Detailed description (English): Imagine a collaborative, eco-designed vehicle capable of replacing up to 8 cars. That's the Woodybus, a wooden quadricycle made in France.
It serves various purposes: collective transport, intergenerational outings, tourism, corporate shuttles, carpooling, deliveries... Ideal for short routes, it's designed to carry 8 children and 1 adult and also existed for 7 adults or less (with storage), promoting biking, teamwork, and road safety.
Available for purchase or long-term rental, it represents much more than just a means of transportation. The Woodybus not only promotes an eco-friendly and active mode of transportation, but it also offers significant health benefits for its users. By combating sedentary lifestyles, it helps children arrive at school more alert and energetic, introduces them to healthy transportation habits, and fosters social cohesion. Everywhere it goes, smiles light up faces. Trying it is adopting it.
Technical aspects : Woodybus is a wooden electric pedal-assist quadricycle (EPAC) equipped with a 7-speed automatic gearbox, 9 independent pedals, and a patented four-wheel drive transmission. The driver and the electric assist power the front wheels via a differential. Each row of passengers powers its respective rear wheel. The speed differential between the rear wheels naturally adjusts based on the passengers' varying pedaling frequencies. Each passenger has a freewheel mechanism. The vehicle also has a reverse gear. The vehicle is equipped with 4 disc brakes with two independent circuits for the front and rear, as well as a lighting system.
Detailed description (original language): Imaginez un véhicule collaboratif et éco-conçu capable de remplacer jusqu'à 8 voitures. C'est le Woodybus, un quadricycle en bois fabriqué en France.
Il sert à divers usages : transport scolaire et collectif, sorties intergénérationnelles, tourisme, navettes d'entreprise, covoiturage, livraisons... Idéal pour les trajets courts, il est conçu pour transporter 8 enfants et 1 adulte et existe également pour 7 adultes ou moins (avec stockage), promouvant le cyclisme, le travail d'équipe et la sécurité routière.
Disponible à l'achat ou à la location, il représente bien plus qu'un simple moyen de transport. Le Woodybus offre également des avantages significatifs pour la santé de ses utilisateurs. En luttant contre la sédentarité, il aide les enfants à arriver à l'école plus alertes et énergiques, les initie à des habitudes de transport saines et développe la cohésion sociale. Partout où il passe, des sourires illuminent les visages. L'essayer, c'est l'adopter.
Aspects techniques : Le Woodybus est un quadricycle à assistance électrique (EPAC) en bois équipé d’une boîte automatique 7 vitesses, de 9 pédaliers indépendants et d’une transmission brevetée à 4 roues motrices. Le chauffeur et l’assistance entraînent les roues avant via un différentiel. Chaque rangée de passagers entraîne sa roue arrière. Le différentiel de vitesse entre les roues arrière se fait naturellement grâce à la variation de fréquence de pédalage des passagers. Chaque passager dispose d’une roue libre. Le véhicule est doté d’une marche arrière.
Target group(s): Schools, Communities (municipalities, urban areas, metropolitan areas), Transport operators, Associations, Companies, Children, Students, Families.
Objectives: Our goal is to reduce the environmental impact of short routes, by introducing the Woodybus to communities and companies. Providing citizens with an alternative, eco-friendly, and active mode of transportation, the Woodybus is currently used in several communities for school transport, and we aim to expand its use throughout France. We also plan to collaborate with regional transport operators, as we have done with the Seine Eure Agglomeration and Transdev, to offer a new range of vehicles and organize school transport services for communities.
Partner: CYGO (Cycle du Grand Ouest)
ADEME
Solar Impulse Fondation
Fabrique des Mobilités
Région Pays de la Loire
les Boites à Vélo
AVELI
France