With 600 miles to go, these solar cyclists are hoping for some sun

Ed Myers proudly displays his two-seater solar bike at The Hub at Stanford Research Park.
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With 600 miles to go, these solar cyclists are hoping for some sun Palo Alto Online

Solar bicycling enthusiasts gathered at The Hub at Stanford Research Park on Thursday, June 1, in advance of the kick-off of a 615-mile-long journey the following morning.

Homemade bikes, which all featured solar panels, lined The Hub's pavement. Several bikes were recumbent, meaning the rider cycles in a reclined position, and many included awnings to shade the cyclist while also providing a place for the solar panels to sit.

Roughly eight cyclists planned to complete the trip, first riding from Palo Alto up to San Francisco and then heading down to Los Angeles.

“Some are hobbyists with technical skills; some are high level engineers. Others are environmental activists (#bankontheclimate) who dream of bringing affordable transportation to the Third World. Others are entrepreneurs who see an interesting emerging market,” project organizer Oktay Ortabasi said in a speech at the event.

Program director for Research Park Jamie Jarvis heard about the trip around the Bay and invited the group to stop by the Hub this year.

“It really fits into what we're doing here because we focus a lot on commuter transportation, trying to get people to work in ways that (create) less congestion, less pollution,” Jarvis said. “Throughout the research park, we have 90,000 solar panels on buildings, so this just seemed like a really good mash-up of what we're trying to accomplish out here.”

Damian Vinson shows off his recumbent solar bike, complete with a trailer for his dog, Lily, at The Hub at Stanford Research Center.​

The bikes, which are essentially e-bikes equipped with solar panels, are a sustainable, accessible and economical mode of transportation, according to Ortabasi.

“(My solar bike) does more than half the work,” he said. “I can have a setting where it almost drives me ...

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