Designed as if human power matters
From reading automotive publications one never-ceasing trend stands out: Progress is clearly viewed in the context of ever larger and more power. While some small-akin cars are still offered can anyone recall when last a new model-year vehicle was introduced as “Now … with Less Power”? The lemming race for more power is oblivious of speed limits, ever-slower traffic, fatalities, pollution, wars related to petroleum supplies, climate collapse etc.
There does not seem to be anything even remotely ridiculous, in the eyes of auto makers and most consumers, about 100+ mph top speed cars spending most of their rolling hours in perhaps 20 mph average urban traffic or the need for thousands of pounds of vehicle to transport tiny humans.
If arguably the average car/suv engine develops 160 HP while the average driver may be able to produce continuously 100 Watt or 0.13 HP were he or she pedaling we calculate an engine-to-human power ratio of 1230:1.
In comparison an e.g. 250 Watt (0.33 HP) electric bike drops the motor-to-human power (for an average rider) ratio to, the still amazingly useful in some applications of, 2.5:1.
If the average car/suv weighs 4,000 lb and the average driver weighs 180 lb then the car-to-human weight ratio is 22:1.
At e.g. 60 lb the electric bike-to-human weight ratio drops to an inverted 1:3, i.e. the vehicle weighs one third of the rider.
Is there a message and opportunity here? Certainly, in case we are interested: Human power can matter and matters greatly in the right application.
edited 11/10/19 1600