Twike Velomobile

Green Machine

100 kW
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Jan 18, 2010
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it doesnt matter .... spark a revolution
I heard about a Twike Velomobile with a burned out battery pack at a very good price.

This is pedal assisted and seats two people...seems way better than a corbin sparrow for example. With this thing i could just ditch my car and ride on pure electric!

It looks like the twike runs on a 300v 6ah pack and an AC motor.

Does anyone know anything about this machine and what it would cost to build a descent lithium pack for this thing? What kind of cells would you use?

Oh 50mph and up to 90 mile range is what company claims.
 
I have one and I rebuilt my battery packs. Because the charger and controller are integrated and proprietory, homemade lithium solutions are a challenge. Factory lithium solution is available but about 10k.
 
The one i heard about is a twike ez (no pedals) with a burned out bms and battery pack.

Problem is i hear that it is very hard to replace the batery packs because of the proprietary controller, bms and charge system.

Also i heard parts from switzerland are very expensive.

Webfootguy...how did your conversion go? Was is a lot of work and expense?

If anyone is interested in a twike message me and i will give you his contact info...
 
Green Machine said:
The one i heard about is a twike ez (no pedals) with a burned out bms and battery pack.

Problem is i hear that it is very hard to replace the batery packs because of the proprietary controller, bms and charge system.

Also i heard parts from switzerland are very expensive.

Webfootguy...how did your conversion go? Was is a lot of work and expense?

If anyone is interested in a twike message me and i will give you his contact info...

I bought mine already converted to US standards and with a VIN number. The VIN number is critical to getting a legal Title and plates from DMV and *insurance* (required in most states to legally drive on the roads). In Oregon it is registered as a motorcycle so Insurance is cheap. I toyed with converting to lithium but the charger is integrated with the controller and the entire system is proprietary with no technical docs available. The vehicle is still built today in Germany by Fine Mobile (Swiss company went Chapter 11 around 2000 but German company bought all the assets) but due to USD vs Euro, parts are very expensive, but at least they are available. Rather than pay around $10,000 to buy the factory lithium solution (only 40 mile range), I instead just replaced all my old Ni-Cad cells with brand new ones. Cost was just the cost on the cells (got a good deal) and my labor over several months to battery tab weld 560 cells. I did also purchase 2 new BMS boards from the factory due to some failures I had with the older ones. In the end I have a fine working solution that should last for many years and 30 to 40 mile range. If you are in the Portland area, I'm glad to give rides.
 
I talked to some owners of twikes and one of he huge drawbacks is proprietary components system and super expensive replacement parts.

In terms of licensing and vin numbers if you get one with pedals atleast in my area it would def be considered electric bike and you wouldnt need license plate and all the hassle that comes with it.

Also no vin number means no way to get a parking ticket ;)
 
Looks like TWIKE 5 now "coming down the pipe":
http://www.twike.com/en_GB/vehicles/twike-5/

"A 1:1 model of the TWIKE 5 is currently sitting in Rosenthal. Built with wood, wire and cardboard."
tw5_rennpappe_02.jpg
 
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