VéLorean, Bike to the Future! A Side-by-Side Solar Tandem Quad

The VéLorean is a hand-built, two-person solar-electric pedal quadricycle inspired by the DeLorean from Back to the Future. It was designed so two people can pedal side by side, talk naturally and share the same view, while four wheels, a low centre of gravity and easy-access bodywork provide stability and confidence for riders of different ages and abilities.

The vehicle was designed for the 2026 Sun Trip AURA adventure and the tandem team of Olivier and his mother Chantal, aged 72 and living with a neuroendocrine tumour. Their challenge was to travel 1,300+ km, in two weeks, across the Auvergne and the French Alps, with 20,000+ metres of climbing, using only their legs and solar energy harvested from the sun, powering two GrinTech MAX45 motors (one in each front wheel).

Why such a vehicle?

Here is a nice video interview at the SPEZI fair:
https://youtu.be/5xj7WE0DoVA

For years, I've been chasing what felt like an impossible design challenge.
Here's the multi-year quest that led to the VéLorean. 🚀☀️

Most vehicle designs make one great trade-off and quietly ignore the rest.

I wanted a vehicle where two people could pedal together, feel genuinely safe — even at a standstill — and actually talk to each other while riding.

That single constraint rules out almost everything on the market.

My previous solar tandem was technically impressive.
But riding it with my wife was scary — high centre of gravity, heavy solar roof, real risk of tipping at a stop.
With my sons? They loved the adrenaline.
With her? Once was enough, never again on longer distances.

And if you've ridden a tandem like the Hase Bikes Pino, you know the magic:
one person reclined up front, the other just behind — both enjoy the view and the ride AND you can whisper to each other mid-ride.
That feeling of a real conversation & shared experience while moving together was non-negotiable for me.

So I wrote the full requirements — and they were brutal:

✅ Two people pedalling together (true tandem)
✅ Stable at rest — no tipover risk, safe for older or less athletic riders
✅ Side-by-side seating — easy conversation, a truly shared journey
✅ No "bathtub problem" — entry/exit that works for anyone, any age, any flexibility
✅ Lightweight & low-tech: vehicle + luggage ≤ 150 kg, ideally 130 kg empty
✅ Assisted up to 45 km/h, aerodynamic above 30 km/h
✅ Efficient drivetrain, regenerative direct-drive motors
✅ Enough flat solar surface for genuine energy autonomy
✅ A design people *want* — one that sparks imagination before they understand the tech

Every existing solution failed at least three of these...

Velomobiles? Efficient but cockpit access is a nightmare.
Classic tandems? Magical communication, poor stability with solar panels.
Cargo quads or "pedal-cars"? Stable sure, but too heavy, too wide.

The breakthrough came from asking the wrong question:

what is the flattest, most iconic body ever built — one where a solar panel would simply feel at home to shine?

One obvious answer: the DeLorean and "bike to the future"!

From that insight, the engineering constraints suddenly aligned:

→ Four wheels = inherent stability, no tip over risk
→ Low flat roof = perfect solar surface, low centre of gravity
→ Side-by-side cabin = natural conversation, equal partnership
→ Gull-wing silhouette = easy access, no contortion required

The result: the VéLorean.

Details on the build

Here is a video timelapse of the build design and construction:
https://youtu.be/otMEiPW15P0
"From the idea in 2024 to the first sketch and 3D plans, the AI renderings, then the chassis in December 2025, the exhibition at the SPEZI end of April 2026 and the bodywork and solar panels just before the Sun Trip AURA 2026"

The VéLorean uses a custom lightweight quad chassis made of steel and an aluminum body designed and built in France by LGZ.bike. It is less than 1.20 m wide and weighs less than 150 kg (the high design requirement was to try to remain within the combined weight of the two adults on board).

Its broad, flat body carries ~500 Wp of solar panels. The top and back panels are black lightweitgh panels with latest generation Maxeon cells (provided by grintech.eu ). The grey solar panels on the front, are custom made panels from Mito Solar, which were encapsulated in a transparent light grey film, with the intent to get as close as possible to the aluminum color of the bodywork.

Two Grin MAX45 direct-drive hub motors provide high torque for mountain riding, regenerative braking and an assisted-speed design target of up to 45 km/h. The vehicle got a temporary matriculation plate for the L6e category (up to 45km/h), but we could not find any insurance to cover the Sun Trip experimentation. So we had to limit the electric assist to max 25 km/h (+/- 10%) to stay within the EPAC category (self-certification and an equivalent insurance coverage as a tandem e-bike).

The low roof and low centre of gravity avoid the tip-over risk of a tall solar tandem, while side-by-side seating makes the journey genuinely shared.
The name “VéLorean” combines the French word vélo with DeLorean. It was suggested by Olivier’s youngest son