Introducing SNAP: a novel pedal-assisted electric ultralight vehicle

Innovation in transportation and mobility is central to sustainable development. There is a widespread awareness that society would benefit if transportation became more sustainable, promoting economic growth while respecting the environment. This paper introduces SNAP, a four-wheel pedal-assisted electric vehicle that represents a new concept in sustainable mobility towards filling the gap between bicycle and automobile. The choice of the architecture for the hybrid powertrain where the driver pedals are assisted with an electric motor is discussed along with the experimental analysis of the power loss associated with the single components of the transmission. In turn, this knowledge allows the overall quadricycle performance to be evaluated in terms of maximum speed, efficiency, and travel range at varying operating conditions that include vehicle load, road slope, and gear change. It is shown that SNAP can be a promising answer to address the problem of sustainable and safe micro mobility of persons and goods in urban settings.