Olympia retiree builds solar bike

It's hard to ignore Jerry Budelman when he's pedaling up Harrison Avenue on Olympia's west side.

Harrison is steep enough to force most cyclists to labor. Not Budelman. He has a smile on his face as he pedals almost effortlessly, seated comfortably on his Sun recumbent tricycle.

Budelman's three-wheeled vehicle isn't your ordinary low-slung recumbent. Relying on his training as an electrical engineer, love of scientific data and inventor's mentality, Budelman built a solar-powered tricycle with enough power to climb Harrison Hill at about 13 miles an hour, even if Budelman doesn't pedal.

A retired divisional general manager at Intel in DuPont, Pierce County, Budelman spent about 400 hours designing and building his solar-powered cycle in his well-furbished home workshop.

"Lot's of people have built solar bicycles — it's not rocket science," Budelman said.

The first thing that stands out about Budelman's cycle is the 200-watt solar panel mounted over the top of the bike, accompanied by a 40-pound battery pack situated in the front of the bike that he can charge with solar power or plug in at home.

A rear-mounted motor, control panel, cruise-control switch and throttle are a few of the other add-ons that make Budelman's invention function, and draw a lot of stares.

The cycle's range on fully charged batteries varies from 15 to 90 miles, depending on the terrain, weather and how much Budelman pedals. The trike and its attachments weigh about 200 pounds.

Budelman is not finished tinkering with the solar-powered tricycle. Recently, he plucked a motorcycle windshield out of his neighbor's garbage can and mounted it on his trike.

He hopes to develop a regenerative braking system, which would create another source of power for the cycle.

Also in the works is a solar-powered message board on the back of the solar panel to display such messages as "Share the Road."

Budelman has invested about $3,800 in his new mode of transportation, including the tricycle, the motor kit, the solar panel and various instrumentation and hardware.

"It won't pay for itself, but it's sure fun," he said.