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What goes around comes around – quite literally!  The HumanCar Imagine PS is a four-seat vehicle that uses hand cranks to propel the vehicle. Anticipated to hit the market as early as next year, the svelte vehicle can take on hills at 30 miles per hour and exceed 60 mph on flat terrain.

HumanCar is the life’s work of engineer Charles Samuel, who has been working to perfect the human-powered vehicle since the late 1960s.  Now, it looks like his car is actually being prepared to start production.  The “human-electric” hybrid vehicle has electric plug-in capabilities, so it can still run if only one person is operating the hand-crank in a rowing-like motion.

When four people are all rowing, it can run on human power alone.  The adaptable chassis can work with different kinds of batteries and technology in the future without requiring an entirely new vehicle.

A few front-to-back pulls on the two-hand crank gets the car moving, and the company says online that a senior citizen in decent shape could handle it.  The dressed-down open vehicle is intended for warmer climes, but apparently there is an all-weather shell available.  Future models are slated to include airbags, but no power windows are necessary here.

The car is expected to cost $15,500 when it goes on sale next year, according to the HumanCar site. With 100 pre-orders, production will begin when they reach 800.

Most notable, in light of the “range anxiety” that exists with all-electric vehicles, future cars with backup human power mechanisms could generate significant consumer interest – similar to hand-crank emergency radios.  Kind of Flintstone-esque, but like I said at the beginning, what goes around comes around.

Besides, getting where you’re going, having a light workout while driving and encouraging teamwork and carpooling are all good things – maybe even an answer to both the energy and health challenges that plague our modern era.