Modern man (and woman) has become fully reliant on cars, so the confusion, frustration, and anger at the mere suggestion that we should remove them from our daily life for our own sake are completely understandable. There is absolutely no other vehicle that could replicate the comfort and convenience of a passenger car with less of a carbon footprint.
Or is there? The 8Rad 2Solar made – and continues to make – a very strong argument for it.
The most passionate eco-warriors and NGO groups militate for car-free cities and abolishing car ownership as we know it. Our planet is a ticking time bomb right now if we don't do something to curb emissions and stall the rate of climate change in the next few years, and everyone is pointing the finger at the auto industry, saying there are countless other alternatives that could successfully replace ICE (internal combustion engines) vehicles.
One of these alternatives would be a bicycle, either a traditionally pedal-powered one or one with electric assistance, the same voices are saying. They're cleaner, healthier, more affordable, and much smaller options for the daily commute. In this context, it feels strange that authorities and even the consumers themselves are resisting the idea, which, in turn, prevents a wider adoption.
The answer is obvious, though: a bicycle will never – can never – fully replicate the functionality, comfort, or convenience of a car. Riding a bike regularly means being exposed to the elements, not being able to carry (too much) cargo or another passenger, and you have to make do with a less stable and comfortable mode of transportation.
Photo: Nico Jungel
The 8Rad tried to compensate for all these in what we could only describe as a valiant attempt at putting a car and a bicycle on equal footing. The 8Rad, which is now in its second iteration called 8Rad 2Solar, is a concept design that was first introduced in Berlin in 2014 and went on to become the world's biggest cargo bicycle. It remains a concept or, better said, a showcase design, so the plan was never to have it mass-produced.
Created and built by Nico Jungel, it's an eight-wheel bicycle that can be anything you need it to be, including a tiny house with actual tiny house functionality. The first iteration was 8Rad, which required two people pedaling to get it to move, but the 2Solar model gets a 250W motor that, surprisingly so, is powerful enough to move the whole contraption with just one person at the pedals.
But we all know that even electric bicycles are not as green as we'd like them to be. Even electric machines, whether cars or bicycles have a large carbon footprint from the production phase and the materials used, which is hardly news to anyone. So, the 8Rad 2Solar aims to cut that down even more by taking it off the grid in terms of charging – hence the "2Solar" part of the name.
Photo: Nico Jungel
The bike is based on the open-source bike project n55 by Till Wolfer for XYZ Cargo, so it uses the aluminum tubes from the company. Total measurements are 5.5 meters by 2 meters by 2.4 meters (18 by 6.5 by 7.8 feet), or about 8 square meters (86.1 square feet), with a 2-meter (6.5-foot) height inside the tiny house-like structure. It's completely removable, so if living out of your bike home is not your thing, you can still use the bike to haul cargo instead of a van.
8Rad has a cargo capacity of 500 kg (1,102 lbs) and rides on independent suspension, which makes it very smooth and highly versatile. Six disc brakes provide stopping power, while a 1.2 kWh solar system and four 12V 55Ah batteries power everything from the motor to the lights. Range is unlimited, according to Jungel. Not the same can be said about speed, though.
Jungel designed this unique bicycle on the premise that urban mobility has to be reconsidered to include the bicycle because it provides "cheap transport within clean, quiet, and safe cities inhabited by happier and healthier citizens." In a 2022 interview, he admitted that the project was riddled with challenges and obstacles, which resulted in countless delays and expenses, but he said that he still held on fast to that initial belief.
Photo: Nico Jungel
Though he calls himself a "traffic activist," he doesn't believe in absolute measures like the one that would create car-free cities. Instead, he sees bicycles as the underdog that are not getting the chance they deserve in terms of their ability to move people and goods on a daily basis. He bases that on his experience with the 8Rad 2Solar, which he's used as his mobile studio and solar powerplant with serious off-grid capabilities since its creation while taking it to various events and trade meetings.
Maybe the fate of the planet is not in having to choose between one or the other mode of transport, but in providing the people with more options. Options like the bicycle, or the bicycle-based tiny house, or cargo hauler 8Rad 2Solar.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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