Dreams into reality

TOPdawg

1 mW
Joined
May 19, 2019
Messages
18
I dream of a day where electric motorbikes roll off the assembly line, every day, Monday to Friday. With my design, I want to build a cost-effective pedal-style moped. Currently, there are already one or two startups that have utilized this design and are targeting that market. However, with my design, I hope to set ourselves apart by building a bike so versatile and robust, that it will draw people from all over the world into the moped community.

A moped by definition is a 50cc two-stroke bike with pedals for starting the motor. We will offer two models, a (72v) 3kW and a (72v) 5kW rear direct drive moped. The 3kW will be the low-end, bare-bones model. Whereas the 5kW will be the deluxe model.

I do not want to build just another electric moped startup. I want to create something much bigger than that. Through battery pack manufacturing, we will also focus on a much broader spectrum, and how we can help advance battery technology. You can gawk and say "that would never work." but I am not afraid. Give me your worst. We ought to help the world rid itself of gasoline dependence.
 
TOPdawg said:
A moped by definition is a 50cc two-stroke bike with pedals for starting the motor.
That entirely depends on the state law for the state you happen to be in.

So...you better check the law where you are, and the law for each place you want to "sell" things.

Or you may end up with a bunch of stuff you can't sell.
 
amberwolf said:
TOPdawg said:
A moped by definition is a 50cc two-stroke bike with pedals for starting the motor.
That entirely depends on the state law for the state you happen to be in.

One way is to simply offer a 750w mode that applies to a lot of state e-bike laws. Just like you wouldn't drive a car at top speed.

My state also has special moped laws that apply to vintage pedal mopeds. They legally cannot operate above 2 BHP nor exceed 30mph. With that in mind, the bike could operate at 1500w. I do not have the speed calculated for that yet, but it would most likely not exceed the 30mph cap.

One thing I should mention is that in my grid-locked city, most speed limits are 45-50mph, which is why I believe 3kW and 5kW would best suit the city driver. Sometimes it's just safer to operate at the speed of traffic. Most 2-stroke moped riders will modify their bikes to run at these speeds. In fact, in the 6 years that I've been riding and souping them up, I've never experienced any legal issues. Most people are happy that I'm not holding up traffic... anymore at least.
 
what someone does with their stuff once they have it is different htan what a state may allow you to sell there, so you should make sure you're ok before doing it, rather than dealing with legal problems, fines, lawsuits, etc., after the fact.

it's just safer for you.

if you don't care, well, it's your decision.
 
amberwolf said:
what someone does with their stuff once they have it is different htan what a state may allow you to sell there, so you should make sure you're ok before doing it, rather than dealing with legal problems, fines, lawsuits, etc., after the fact.

That's a smart idea. I will look into that.
 
amberwolf said:
what someone does with their stuff once they have it is different htan what a state may allow you to sell there, so you should make sure you're ok before doing it.

So I found out it would sell well in my area. Mopeds are becoming ever more popular forms of transport here. I just need one prototype to prove it as a cost-effective, powerful, long-range moped. I spend countless hours on this forum reading, but I'm still just a little lost. I'm mechanically inclined, which has been great for fixing and building up 2 stroke engines. But I'm not an electronics guru (yet) and I want to understand better what I'm trying to do.
 
Selling any commercial product that you make is a complicated mess. You have to satisfy market expectations, regulatory demands, manufacturability, physical facilities, financing, and profitability all in the proper order. Any one of these things is a project in itself.

Maybe you should focus on having a good product first, that you understand inside and out. Be painstaking about logging your costs while you do it.
 
Probably should try to start off the same way a lot of other 'ebike' companies started... Go on Alibaba and find some bikes that are similar to what you want, figure out who the original manufacturer of that bike was, and then work with them to get something setup how exactly you want.

Unless you want to sell a very premium product it's not going to work trying to do it yourself. China is the world capital of electric two-wheeled transportation. They know how to do it on a budget.

The major difference between good stuff from China (or really any company in any country) from bad stuff from China is how much quality assurance is done and due diligence on the part of the importer. They will test you to see if you really care... swap out cheap parts for good parts and not say anything if they think they can get away with it. It's up to you to keep them on task, do inspections, and such things.
 
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