How many people pedaling bikes does it take to power an electric car cruising on the highway?
About 200 people pedalingAn electric car cruising on the highway needs about 20,000 W, and a rider makes about 100 W.
It takes about 200 people pedaling.
How we worked it out
An electric car cruising on the highway needs about 20,000 W, and a rider makes about 100 W. Each rider keeps up a steady 100 watts, like a brisk ride. Real life adds a little friction and waste, so treat the number as a solid ballpark rather than a lab result. The constants behind every experiment are on the science page.
Watch it happen
This was one of the five experiments in It Took #5. In the game you guess first, then the experiment plays out with your number: too few and it fails, too many and it overshoots.
Play It Took #5Play today’s experiments
More pedal power questions
- How many people pedaling bikes does it take to power a toaster? About 10.
- How many people pedaling bikes does it take to power an average US home? About 12.
- How many people pedaling bikes does it take to power a washing machine heating water? About 20.
- How many people pedaling bikes does it take to power an electric kettle? About 20.
- How many people pedaling bikes does it take to power an electric car fast charger? About 1,500.