Tim
Looking for an electric bicycle for commuting...range isn't too crucial as long as it's greater than 10 miles. Affordability is important.
Answer
There are now many electric assist bicycles out there. Some come complete and some kits you adapt to your own bicycle. A great place to start might be here: http://www.electricbikesreviews.com/
There are two general types of electric assist bicycles. They are hub motors and friction motors. For either one the motor and batteries will add weight to the bicycle.
Features you will want to look for should include:
Light with a good power to weight ratio.
The added weight of the batteries should be well placed for the design of the bike and not simply put anywhere.
Ability to remove the battery for charging inside the home.
Regenerative braking captures inertial energy and tries to convert that back into electricity to charge the battery. Bicycles are much lighter than a car and so have less inertial energy to capture. Batteries can't accept a massive influx of energy at once. As a result batteries are not so good to capture inertial energy. The good news is that while this may not be an extremely useful feature it virtually comes free with an electric motor
A fairing of some sort will extend range probably more than regenerative braking. Because of its lower wind resistance an electric recumbant makes some sense: http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/e-bent/default.htm
There are now many electric assist bicycles out there. Some come complete and some kits you adapt to your own bicycle. A great place to start might be here: http://www.electricbikesreviews.com/
There are two general types of electric assist bicycles. They are hub motors and friction motors. For either one the motor and batteries will add weight to the bicycle.
Features you will want to look for should include:
Light with a good power to weight ratio.
The added weight of the batteries should be well placed for the design of the bike and not simply put anywhere.
Ability to remove the battery for charging inside the home.
Regenerative braking captures inertial energy and tries to convert that back into electricity to charge the battery. Bicycles are much lighter than a car and so have less inertial energy to capture. Batteries can't accept a massive influx of energy at once. As a result batteries are not so good to capture inertial energy. The good news is that while this may not be an extremely useful feature it virtually comes free with an electric motor
A fairing of some sort will extend range probably more than regenerative braking. Because of its lower wind resistance an electric recumbant makes some sense: http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/e-bent/default.htm
Are Electric (Battery Powered) Bicycles Pedal assisted or Completely powered by the Battery?
Ken
I am looking to find a completely Battery powered option. I have a permanent back and nerve injury which prevents me from being able to ride with my wife. I recently heard about these bikes and if they are completely battery powered I might be able to enjoy riding with my wife again. Pedal assisted bikes unfortunately would be of no use to me. My injury would never allow me to pedal a bike.
Answer
There are two ways ebike power is controlled; 'Pedal Assist' which looks at pedal effort for motor assistance, and 'Power on Demand' which is throttle based and waht you want.
Still, almost all ebikes are designed for the motor to assist active pedal use. Without additional leg power, peak battery power becomes significantly higher on hills. The higher power motor and bigger batteries also increase the ebike weight.
However, there are folks that design and make power on demand ebike systems for folks such as yourself.
Be aware, that to make a system that is motor only with no pedal assist for power, is costly and has a shorter range. But it is done.
you would want a Mtn bike for ruggedness, a 500 watt hub motor minimum- full 750 watt proffered, and 1kwh of battery.
You are looking at ABOUT $2500 for top speed of 15 mph and a range of 15 miles.
Join the group below and post your information, see if anyone in your geography is interested.( I am in the Rocky Mtns.)
There are two ways ebike power is controlled; 'Pedal Assist' which looks at pedal effort for motor assistance, and 'Power on Demand' which is throttle based and waht you want.
Still, almost all ebikes are designed for the motor to assist active pedal use. Without additional leg power, peak battery power becomes significantly higher on hills. The higher power motor and bigger batteries also increase the ebike weight.
However, there are folks that design and make power on demand ebike systems for folks such as yourself.
Be aware, that to make a system that is motor only with no pedal assist for power, is costly and has a shorter range. But it is done.
you would want a Mtn bike for ruggedness, a 500 watt hub motor minimum- full 750 watt proffered, and 1kwh of battery.
You are looking at ABOUT $2500 for top speed of 15 mph and a range of 15 miles.
Join the group below and post your information, see if anyone in your geography is interested.( I am in the Rocky Mtns.)
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Title Post: What is the best electric bicycle out there?
Rating: 83% based on 9498 ratings. 4 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming T0 My Blog
Rating: 83% based on 9498 ratings. 4 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming T0 My Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment