[Tim] from the “Way Out West” Youtube channels has started a fun project — building a wooden pedal-car heavily inspired by “Bugsy Malone”. The kids-sized gangsters in that movie got around in kid-sized pedal cars. Apparently kid-sized [Tim] just loved the idea, but just didn’t have the skills or tools to try to build one. But the time has come, and he has spent years putting together a workshop, tools, and skills.
The goal is a 4-wheeled vehicle that can actually be enclosed, to keep the driver out of the rain. It would be petal powered, with an optional electric assist. It should be made of simple materials, like plywood and epoxy. The design would be freely shared, and the overall cost hopefully kept low. Come back after the link to find the rest of the story, including the monkey wrench thrown into the works.
The design has slowly come together, starting with experiments around suspension. The first iteration was a beam front axle, pivoting in the center. That idea works great for tractors, but a pedal car needs some real independent suspension. And for springs and dampers, he’s tried using hay tines, bed slats, tennis balls and bungee cords.
The whole project is all about making something good on a shoestring budget. There are some pedal cars being made around the world, but they aren’t particularly affordable, and haven’t arrived in some of the out of the way places like Western Ireland. The plan was to make a design that counted as an electric bike.
Unfortunately, the European Union regulations around vehicles just don’t account for ..
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