Dar Williams wrote a great article back in 2010 about energy generating gyms.
She lamented how slow progress was in making them mainstream. Back in 2008, she had assumed they were right around the corner. But they still hadn’t really taken off, and her final sentences told the story.
Maybe someday, I’ll jump in my Nerf car and drive to a floating gym, but real pedal-powered technology is available right now, and I fantasize about you using it, Gym. It can be done. It can be spun.
I remember thinking how much I agreed with her at the time. And now, in 2016, I still see it isn’t happening quickly.
Of course, I know exactly why, and it’s not one single obvious reason that can easily be overcome. It’s a bunch of small reasons that have to be challenged and overcome, one at a time.
Here are a few:
- “You can’t make money generating electricity.”
- “The extra cost doesn’t make it worth it.”
- “It can’t be done. It’s impossible”
- “It isn’t safe”
- “It’s a gimmick”
Answers to all those objections can be found here, but that’s not really what is important to me. Like politics, peoples’ opinions are not easy to change with facts.
The real reason why more progress hasn’t been made is that there aren’t enough decision makers who are willing to take a risk on it. But they are coming, slowly.
In the last year, I’ve been contacted more than ever by individuals and businesses that are legitimately interested in electricity generating exercise equipment. More of them have actual budgets.
And it’s not only me who’s experiencing this uptick.
I’ve spoken with Colin from Electric Pedals in the UK, (he’s been at it as long as I have), and he’s experiencing much more interest in his products recently:
Nuru Energy in Africa and India continues to experience success and make legitimate change in the world through their pedal powered light chargers:
Off The Grid Fitness, and a few other gyms have continued to thrive:
WeWatt in Belgium has a really nice looking charging station:
Many more examples exist (if you know of one, please add it to the comments).
Just in my little world, I’ve got several potential projects in the works, from 23 schools that want 26 bikes in each, to an installation in Canada, to multiple thousands of chargers going to people in rural developing countries who currently have no electricity, to large foodservice companies looking for wellness ideas.
Some of those projects may not come to fruition, but they are all serious inquiries from organizations that can afford it.
The technology is there.
People are starting to understand it.
People who always got it are now in positions where they can make purchasing decisions.