This month, Eric Goakes stopped by Solar Energy International (SEI)’s campus in Paonia, Colorado during is cross country journey in his solar-powered “Clipper Trike.”
The Trike is quite impressive! It can go up to 20mph on highways and interstates, in addition to having regenerative breaking and cruise control. It has 270W of solar on the bike which powers the motor on the rear wheel, a cooling fan, and a future swamp cooler amongst other bells and whistles. To top it off, it has enough battery capacity to travel 60 miles after the sun goes down. Plus, the trailer has its own solar-powered motor with the capability of bringing Eric over mountain passes.
Eric heard about SEI’s campus over the years and wanted to check out the campus while on his journey. In Eric’s words, “Without a doubt both our missions are aligned toward sustainability, and energy independence. I really believe the transportation sector could be powered by solar human hybrids, not only is it a clean, viable, healthy and fun source of transportation, because of the fact it is just a standalone solar system on wheels, grid tying or bringing power to a small cabin would be totally possible.”
Check out the full interview with Eric, and some footage of the Clipper Trike in action at SEI’s Paonia, Colorado campus.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Eric!
