carbon fiber tricycle powered by electric screwdriver for race

carbon fiber tricycle powered by electric screwdriver for race
all images courtesy of simon schmitz

created specifically for the ‘screwdriver-race’ in hildesheim, germany, the 4000g carbon-fiber tricycle was designed in response to the theme ‘lightweight’. the competition takes place every two years between universities from germany and switzerland and a group of four students, enzo mittelberger, jakob taranowski, benedikt schich and simon schmitz developed the racing cycle for ‘team hamburg’.

using just one regular bosh 14V electric srewdriver, the tricycle reaches a top speed of 30 km/h and lasts for about 6 kilometers. the racing cycle consists of a structural framework that is laminated out of carbon pipes, with hubs made from aircraft aluminum and further components from track cycling were tuned to save on material and overall weight.

‘we translated the guideline of a multilane vehicle by using three wheels. furthermore we chose a kneeling position to increase the speed in fast turns and to lower down the centre of gravity.’ says the designers.

there is a lot of space provided inside the vehicle for the driver to be able to install the screwdriver and also easily lean into the curves. the seat shell is replaced with mounted kneepads to help keep the weight distributed over the driver and not the vehicle.

the tricycle reaches a top speed of 30 km/h and is powered by a 14V srewdriver

front view

the racing cycle consists of a structural framework that is laminated out of carbon pipes

(left) detail of the brakes
(right) front end detail

view showing the position of the screwdriver

enzo, the driver

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.