Toward the end of range anxiety : introducing eBikeMaps

[raphm]

Thanks for the great feedback.
>>Another cool feature (I know this is completely off track) but I would love to be able to add plug (charging) locations to the map around town.
This is in our priority list. It should come soon.

 

[jkbrigman]

I gave it a try, it's GREAT!

Two Questions:
1) Is there any way to enter "headwinds"? If not, do you plan to add a "headwind" feature?
2) Is it possible to access the web app with a smartphone so WHILE YOU ARE RIDING, you can compare the PLAN you generate with the ACTUAL trip?

Feedback:
YES: Keep working on it. It's a great idea!
YES: Being able to add recharge points is vitally important. Please give it the ability to memorize charging points as grindz145 suggested.
YES: I like the way your app tries to find "best distance between two points". I often think I know what is best, but your app suggested routes I had not considered, so it even helps me with the route itself! (I've tried using Google Maps is very clumsy with planning ebike routes....)

Tonight I used it to plan my next cross-country trip to a place I've never been on the ebike before. Now I have very good ideas about where I need to stop for recharging. I've already added one more charging stop than I had thought I would need. It has given me much more confidence to try the trip!!! Your simulator has answered the question I had in my mind: Do I need faster charging capability before I try the trip? The answer is YES YES YES.

THANK YOU for posting the link to your app and asking for feedback. Your app is a great idea, VERY useful for ebikers!
Google should buy it from you for a lot of money so you can keep it updated...from the deck of your YACHT!

Thanks!
James

 

[friendly1uk]

You want my email address so I can view a map? Least I think it's a map. I'm not likely to ever know. I use other sites that can do this without hurdles

 

[raphm]

You want my email address so I can view a map? Least I think it's a map. I'm not likely to ever know. I use other sites that can do this without hurdles

Well, here is an introduction video to ebike maps trip simulator. I hope you can understand that it can do much more than a map for ebike rider. You can test it without registering, however, the application need to know more about you and your ebike to provide the best estimate of travel time and battery state over an edited trip into the map.
[youtube]u8bknF0Kji4[/youtube]

1) Is there any way to enter "headwinds"? If not, do you plan to add a "headwind" feature?

yes, I would like to do it. However, I also need to introduce a wind direction N/S/E/W such that I compute automatically if this is a headwind or a tailwind. It is in the TODO list but not the priority...

2) Is it possible to access the web app with a smartphone so WHILE YOU ARE RIDING, you can compare the PLAN you generate with the ACTUAL trip?

Yes, this is the overall idea. We have a few options to do that. I hope that with the web application, we can set up what is needed, what is important... Once we have validated all this, we can focus on developing Smartphone application to help you in the middle of your trip. I am also working on some model optimization process based on post trip analysis with GPS, cycle analyst and analogger device.

YES: Being able to add recharge points is vitally important. Please give it the ability to memorize charging points as grindz145 suggested.

Do I need faster charging capability before I try the trip? The answer is YES YES YES.

As I said, we are working on it. In fact, I am pretty exited that we could use Ebike Maps to collect a very large database of charging points. With powerful chargers, I guess that it opens a lot of new opportunity for the future of ebike trips without having to pay the price and weight of very large battery pack .

 

[arkmundi]

I would like to introduce the new website I am working on Ebike Maps......
-to develop optimized battery renting system (rent the right battery for big trips).

Another fine idea to emerge on the ES-forum. Have to say that's been a dilemma for me - enough battery for a long distance trip. Thing is all that extra capacity costs$$$$$ and is not really used that often. Battery rental could solve that. 72V 100ah would do it for me.

...overall long term goal would be to build a database containing accurate models of many available ebikes such that "normal" "non ebike geek" rider can also accesse to accurate prediction. Once again, this is just a beta and thus it is available mostly for advanced testing :wink: .

Thanks a lot in advance for your feedback.

Another piece of data that would be good to have are locations that provide eBike charging. Some places (like Starbucks) already provide outlets for their customers. I'm thinking a Starbucks outlet, but outside for safe, easy charging access. Providing locations could come with the benefit of advertising for those places. Perhaps also some advocacy for public charging stations, and cities that do that as a public good.

