What about electrifying a StreetStrider? Pros and cons?

motomech

10 MW
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Sep 10, 2010
Messages
3,713
Location
Yuma and Punta Cana Baja Mexico
https://www.streetstrider.com/products/streetstrider3i
My electric kayak is done.
My latest ebike is almost done(for a while anyway:)
I've run out of things to electrify.

Not much in the way of detailed spec.s on the StreetStrider.
It has a 20 inch rear whl., so maybe something like a Q75 or Q85 hub motor?
No idea what the drop-out width is, but the older ones used shifting hubs like the Nexus and the Alfine, so it would have to be would be 135 M/M, right?
Says it can be pedaled up to 20 mph, so I guess the pedal-drive gearing is ok.
Thoughts other than how strange it would look?
 
One guy put a mid-drive on one;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFeahfXG3pM
Seems bit like overkill to me.
 
Tilting trike, looks like it needs a motor to get to the top of a hill, for the carving turn run down it.
 
They're great exercise machines, but electrifying it for any practical purpose seems to highlight the worst combination of characteristics: poor handling of a trike without the aero and low CoG (stability) benefits. Or conversely, poor aero and high CoG of a stand-up scooter without the single-track benefits.
 
If you're going to do it, maybe you should build a whole stoker rider for it instead, similar to this:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=13027&hilit=stoker+rider#p193024
;)

file.php
 
It seems like it would throw you off once it got up to speed. I am not sure how you electrified a kayak. A trolling motor? Electrifying a pedal boat or a water bike might be fun.
 
The kayak was super simple, I copied this idea;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xa-XJ5G9vU
Running a LiPoly pack of 12S (around 46 Volts)/10,000 mAh thru a golf cart converter to feed 12 Volts to the motor. No throttle, on/off, low/high.
Doesn't need much power, the hull maxs out around 4 or 5 MPH, which actually feels kinda fast. My kayak is a Passport, much smaller than the one in the vid. Low speed works well w/ the sail, helping the boat hold it's line w/ strong winds abeam. I also set it on low and pedal too.
With no hills to climb, the batt. lasts a long time.
 
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