The Velomobile as a Vehicle for more Sustainable Transportation, ROWER CZASOPISMA
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Kungliga Tekniska högskolan
TRITA-INFRA EX 04-051
Royal Institute of Technology
ISSN 1651-0194
Department for infrastructure
ISRN KTH/INFRA/EX--04/051--SE
MASTER OF SCIENCE THESIS
The Velomobile as a Vehicle for more Sustainable
Transportation
Reshaping the social construction of cycling technology
Frederik Van De Walle
Supervisor: Christer Sanne
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
The Velomobile as a Vehicle for More Sustainable Transportation
Frederik Van De Walle
Abstract
Transportation has a very important influence on the future of society. Cycling as
transportation is recognised as beneficial and sustainable means of transportation and is
increasingly included in transportation policies in nations around the world. Nevertheless,
there is almost no future vision for technological innovation and improvement for cycling
as a transportation system; cycling as transportation has remained conceptually the same
for more than a century.
This paper goes through the history of cycling technology up to today from the
perspective of the social construction of technology theory. This theory can help explain
why certain cycling solutions developed, and why others did not. Moreover, it becomes
clear that the solutions that did develop can obstruct further development. One of the
cycling technologies that has been latently present is the human-powered, weather
protected ”velomobile”. Using the social construction of technology theory, an
appropriate framing of the velomobile concept is proposed, giving the velomobile a place
as a mode of individual transportation in our current context. A velomobile is about as
different from a bicycle as, taking a parallel for motorised vehicles, an automobile is
different from a motorcycle. From this frame of reference, the potential of the velomobile
concept as a mode of transportation is discussed. Moreover, it is pointed out that, even if
the velomobile concept does not become a widespread mode of transportation, the new
understanding of individual transportation that emerges from its presence can contribute
significantly to more ecologically sustainable transportation solutions. Moving away
from a hierarchic ordering where one mode is ‘better’ than the other, to the conceptual
understanding that a greater diversity in individual transportation can serve the differing
transportation needs of society in a better, more ecologically sustainable way.
The concept of the velomobile can thus play an important role to offset the unsustainable
transportation patterns in the post-modern world and its development as a technology of
transportation is a unique opportunity to be seized.
Keywords (not included in the title): bicycle, HPV, recumbent, innovation, pedal, car,
automobile, history, STS, SCOT, vehicle categories, sociotechnical frame, socio-
technical frame, technological frame.
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The Velomobile as a Vehicle for More Sustainable Transportation
Frederik Van De Walle
About the author
Frederik Van De Walle lived in Belgium up to the age of 23 and graduated there as a
mechanical engineer with a specialization in aerospace technology. As a youth with a
fascination for all kinds of vehicles and motivated by the Dutch magazine ‘Fiets’, he
ended up building a velomobile from a kit at the age of 15. Having some talent for
cycling, a few years later he took up racing recumbent bicycles and came into close
contact with the fascinating world of alternative bicycle and velomobile design. For his
engineering education thesis work, Frederik decided to design and build a velomobile in
which he, with some delay in the actual building, succeeded. After his courses in
environmental engineering and sustainable infrastructure at KTH Stockholm, he more
clearly recognised the role for velomobiles in the context of ecologically sustainable
transportation and the need to spread the unique knowledge he once took for granted on
this subject, not only in a purely technical approach as before, but also by exploring the
social and sustainability dimensions.
Contact: favdw@yahoo.com
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The Velomobile as a Vehicle for More Sustainable Transportation
Frederik Van De Walle
Acknowledgements
In the last two years, the Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Infrastructure
(EESI) international MSc programme at KTH has been the most wonderful experience.
Having sixty colleagues from over thirty different nationalities has together with the
courses given a very wide yet comprehensive perspective and understanding on a wide
range of issues in this world. I am glad to see the fruits of this programme: many new
understandings from engaged discussions, thesis works that provide international inside
perspectives and change for good, and maybe most important, widespread friendship and
respect. Thank you to all who make this program happen.
For the making of this thesis work, I would like to especially thank Professor Christer
Sanne for being a wonderful supervisor, who has been patient, engaged and supportive
and who read and helped restructuring many times my various manuscripts, giving
invaluable suggestions along the whole year.
I would also like to thank Wiebe Bijker for writing a book about the social construction
of technology that included a case study of bicycle history from this perspective.
Combining these subjects made me, as an engineer, curious enough to read it attentively
and subsequently turned me to a novel field of studies that has truly been eye opening,
giving a completely new perspective.
I also want to thank the various velomobile producers and other enthusiasts for their
openness to share all their knowledge in their specialist field and for their spirit to
‘obdurately’ endure in their knowledge and imagination, when it would be much easier to
just give in, go with the stream and not be bothered to try to change things.
And of course I also have to thank all my friends and all my family for their continuous
love and support, believing in me always, especially my parents and my girlfriend who
are always patient with me and support me in so many ways, materially and spiritually.
Eventually, all honour goes to the creator of all who keeps us in his endless love, even if
we do not always love him and all his creation back.
Stockholm, June 2004,
Frederik
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The Velomobile as a Vehicle for More Sustainable Transportation
Frederik Van De Walle
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... 4
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... 5
List of figures .................................................................................................................6
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................7
List of acronyms ............................................................................................................. 7
1
Introduction ............................................................................................................. 8
1.1
Goals ....................................................................................................................................... 9
1.2
Method.................................................................................................................................... 9
1.3
Organisation of contents .................................................................................................... 10
2
Theory of the Social Construction of Technology.................................................. 12
2.1
Basic elements of the SCOT theory .................................................................................. 12
2.2
Sociotechnical frame........................................................................................................... 15
2.3
Modelling change ................................................................................................................ 16
3
History of Bicycle Technology ............................................................................... 19
3.1
Origin of the bicycle............................................................................................................ 19
3.2
Pushing the limits of bicycle obduracy............................................................................. 27
3.3
Modern bicycle history.......................................................................................................33
3.4
The bicycle in the context of individual transport technologies ................................... 37
4
The Velomobile Story............................................................................................. 40
4.1
Early velomobiles ................................................................................................................ 41
4.2
The revival ........................................................................................................................... 45
4.3
Establishment of the recumbent bicycle .......................................................................... 52
4.4
The birth of the modern Velomobile ................................................................................ 54
4.5
Properties of modern velomobiles .................................................................................... 59
5
The Place of the Velomobile in Transport Technology.......................................... 69
5.1
Prejudice towards cycling technology .............................................................................. 69
5.2
Expanding the evolinear sociotechnical frame................................................................ 72
5.3
Adding the velomobile to the larger context of individual transportation.................. 78
6
The Velomobile as a Vehicle for More Sustainable Transportation ...................... 82
6.1
The velomobile and the bicycle, partners in cycling advocacy ..................................... 82
6.2
The velomobile as a rational transport proposition ....................................................... 84
5
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