 

[raphm]

Another fine idea to emerge on the ES-forum. Have to say that's been a dilemma for me - enough battery for a long distance trip. Thing is all that extra capacity costs$$$$$ and is not really used that often. Battery rental could solve that. 72V 100ah would do it for me.

I bielieve that it is becoming even more realistic with the good cells power density improvment in the last years. One rental service could have e.g. a few 48V10Ah batteries which can deliver up to 40A. Depending on the planned trip, the user could rent between 1 and 4 batteries. This might be kind of convenient.

Another cool feature (I know this is completely off track) but I would love to be able to add plug (charging) locations to the map around town.

YES: Being able to add recharge points is vitally important. Please give it the ability to memorize charging points as grindz145 suggested.

Another piece of data that would be good to have are locations that provide eBike charging. Some places (like Starbucks) already provide outlets for their customers. I'm thinking a Starbucks outlet, but outside for safe, easy charging access. Providing locations could come with the benefit of advertising for those places. Perhaps also some advocacy for public charging stations, and cities that do that as a public good.

Here is a video of the Point Of Interest (POI) Mananger. I hope that Ebike Maps is handy enough to start to build a nice database of available chargin spots around the world 8) .
[youtube]bdg0UPDjUKE[/youtube]
And from the user point of view :
[youtube]0yoce577hUQ[/youtube]

ps: we have a Facebook Ebike Maps page and a Twitter Ebike Maps account if you want to be aware of all Ebike Maps news.

 

[raphm]

Here is a new video tutoriel to explain how to use consumption and travel time measurement to improve Ebike Maps accuracy 8) .

[youtube]yJkc5CIJtS4[/youtube]

I hope this is going to be useful.

 

[raphm]

A new feature I am pretty exited about
[youtube]XLcRD5_o8dg[/youtube]
Adapt speed option helps the rider to choose appropriate assistance speed to prevent from running out of electrical power. Reducing assistance speed can extend a lot the range :wink:.

 

[jateureka]

subscribed

 

[raphm]

We are now working on an ebike profile sharing system . Here is one of my speedelec profile. You need to be log in and have less than 3 bikes in your account to add the bike to your list. For each of your bike you have a new blue button "Share my bike". Let us now what you think about this possibility. And let start to build a big ebike zoo !

 

[arkmundi]

Thanks. Registered & giving it a go!

 

[danielrlee]

I've had my eye on this project for a while, so today decided I'd try and add a couple of local charging spots to the POI database. Problem is that having to supply a textual address is proving really inflexible. Is there any way to simply click on the map to specify a location? I had to give up on it the way things are at present.

 

[raphm]

Thanks for the feedback. We will add the possibility to click on the map to add POI (probably next week).
Here is a video explaining how to use our solver find an accurate friction model based on several known consumptions on a flat road for different cruising speeds.
[youtube]lgfExViZQNM[/youtube]

 

[raphm]

I had to give up on it the way things are at present.

We have added the possibility to click directly on the map and word completion when you type an adress . Manage your POI on eBikeMaps.

 

[danielrlee]

I had to give up on it the way things are at present.

We have added the possibility to click directly on the map and word completion when you type an adress . Manage your POI on eBikeMaps.

Ahhhh, that's much better. Not quite a custom lat/long reference, but referencing a click to a postal address is probably the next best thing. It solved my problem of not knowing the address I wanted to add anyway.

Just a thought for the POI allowances: Should public points count towards a users limit? If the aim is to reveal and map my charging locations for the good of your user base (and hopefully receive the same in return), setting a limit on my efforts totally disincentivises me from doing so.

 

[raphm]

Just a thought for the POI allowances: Should public points count towards a users limit? If the aim is to reveal and map my charging locations for the good of your user base (and hopefully receive the same in return), setting a limit on my efforts totally disincentivises me from doing so.

Now you should have 100 :wink:. However, we need to give a serious thought about how to avoid someone to input random POI... In the meantime, we limit to 10 the number of POI and we can increase to 100 on demand.

 

[jateureka]

I gave this a try but could not figure out how to adjust your average speed with zero pedal input.

