Canadian
Solar Cargo Recumbent - Tilting Trike
Northern California
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149
Published: 2023-07-29
I built this trike for long-distance, heavily loaded solar-powered touring. The frame, bolted together out of aluminum square tubing, is an upgrade from my beloved FlevoTrike - it has the same tilting mechanism, Python lowracer steering, a longer wheelbase.
The large cargo box is made from plywood and scrap plastic scavenged off a damaged vending machine. The e-assist is an All-Axle Hub Motor in the right rear wheel controlled by a Phaserunner, with a battery charged by a 150W solar panel on top.
People often comment on the use of crutches to support the solar panel, but don't always realize that in addition to being cheap and effective, they're height-adjustable so I can aim the panel at the sun when parked. It's longest trip so far was to the Mexico-California border and back (~2000miles / 3000km) and it has almost certainly accrued another few thousand miles/km in shorter trips.