VM Road Test Podbike Frikar: Freed from the Car!

Everything has already been done before, one might say. And who would you say that to! The German representative of the Norwegian start-up Podbike, Ralf Lewien, has been a velomobilist and recumbent bike enthusiast for many years and owns, among other things, a "cigar" of Czech provenance, a Katanga WAW - a streamlined aerobike that originally, like most velomobiles from the Benelux countries, comes from Belgium. The 2.86-meter-long GKF/CFK vehicle, initially designed purely for racing purposes, even has a Bafang motor for pedal assistance, which is especially helpful on hills, as Lewien can attest. However, getting into the capsule requires the full "velonaut," as fans of recumbent bikes call themselves. Lewien used to frequently commute to his employer BMW Motorrad from south of Lake Starnberg to the north of Munich. Why? Because he wanted to prove: even 50 kilometers one way is doable by bike and emission-free!

But it has to be more comfortable - and above all, cheaper. "Velomobile reloaded," was the guiding question for Norwegian engineer Per Hassel Sørensen, who developed the concept for the Frikar, which translates to "freed from the car" in Norwegian: "How can we improve a velomobile to make it suitable for the masses?" Based on a master's thesis in energy technology, he discussed the different design principles. Ultimately, what drove him to take action was the "ongoing and escalating climate crisis," as he puts it.

"Because the crisis is primarily caused by the excessive consumption of fossil fuels, and velomobiles don't use any," he explains.

Cars cause problems; their diesel and petrol engines cost a fortune to run. They produce toxic emissions and greenhouse gases and consume vast amounts of limited resources. Bicycles are much better, both for us and our environment. Sørensen's challenge was to get more people to use bikes instead of cars.

"Traditional bicycles have been around for over a hundred years, but they lack weather protection and high-speed capability, and they offer no protection in crashes. Electrically assisted bicycles, or pedelecs, relieve the burden of pedaling up steep hills or in strong headwinds. But they neither solve the problem of lacking weather protection nor offer any crash protection," continues the car-revolutionary.

Under the Glass Dome: Feeling Like in a Pilot's Cockpit

That much about its drive. Now to its result. It stands before us as an unpolished pre-production model on a cold January afternoon south of Lake Starnberg and spontaneously makes one think of "Top Gun" or, less martially, the cockpit of a glider. After lifting up the generous transparent canopy made of scratch-resistant polycarbonate, the four-wheeled chassis reveals itself, which essentially represents a four-wheeled recumbent bike with a floor plate. And even if some details are still a bit rough and the body parts, partly 3D-printed, still creak and squeak, the roof canopy does not yet finish seamlessly, and the somewhat delicate lever mechanism for opening still twists quite a bit: it immediately becomes clear in which direction the journey is supposed to go.

Less weather-resistant commuters will quickly warm to the "New Velomobile," which even features a 160-liter trunk, optionally a second "child seat" up to 22 kilos, a (Weber) tow hitch, as well as a heating system including ventilation and Hepa filter, and a carpeted floor. Formally, the Frikar is 2300 mm long, 839 mm wide with mirrors, and about 1100 mm high (ride height). One feels like sitting in a sports car with large windows. A fun fact mentioned by the manufacturer with a wink: The Frikar is 50 mm higher than a Lamborghini Miura and 50 mm lower than a Volkswagen XL1.

Low Above the Asphalt

The small mirrors can be folded in for tight spots. You sit quite low above the asphalt, can quickly adjust seat inclination, pedal position, and handlebars, and look at a crank that drives a generator via a belt, which in turn transmits the generated power to two identical 250-watt E-motors, Chinese industrial machines. This is a so-called serial hybrid. Thus, the pedaling feel is quite synthetic, but this is supposed to be definable according to personal preference by the time of series production. Similar to a stepless Enviolo gear, the "Velonaut" should be able to enter the preferred pedaling cadence, and the smooth ride begins.

The Motor Still Sings a Loud Song, But Should Soon Whisper

However, the E-motor still howls quite loudly, which is supposed to be fixed eventually. The squeaking noises of the handmade body are also supposed to disappear, and the plastic seat can become even more comfortable with optional padding. Thus, nothing stands in the way of a promising and smooth ride under the Plexiglas dome. So far, the vehicle is designed as a normal pedelec, where the pedaling assistance, which can eventually be adjusted not only in cadence but also in intensity, goes up to 25 km/h. Thanks to good aerodynamics, it should be no problem to accelerate the Frikar well over 30 km/h.

Downhill, a maximum of 60 km/h is possible; from 50 km/h, the drive regulates via recuperation, which also feeds energy back into the standard one, optionally two, 877-Wh batteries, each weighing five kilos, located in the trunk floor. This is enough for pedal assistance over 50 to 80 kilometers, with two batteries, double the distance. The batteries can be charged in the vehicle or externally with the usual e-bike charger. The advantage of the serial drive: you can also activate recuperation at any time by pedaling backward, which saves the brakes.

Chassis technology modeled after automobiles

Car wheels are certainly stable. The design with double wishbones at the front and solid suspension at the rear, combined with the 20-inch thermoplastic/GFRP wheels, which are also known from the E-Cargobike Citkar, makes the 90-kilogram vehicle very track-stable, the Frikar handles like a proverbial board and, aside from the rattling of the bare chassis, actually absorbs quite well. Steering is done as is typical with recumbent bikes via two levers, which, similar to an airplane, also contain important control elements such as indicators, horn (digital bell!), cadence selector, or on/off switch. A smartphone app functions as the central instrument, which displays speed as well as all vehicle information such as battery level, mileage, or lighting in a neat and clear format.