Eco Cabs Arrive On The Streets Of Fifty Cities Including New York, London, Paris and Dublin

If you visit Dublin you will witness the first Eco-Cabs which are also on the streets of 49 other cities around the world. They're operated by a combination of cycling power and a self-charging electronic engine and they look a bit like a Sinclair C5 crossed with a traditional rickshaw. And believe it or not the service is free.

Being completely emission free, Eco-Cabs are predominantly powered by muscular strength yet also utilize a state of the art electronic assist engine. Two small self charging 12volt batteries power regulate the motor whilst also powering the vehicles front,rear and indicator lights.

Designed and manufactured in Germany, the Eco-Cabs have been around since 1997. However it is since their inclusion as official transport service of the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004 and the 2006 soccer world cup in Germany that the concept has now spread globally and they are currently in use in more than 50 cosmopolitan city locations such as NewYork, London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona,Tokyo, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and now Dublin.

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The Sinclair C5 was a battery electric vehicle invented by Sir Clive Sinclair and launched in the United Kingdom on 10 January 1985. The C5 took the form of a battery-assisted tricycle steered by handles on either side of the driver seat. Powered operation was possible making it unnecessary for the driver to pedal to make progress. It had a top speed of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h), chosen because vehicles unable to travel faster could be driven without a driver's licence in the UK.

Despite being relatively cheap to purchase (it sold for £399 + £29 for delivery), the C5 quickly became an object of popular ridicule, and was a commercial disaster with only around 17,000 being sold.