I am looking for a replacement for my car due to a recent disability that made it difficult to use my right leg.

i currently have an electric bike, and that has worked wonders in being able to get around, but i can only go ~7-10 miles away from my house - in the suburban sprawl of southern california, this isnt even enough to go to my closest friend’s house.

i feel unsafe driving (trouble pressing the brake hard enough if needed beyond one-pedal driving), and i am looking for a vehicle that

  1. doesnt require the use of my foot/feet (big problem in my toes, so no toe shifting)
  2. can carry my wife, groceries, and/or both
  3. has a range of at least 100 miles
  4. can be ridden on the freeway
  5. (not required, but would prefer) electric motor instead of gas-powered

i had the idea of an electric motorcycle with a variable transmission and sidecar, but i have been unable to find anything like that on the market. i dont really know anything about motorcycles - i have never driven one but i am willing to learn.

i understand my needs are a bit odd, but i was wondering if anyone had some insight or any recommendations i may not have thought of to get around.

thank you!

  • _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.worksMEnglish
    2·
    6 days ago

    Sidecars aren’t great, they are tricky and have a high learning curve. Cargo bikes or trikes might be better, or an e-pedi cab with throttle, however these options will either fall short of your range requirements or require extra batteries (swapped in or wired in) and more likely than not would require you to be able to rest your feet on the pedals so that might not be ideal for your situation.

    I’d recommend maybe taking a look at ICE scooters/mopeds to get the range you’re after for less money or maybe mini-vehicles (Smartcar, Kei trucks, etc.). There are EV offerings out there that could work too, but they’ll be pricier.

    I’m going to go ahead an pin your comment to help get more responses, hope you can find something that works well for you and let us know how it goes!

    • AmazingAwesomator@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      6 days ago

      i didnt even think of scooters - thank you for the recommendation!

      i have gotten so much info from this thread, thank you, and everyone else, for recommendations here; it has given me way more options and research to do.

      i didnt realize sidecars had a big learning curve. as someone who has never driven a moto, this option may be a dead end for me - thank you for this info. a sidecar was my first thought (probably due to all of the ww2 documentaries i watch, lol), but probably isnt the right way to go.

      i think i am all set on the e-bicycle front (~20mi total range), but will keep an e-cargobike in mind if i need more carrying capacity. this is another trike recommendation. i didnt know something like this existed before this post - i definitely have more research to do.

      thank you!