Solar power to juice the motor bike? Panel up

[jpak]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/highway1/la-hy-throttleside30may30,1,3537041.story?coll=la-news-highway_1&ctrack=1&cset=true

I'D been riding for years before I learned motorcycles' dirty little secret. Mile per mile, some bikes actually spew more gunk into the air than cars, pickup trucks or SUVs, even if they do use less gas. It was a sickening realization, since I'd spent so much time believing the opposite was true.

That's why the prospect of a performance-oriented electric bike is so appealing.

<snip>

Say you're a commuter, riding a real Yamaha R1 about 80 miles round trip each day. You're probably putting $8 worth of gas in your tank daily. That means you're shelling out about $2,000 a year for gas.

By solar expert Richard Hatfield's math, you're a quarter of the way toward the cost of a solar-panel installation that would support regular charging of a bike like his R1 conversion, which uses about 8 kilowatts of power to travel 80 miles at an average speed of 65 mph. Creating 8 kilowatts using solar power would require a 1.2-kilowatt setup, Hatfield says. That's a solar panel roughly the size of two sheets of plywood with an installation cost of about $8,000.

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[seemunkee]

1. This guy has had one for years

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/04/don_dunkees_diy.php

Living for the past 20 years off the grid, Don is no stranger to rigging solar power systems. And with a need to commute to work every day, a solar electric scooter was a natural choice.

To pull off this feat, he installed two sets of folding panels that generate 120 watts in good sun. The bike's batteries hold 2400 watt-hours, so a Michigan summer's 9 hours of daily sun charges the battery about 1/2 full. Don estimates his ride uses only 25% of that. So, even with the occasional cloudy day (unfortunately, not uncommon in Michigan) doesn't mean the bike is dead. But, just in case, the factory charging apparatus is still intact.

[Warpy]

2. Cheaper PVC tech is on the way

and when it gets here, I'm getting it to charge my electric moped, my main vehicle for short hops. Today it hauled a huge canvas sack of groceries plus 2 cases of soda. Getting it off the grid is the next step.

[philb]

4. How common are electric mopeds? Are they cost effective?

[Warpy]

5. I figure mine has paid for itself

I live in the desert in the inner city, so weather isn't generally a factor and its range of 25 miles is adequate to get me where I'm going and back. It draws a whopping 24 watts at full charge. The guesstimate when I bought it 4 years ago was that it cost about half a cent a mile, exclusive of battery replacement. Four years later, those batteries are holding up fine. I could go up to six months on a tank of gas when I drove my old pickup and my surgeon was within scooter range.

They're not terribly common but they're starting to catch on in some areas.

My model is at http://www.egovehicles.com

[philb]

7. For that close in, why not just a bicycle? Great gas milage.

Does the electric version go faster?
How many people ride bikes to school and work these days?

[Warpy]

8. Ask me when you've had a lifetime of rheumatoid arthritis

Some of us are unable to bike. I commuted by bike for many years. My joints have deteriorated beyond the point I can do so now.

Thanks for asking.

[Terry in Austin]

12. Love my eGo!

I commute to work downtown on my eGo, about six miles round trip. At downtown speeds, it's serious transportation; tops out at about 23 mph. In Texas, it's considered a bicycle, so no registration required -- I can use bike lanes and do an occasional dodge on the sidewalk. It charges up in about three hours, goes maybe 15 miles on a charge, depending.

Quite a few of them are starting to show up here in Austin, probably helped by the fact that there's a store in town that sells them. Recently, my building installed four electric-bike parking spaces, complete with outlets. I took that as a very encouraging sign.

[lfairban]

10. e-bikes

Electric mopeds are just e-bikes with motors too large to be licensed as bikes, I think it is 650 watts and 18mph assisted. The rules change from state to state. With a 700 watt 36 or 48 volt motor, you would often need to register it as a moped. If there is no pedal capability, it is considered an electric scooter.

I am not sure why there are not more e-bikes on the road. Part of it is safety concern, riding on busy streets in traffic. Since they give you the acceleration to mix with traffic better, I don't see why they are any more dangerous than a gas moped or motorcycle would be. Once they start using Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries, they will have more range due to the decreased weight.

I have been riding an e-bike for about 7 years. Pre-built models are available, starting around $700, and conversion kits from $200.

See Overview of Electric Bikes: manufacturers, products, features, designs, and specs and My e-bike Links

[seemunkee]

11. Walmart has a Mongoose ebike for $300

Costco used to have them but I dont see it on their website anymore.

$175 conversion kit http://www.goldenmotor.com/

[lfairban]

13. generic e-bike from Wal-mart

I found a link to a guy who said that he bought one on sale for $279.99 + Tax.

This is a bottom price for a not-so-great bike, about 70 lbs. with a top speed of 15 mph. Read the review with pictures here:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44

[seemunkee]

14. Nice link

Thanks
I have a 9 mile commute and was thinking of going this route. I wonder if I would be allowed to through this on the bus bike rack if I didn't want to ride all the way home.

[lfairban]

15. You are probably allowed, that's not the question.

The problem is that the bike is about 70 lbs., that is just a little bit hefty for picking up and putting on a bike rack. But then, I have never used a bus bike rack, I don't know how they work.

I knew a guy who did something similar when I worked in downtown Columbus. One of my co-workers would drive to the "Short North" area, about a mile north of the office in a van. Then he would park, get his bike out, and ride it the rest of the way downtown, about a mile or so. He could avoid the $80 a month for parking the car and lock the bike 20 ft. from the door to the office building.

You might want to consider a 53 lb. bike like this.

http://www.powacycle.co.uk/Salisbury-Lithium-Polymer-Electric-Pedal-Bike.asp

[philb]

3. Compressed air might be an option for a motor scooter; solar PV could be used to

compress the air- without a need to convert from DC to AC so more efficient.

Someone has brought out a compressed air town car, with the compression done by plug in electricity.
I think one of the pizza companies is using them for deliveries.

[IDemo]

6. Are we talking about an 8 kW motor here, or 8 kW/hours of total energy?

If it's the first, that would equal just short of 11 horsepower, which will probably keep a road bike cruising at speed, but it definitely wouldn't qualify as "performance-oriented".

I suspect the author meant "creating 8 kilowatt hours using solar power".

[unpossibles]

9. with scooters you never know

I ride a Vespa and in scooter world, 10-15 horsepower is good, and works because the bike itself is light. I assume the small wheels help this too.

My bike (a kitted P177) can accelerate with traffic without a problem and usually beats cars off the line with no effort honestly. It tops out around 60-65 mph, which for city travel is also fine, and even allows for long distance riding if you're willing to take country highways instead of the Interstate.