llile
1 kW
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2010
- Messages
- 457
Winter sux. I have long been thinking about electric vehicles, and the E-bike I have is a fantastic step in the right direction. I use 5c worth of electricity to commute a distance that takes a gallon of gas in a pretty efficient auto, and the electricity comes from a solar panel. I've ditched the car for more than 2/3 of my trips to town this summer, essentially only using the car or pickup when I have to go get something that can't be hauled on a bike or a bike trailer. Fantastic summer vehicle. Do the math - I am getting over 3000 mpg equivalent.
Winter is closing in though. I am a serious winter cyclist, and I've ridden on the coldest day of the year for the last 6 years. I know how to ride in cold weather. But a two-wheeled vehicle on slick snowy roads, for a long commute, in subzero temperatures isn't a challenge I can take on every day of the week. Winter here averages about 30F, dips to 0F regularly, snow tends to hang around for a week or so before it thaws enough to melt, and we can get rain at 33F, which is a deadly combination of stressors. I fear cold rain more than snow or dry cold.
a
My earlier idea about an all-weather electric vehicle was a classic donor car conversion. Ok, that's a pretty well-known path. But you start out with a heavy, inefficient frame, and start adding electric components. Hell, the wheels weigh more than my entire E-bike. Why do they need four seats? Always two side-by-side? A two seater fore and aft would have half the frontal area, thus half the friction. Cars start out with so many things stacked against them. All I really need to haul is me and a sack of groceries.
If you start out from the other end, with the E-bike, and scale that UP, instead of scaling down a car, it looks very interesting. A rough rule of thumb is that each doubling in speed takes 4X as much power. I can average 20 mph with about 400 watts in these hills, so if I wanted 50MPH speeds I'd need maybe 6X-8X as much power. 3200 watts or a little over 4 HP ought to zip down the road at a fair clip. Three wheel drive ought to work pretty well if the road is a little slippery. If it's really bad I'm back in the Tank -er- Toyota.
We've constructed several trike frames, both from bicycle parts and motorcycle parts. Some were flops, some really successful and I think we've got the idea figured out. It isn't too hard to consider building a custom tadpole trike frame. I am imagining three hub motors, for three wheel drive. Yes, I'd have to license it as a motorcycle, big deal, that isn't impossible either. Yeah, it'd need a lotta battery power to have the kind of range I need (50 miles round trip), but there would be three wheels to support the weight. Winter heat would be provided through heated motorcycle clothing, instead of heating an entire cab (inefficient). It would need a real fairing, and that is a whole interesting challenge in itself. Fiberglass, anyone?
That long introduction was to ask about wheels. Let's say someone was thinking about such an electric vehicle - is there a bike-style wheel that is up to the task? I'm imagining an extra sturdy wheel, thick spokes, and a beefy hub motor on each wheel. No pedals, no point to it. Probably 72 volts. I would likely use suspension components, as found on some mountain bikes, large cross section tires. But are there any sturdy bike wheel components up to such a task? Or is 50MPH too much force and speed for the genre?
Winter is closing in though. I am a serious winter cyclist, and I've ridden on the coldest day of the year for the last 6 years. I know how to ride in cold weather. But a two-wheeled vehicle on slick snowy roads, for a long commute, in subzero temperatures isn't a challenge I can take on every day of the week. Winter here averages about 30F, dips to 0F regularly, snow tends to hang around for a week or so before it thaws enough to melt, and we can get rain at 33F, which is a deadly combination of stressors. I fear cold rain more than snow or dry cold.
a
My earlier idea about an all-weather electric vehicle was a classic donor car conversion. Ok, that's a pretty well-known path. But you start out with a heavy, inefficient frame, and start adding electric components. Hell, the wheels weigh more than my entire E-bike. Why do they need four seats? Always two side-by-side? A two seater fore and aft would have half the frontal area, thus half the friction. Cars start out with so many things stacked against them. All I really need to haul is me and a sack of groceries.
If you start out from the other end, with the E-bike, and scale that UP, instead of scaling down a car, it looks very interesting. A rough rule of thumb is that each doubling in speed takes 4X as much power. I can average 20 mph with about 400 watts in these hills, so if I wanted 50MPH speeds I'd need maybe 6X-8X as much power. 3200 watts or a little over 4 HP ought to zip down the road at a fair clip. Three wheel drive ought to work pretty well if the road is a little slippery. If it's really bad I'm back in the Tank -er- Toyota.
We've constructed several trike frames, both from bicycle parts and motorcycle parts. Some were flops, some really successful and I think we've got the idea figured out. It isn't too hard to consider building a custom tadpole trike frame. I am imagining three hub motors, for three wheel drive. Yes, I'd have to license it as a motorcycle, big deal, that isn't impossible either. Yeah, it'd need a lotta battery power to have the kind of range I need (50 miles round trip), but there would be three wheels to support the weight. Winter heat would be provided through heated motorcycle clothing, instead of heating an entire cab (inefficient). It would need a real fairing, and that is a whole interesting challenge in itself. Fiberglass, anyone?
That long introduction was to ask about wheels. Let's say someone was thinking about such an electric vehicle - is there a bike-style wheel that is up to the task? I'm imagining an extra sturdy wheel, thick spokes, and a beefy hub motor on each wheel. No pedals, no point to it. Probably 72 volts. I would likely use suspension components, as found on some mountain bikes, large cross section tires. But are there any sturdy bike wheel components up to such a task? Or is 50MPH too much force and speed for the genre?