For example I enter details for a Stealth Bomber or Zero electric bike and set the maximum speed to 80 or 110km/hr and the average speed in your simulation comes back as 18 or 23km/hr with no pedalling, but in real life my average speed may be 60 or 85km/hr.

Does this only work for bikes that are electric assisted up to 32km/hr max?

 

[raphm]

I have to say that eBikeMaps has been designed and tested with <45km/h ebikes and we need to include some modification for higher speed ebike for more reallistic behaviour. Especially, you need to custom made the ebike profile as default parameters are very innacurate for high power ebikes.

I put in the details for a 2011 Zero S motorcycle. 135kg, 10kW and top speed 110km/hr with a 60Ahr useable battery at 48V nominal. I weigh 71kg. I select bike type as 'mountain bike' and tried both hub direct drive motor and geared motor as this is the closest of the types you offer. I don't have a cycle analyst connected yet so can't give you real world statistics from a set ride to compare it against a ride I plot on your simulator. Doctorbass has recorded results from his Zero 2011 DS, which is very similar. At 100km/h he consumed 96Wh/km, at 90km/h = 80Wh/km, at 80km/h = 67wh/km, 70km/h = 57.5WH/km, 60km/hr = 48Wh/km, at 50km/h = 39Wh/km, at 40km/hr = 30.5Wh/km, 30km/hr = 26Wh/km.

Here should be a more appropriate ebike profile according to this information. You can directly add it to your bike list (See "Add to my list" on the right).I would need more information about the motor model voltage constant and winding resistance to increase the model accuracy :wink:. We definitively need to build a serious database of existing ebikes. Everyone can share his ebike profile with everyone (see the "Share this bike" blue blutton in the bikes list tab).

 

[jateureka]

Ok, the motor used in the Zero 2011 is the Agni 95R brushed motor. I'm sure there are specs out there for that. Based on Doctorbass' comments, the battery has a useable capacity of about 60Ah at EDIT: 51.8V nominal (14s). Other specs for the Zero are on the manufacturer's web page.

I tried it with that new bike profile for the Zero and it gives a better result, but only if I set what I estimate as the average speed as the 'max speed' because your program does not seem to take into account the road speed limits to give a true estimated average speed/time, like a car sat nav does. Eg, if I set the max speed as 100km/h it says my average speed is 98km/h even when the roads I plotted are only 60-80km/h max.

 

[raphm]

your program does not seem to take into account the road speed limits

Indeed, speed limitation would be easy to integrate into the simulator but is an expensive information at least if you want to get it from Google. We need more time to work on this problem. In the mean time, that is why it is not working well with high power ebike.

 

[raphm]

We have now introduced a navigation app . You can check it out with your smartphone. Go on Ebike Maps with your smartphone web broswer and log in. You will be automaticaly redirected to the navigation application. It localizes you on the maps (GPS needs to be activated). Then you can access several features:
-click on the home button (you can edit home address in your profile) to see how to go home (how much distance, time and energy),
-enter a location or click on the maps to go somewhere else,
-change setting (bike choice, pedaling level, speed, type road...),
-desactive/activate GPS tracking (if you keep the application on while riding, it updates in real time distance, time and energy to destination).
This is, at least for me, a very useful web app complementary to the wattmeter which allows me to know how much energy my battery can still deliver.
I hope you will enjoy it as well.

ps: we have also introduced the French version,

 

[raphm]

We have introduced a better way to model human pedaling power during a ride. For each pedaling level, you can set the maximum pedaling speed. It means that the model considers that you are not pedaling anymore if the ebike is faster than this speed. You can see how the model behaves depending on the riding style in the bike editing page :wink: .

 

[raphm]

We have now created our company eBikeLabs and thus we should be able to be much more responsive to any request and accelerate the development. There is a lot of new features on eBikeMaps. We have introduced an ebike gallery such that anybody can easily share information about his ebike with anybody. We have also added a notification system to more easily explore eBikeMaps. Let us now if you need any feature or information.

 

[raphm]

A new introduction video to eBikeMaps :
[youtube]NQsZmXuH4Cc[/youtube]

 

[raphm]

Now, on eBikeMaps you can compare the eBikes, it will help you find the one that fits you the best.