Blog Article

There is a local trips problem. That is, a lot of people find themselves asking, "How can I get from here to there without using my car?"  There are a lot of options, but they also come with some downsides. Among them: time, effort and comfort. A bicycle offers a great solution, and bicycles have lanes all to themselves, but a lot of folks can't muster that much effort to cut clear across town, despite the benefits. Fortunately, there is another way. We can now enhance a bicycle to help us get across town, but avoid being a sweaty mess when we get there. We can climb that hill, and still have enough energy to make an unexpected side trip for flowers at the market.

I set out to build my version of a solution that fits somewhere between a car and a bike. A cargo bike, but this one has the added stability of three wheels. A tilting pedelectric cargo trike! Working nights and weekends "moonlighting," I set out to build a prototype to test the feasibility of such a vehicle. I'm so stoked to have brought this idea from concept and 3D design to real-world completion. It turned out exactly how I envisioned, which fuels ideas for another lighter, sleeker version.

I was asked to give a presentation for the Electric Vehicle Entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley (pic below) and shortly after I built a website for the trike which features the how, why, and everything else. 

Viewable at:
https://tippingpointtrikes.com

Below features a home video of the maiden voyage after completion. Thanks to Natalie for taking the footage on short notice. The video features footage of my father, Warren Fuller, who passed in 2016 and was a big inspiration in following through on the idea. During fabrication, he seemed inspired to design and build his own version, being an architect and builder himself. Sadly, that never came true, but his lessons on building and fabrication are still with me today.