
IPFS News Link • Inventions
Here’s the Electric Tank-Wheelchair Hybrid You’ve Been Waiting For
• http://www.wired.com, By Damon LavrincTwo permanent magnet synchronous motors drive the tracks, putting out a peak of 21 horsepower and 30 pound-feet of torque to motivate the 460-pound Ziesel. A 6 kWh battery pack with integrated heating stores enough juice to keep the the beefy wheelchair running for 4 or 5 hours, although keeping it pegged at its top speed of 22 MPH will cut that time in half.
Everything is controlled through a joystick, so acceleration, braking, reversing, and steering are a single-handed affair, and three settings to tweak power output on the fly to suit the surroundings.