The Prospectors are interested in introducing funky, lightweight, low energy vehicles to replace short car journeys here in rural Wales – the kind of journeys we do every day to get to work, drop the kids at school, nip to the local shops or get to the railway station. 63% of our journeys are in this category (less than 5 miles).

The b-bug is an early, opportunistic example of the kind of vehicle we have in mind as is the soon-to-be-released Renault Twizy. We are also interested in hybrid pedal and electric combinations. We want to keep them lightweight so the electricity they require can be satisfied to a large extent by our natural elements – sun, wind and water. Currently a single set of domestic PV panels can support 3-5 b-bugs and the Talybont community hydro could keep 150 such lightweight vehicles  on the road.

We want the vehicles to be practical and cheap for local residents so they can replace the 2nd car. But we also want them to be a novel and fun attraction for our many holiday visitors. Our dream is for the Brecon Beacons National Park to be the first UK destination where visitors don’t need or want a car to get around. Instead they enjoy moving around powered only by our natural elements..

You can read more about our strategy for ultra light green vehicles here.