New exercise bike that can harness kinetic, solar, and wind energy

Fossil fuels are by far the main responsible for global climate change, accounting for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions.  Cities are major contributors to global warming, consuming 78 per cent of the world’s energy resources and producing more than 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. To help reduce the effects of climate change, a rapid shift towards renewable energy is needed.

Exercise Bike “HR Bank”, developed by the startup Tukas EV, aims to increase the use of renewables by providing access to a reliable source of clean energy for both urban dwellers, seeking to cut down on non-renewable energy consumption, and people in need of electrical power, living in the areas affected by natural disasters or wars.

Mindset shift toward sustainability

The call for sustainable and clean energy has appeared as a response to climate change and its devastating effects. This new mindset demands innovative clean energy solutions that can reduce the reliance on fossil fuel by making use of the power of sun, wind, water, and now even human physical power.

Jonas Navickas, CEO of Tukas EV and one of the creators of “HR Bank”, said that the idea to exercise not only for physical well-being but also for a greener planet was the first inspiration to create the new exercise bank. “Humans waste countless amounts of energy, while natural resources are extremely limited.

The necessity for clean energy solutions has not changed but has increased, fueled by society’s more prominent shift towards renewable energy. Our idea was that a person who bought an HR bank could not only use it as an external battery, charged from the sun or the grid, but in the absence of an external power source, could generate energy by pedaling.”

Alternative source of electricity in extreme circumstances

According to Navickas, the war in Ukraine was the decisive push to create “HR Bank”: “When the bombing of Ukraine’s infrastructure started, I was shocked by the sight of people with many extension cords trying to get electricity from one power generator to charge their phones.

Access to electric energy is a crucial element to one’s livelihood, which was the main motivation for the team to create, refine, and launch a product that could address the issue,” Navickas added.

The recently unveiled “HR Bank”, at first glance, resembles a classic exercise bike but it can generate from 50 to 300W/h of electricity by pedalling. The generated energy can be stored in a battery of 2 kWh, the amount of electricity enough to keep the light on for an entire week. The energy required to recharge the battery also can come from the electricity grid, car batteries, solar, or wind power.

“HR Bank” can come in handy not only in situations of war but, for instance, after floods or other natural disasters. The recent floods in Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region, considered to be the result of climate change and heavy urbanization, left a significant part of the local population without electricity for days.

According to Navickas, electric infrastructure is extremely fragile when faced with challenges like extreme weather events, and therefore, access to alternative energy sources becomes crucial to ensure one’s safety and well-being.

HR Bank can be fully customized to fit the user’s capabilities and is easily transportable. “We have made the device to be user-friendly for a young child, an adult, or an elderly person: each customer can adjust the steering wheel, seat, tilt angle, and other parameters to suit their needs. The HR bank can also become a workstation by attaching a desk. Most importantly, it is easy to carry around thanks to the trolley-style wheels,” Navickas added.

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