cool project, Brent! Hope it gets out of the "planning womb" and into life!
Would be something morally worthwhile and very useful particularly in Auckland and Wellington.
Do you want to convert them individually?
Or are you also considering becoming a rent-an-e-bike agency?
- As for the eco concerns re power requirements:
Came across 'solar bicycle sheds" while I was googling how to get more energy independent and away from the grid, myself.
Since almost everybody in NZ lives in 1-family-homes, getting such a solar roof for a shed seems much more feasible than in Germany where we rent flats in beehives and in streets with no free space between buildings.
(Whishing the
dye sensitized solar foil development would speed up! No direct sun necessary, a foil rather than a solid structure. Could even be "mounted" at the windows of rented apartments, no roof or balcony ownership needed. )
- Theft discouragement would be already available in GPS-modules for bikes. Just like the well-known "Find-my-Smartphone"-apps.
I imagine that would be a sad yet necessary addition for expensive bikes, everywhere.
Not closely related to your project but still worth sharing, I hope:
When Alex spoke about his motorized walking frame and suggested it could be used by normal
people doing their shopping, too,
I remembered
this video on the Taga Bike Stroller.
My motherly heart went "boom boom boom" when I first saw this. How much I would have wanted such a bike back then!
Of course it doesn't have to be (used as) a baby stroller and can just as well be used as a dedicated shopping cart.
It looks very portable, too, good for people in multi story apartment buildings.