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by Tepix 3355 days ago
It's disappointing that the Sinclair X-1 (http://newatlas.com/sinclair-x1-pedal-electric/16838/) never made it to the market. I think there's a niche for a mass produced pedelec with a shell.
2 comments

The problem is that these types of wide pedelec do not cope with the way many councils provide cycle infrastructure requiring users to mix with cars. At which point being in a wider pedelec stops you filtering traffic and you just become 'stuck' in traffic.

Another issue is parking, with many bicycles, you can find a lampost/sheffield stand and just lock them to it, this seems to need a parking space.

You can get fully-functional velomobiles which are basically "pedelec with a shell" but far from being mass-produced (I'm guessing you probably know this anyway). I'd love to have one but they are expensive and (in the UK) I'm sure some drivers would be very bullying or dangerous around them (it's bad enough sometimes on a bike). In the Netherlands, a different story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5x1Zw5kovA