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Project EDWARD is the brainchild of a team of engineering students at the University of Adelaide, Australia. It runs off electricity only and is controlled by a joystick by the driver sitting in the cockpit.

TECH SPECS

Top Speed - ~40km/hr. This is limited by the drive ratio of the motor and drive wheels. It is possible to change this ratio to increase the maximum speed, but this would be at the expense of the rapid acceleration and maneuverability.

Maximum Incline - ~12 degrees. This is simply a function of the mass of the wheels and inner frame, and their mass distribution. It should be noted that EDWARD was designed to have a high centre of gravity to make it susceptible to slosh and tumbling. This high c. of g. has limited the maximum incline that can be climbed (without forward momentum) to a relatively gentle gradient.

Braking Deceleration - ~0.2G. This is also a function of the mass of the wheels and inner frame, and their mass distribution. The high c. of g. in EDWARD has restricted the maximum acceleration/deceleration to be about 1/4 what a bike or car can achieve on a dry sealed road surface, and more like a lose unsealed road. Again, it is conceivable, using alloy wheels and frame, and intentionally keeping weight low, to realise a design with a deceleration of 0.7G, which is not much lower than most vehicles.

Battery Life - ~1hr. We typically get about 1hr from the existing sealed lead acid batteries. This would involve a fairly aggressive driving style involving rapid turns and spins, tumbles and acceleration/deceleration. It is likely that a more sensible driving regime with slosh control on would provide several times more time before swapping the battery pack.