Flywheel-assist bicycles
[Dialogue clipped]... I'm just musing on how bikes might evolve if high pollution and resource extraction fees motivate alternatives to reliance on batteries. It looks like, in an area where the largest hills are under about 40 meters, a flywheel assist might not be so terribly obtrusive. ChatGPT said: Your musing is right on target — and quite timely. If environmental costs (via pollution and resource extraction fees) are honestly priced into goods and services, battery production and disposal would become less attractive , especially for small-scale applications like bicycles. In that world, flywheel systems — and other non-extractive energy buffering methods — could see a resurgence and evolution. Let’s expand on your idea: 🚲 In a Post-Battery or Battery-Lite World: The Flywheel Reconsidered If hills are typically under 40 meters of elevation gain , you're dealing with a modest energy requirement . Using your previous idea, let’s quantify it: 🧮 Climbing 40 meters at ...