Green, clean and friendly: Solar pedal bus launches in Charlottetown

There's a new eco-friendly way to experience downtown Charlottetown this summer.

Ride Solar has introduced asolar-powered pedal bus, a large bicycle that will tour people around the city.

Eight people are required to move the bike and it can hold a total of 18 people. The busstops at restaurants and points of interest along the way.

Inspiration for the bike came from similar ones in Europe and other parts of North America.

Peter Ixkes, owner and co-founder of Ride Solar, said he knew of this style ofbikefrom Germany and the Netherlands, and wanted to bring the concept to P.E.I.

But, unlike other bikes, Ride Solar's bike has a solar powered aspect to it.

"We have an electric-assist motor that makes it easier to pedal when you're going uphill and things like that," said Arnold. "And instead of having to plug the batteries into a socket, we have 1.2 kilowatts of solar panels on the roof."

These solar panels generate enough electricity to keep the motor charged,he said.

Arnold hopes the bike offers tourists and residents alike a fresh new way to explore the city.

"It's green, it's clean, it's friendly, just like P.E.I. and it gives a different way to see how pretty the city is," he said.

Rides cost anywhere from $40 to $60 per person. Two dollars for every rider who takes a tour on the pedal buswill be donated to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation.

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