthier, safer and more environmentally-friendly option for all drivers out there.
But only if they’re willing to put in the work, that is. As its name clearly shows, this is a modified car that has actual bicycle pedals inserted. This is the second prototype, a modified Audi A4 Avant, the brainchild of businessman Nasser Al Shawaf and engineering company BPO, run by Oscar Brocades Zaalberg.
You can see a video of the FitCar PPV at the bottom of the page.
Zaalberg says that he hopes car manufacturers will consider including their technology in future models, if not as a standalone option, at least as an extra feature. He also hopes investors will contribute so he will be able to further work on the project: he dreams of foldable pedals, which would allow the driver to switch between the two modes of driving depending on traffic and his mood.
With so many people looking to live healthier lives but not yet ready to give up the comfort of a personal car, the sky is the limit.
“We are increasingly time-poor and unfit, the FitCar PPV provides at least part of the solution to these two problems for those of us wishing to exercise more, but without the time to do it,” Al Shawaf says in a statement to The Sun.
“This is prototype two, an Audi A4 Avant - chosen for its cockpit ergonomics, allowing for a comfortable cycling position, with enough room for the physical action of pedaling,” Zaalberg explains. “Our ambition is for the technology to be either adopted by a car manufacturer for a new generation of ‘healthier’ city cars, or for us simply to offer it as a conversion kit in the after-market – for those wishing to add PPV as an optional active extra to their car.”
According to reports, FitCar has already been trialed in the Netherlands, but no official word yet on the results.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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