Re: Halloween Message: Ignore all messages launched by a troll ...

[Daryl Hunt]

"Bill Z." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>> Has anyone ever hear of a bike/trike/quad setup where the vehicle is
>> powered
>> by batteries and the pedaling is strictly used to charge the batteries.
>
> You might want to look up the efficiency of a battery to see why this
> is a bad idea.

Batteries regen a bit if you just let them sit. I do this all the time.
The Yellow comes on and I slow it down and pedal for a bit. Then I motor
for a bit, pedal for a bit, etc.. This helps to extend the range by one or
two miles. Of course, at some point, I will be almost exclusively
pedalling.

 

[Earl Bollinger]

"Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Has anyone ever hear of a bike/trike/quad setup where the vehicle is
> powered by batteries and the pedaling is strictly used to charge the
> batteries. This type of setup would/could allow someone to choose the
> level of resistance that they desire for cycling and still have a vehicle
> that moves. I don't think that this would qualify as an HPV since it would
> really be an electric vehicle with the option of using a human to charge
> it.
>
> Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?
>
> Jeff
>

There is the famous Twike http://www.twike.us/
It is a side by side tandem passenger all weather electric assist vehicle.
But if you have to ask how much it costs you cannot afford it.

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <Heq2h.40042$P7.34334@edtnps89>, Grolch wrote:
>BionX makes such electric assist setups. While there isn't true recharging,
>there is regenerative ability while braking etc. On the BionX units you can
>set the assist to 25%, 50%, 100% or 200% and, I believe there is different
>settings for the regenerating. I have seen the set up on Catrike Road
>trikes. The guy who rides it is like superman on the hills.

Especially useful if you have a heavy but aerodynamic vehicle:
http://www.waw-bionx.blogspot.com/
Consider that touring tandems often have drag brakes for use on long
descents, and a velomobile is going to be faster if not braked and
only have one person pedalling the weight up the next hill.

 

[Dave Larrington]

In news:0gv2h.78625$E67.16048@clgrps13,
Grolch <[email protected]> scribed:
> "Tim Downie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Grolch wrote:
>>> BionX makes such electric assist setups. While there isn't true
>>> recharging, there is regenerative ability while braking etc. On the
>>> BionX units you can set the assist to 25%, 50%, 100% or 200% and, I
>>> believe there is different settings for the regenerating. I have
>>> seen the set up on Catrike Road trikes. The guy who rides it is like
>>> superman on the hills.
>>
>> Please elaorate. Do you mean he rides up hills wearing a cape,
>> rides up hills effortlessly or rides up hills putting in an effort
>> that only Superman is capable of?
>>
>> Tim
>>
>>
> He rides up hills like I wish I could... effortlessly

It's easy. Just buy a motorbike.

Oh, wait...

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
I thought I saw his name on a jar of marmalade the other day,
but when I looked more closely, I saw it read 'thick cut'.

 

[Ben C]

On 2006-11-02, Tim Downie <[email protected]> wrote:
> Ben C wrote:
>> On 2006-11-02, Tim Downie <[email protected]> wrote:
[snip]
>>> Storage to motion perhaps, but not the whole shebang. Got any links
>>> supporting that figure?
>>
>> Hmm, I found this:
>>
>> http://www.ornl.gov/~webworks/cppr/y2001/rpt/121119.pdf
>>
>> If you look at Figure 15, that's the amount of power lost for a 30kW
>> load. 7.4% is lost altogether, but more is lost in the gears than in
>> the electrical components.
>
> As far as I can make out, that paper only lists mechanical losses (which
> come to 7.%). It makes no mention of losses inherent in the generation &
> conversion into motive power.

Yup, you're right.

 

[Tom]

"Sniper8052(L96A1)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Do you mean the Vectrix motor scooter
>
> http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/03/vectrix_electri_1.php
>

FFS! £6900.

They're not going to sell many of those at that price.

Tom
--
Return address is dead. Real address is at
http://www.happy-penguin.info/address.jpg

 

[mikef]

Jeff Grippe wrote:
> Has anyone ever hear of a bike/trike/quad setup where the vehicle is powered
> by batteries and the pedaling is strictly used to charge the batteries. This
> type of setup would/could allow someone to choose the level of resistance
> that they desire for cycling and still have a vehicle that moves. I don't
> think that this would qualify as an HPV since it would really be an electric
> vehicle with the option of using a human to charge it.
>
> Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?

The following is a bit old now but proposes a bike based on that idea:

<http://www.futurebike.ch/images/1_wsj_shorter_1.pdf>

If the inefficiencies could be addressed, replacing a chain with an
electric cable could be really handy on tandems, 'bents and folders.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Chris Foster]

"Ken C. M." <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Tim Downie wrote:
>> Jeff Grippe wrote:
>>> Has anyone ever hear of a bike/trike/quad setup where the vehicle is
>>> powered by batteries and the pedaling is strictly used to charge the
>>> batteries. This type of setup would/could allow someone to choose
>>> the level of resistance that they desire for cycling and still have
>>> a vehicle that moves. I don't think that this would qualify as an
>>> HPV since it would really be an electric vehicle with the option of
>>> using a human to charge it.
>>
>> Driving a generator to charge a battery to drive a motor is going to
>> be *way* more inefficient that a simple chain drive and derailleur.
>> Who wants to pedal harder than they have to already to make progress?
>>
>> Tim
>>
>>
>
> It seems to me that the vehicle would weight so much and would take so
> much electricity to drive it that you would have to a very high gear
> ratio in order to spin the generator fast enough to charge the
> batteries to drive the vehicle that you would be much better off just
> buying a nice lightweight bicycle.
>
> Ken


Add Solar Cell's and this is viable, not a HPV, but good cheap
transportation

Chris Foster

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[Chris Foster]

"Daryl Hunt" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

>
> "Werehatrack" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> On Thu, 2 Nov 2006 07:11:21 -0500, "Jeff Grippe" <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Has anyone ever hear of a bike/trike/quad setup where the vehicle is
>>>powered
>>>by batteries and the pedaling is strictly used to charge the
>>>batteries. This
>>>type of setup would/could allow someone to choose the level of
>>>resistance that they desire for cycling and still have a vehicle that
>>>moves. I don't think that this would qualify as an HPV since it would
>>>really be an electric
>>>vehicle with the option of using a human to charge it.
>>>
>>>Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?
>>
>> Any competent engineer would look at the significant power losses in
>> the two points of energy conversion of crank->generation and
>> generation->storage, and immediately conclude that this was a really,
>> really intensely bad idea by comparison to direct coupling of the
>> crank to the wheel via a chain.
>>
>> Yes, I am dead certain that what you propose has been tried, since
>> examples of battery-powered bicycles and examples of human-powered
>> generation systems are trivially easy to find as far back as the
>> first decade of the 20th century. The fact that no such lash-up as
>> you propose is actually produced for sale, when there has been a
>> hundred years' worth of experimentation involved, should be a big
>> clue.
>
> Contact Union Pacific. They use that but they have 5000 hp diesels
> running alternators without no battery assist. What's a little
> ineffiency between friends on this one.
>
>
>>
>> Do not let my observations dissuade you from spending your own money
>> in an attempt to make it work, however. Some of us value the
>> entertainment factor in watching such endeavors as they are pursued
>> to their conclusion. I would, however, counsel against seeking
>> venture capital for the project; some investors have a tendency to
>> become a bit testy when their money proves ill-spent.
>
> You should see my latest creation. I made an Electric Chopper Bike
> with about a 15 mile range. It doesn't even look like a bicycle at
> all but under all that trim is still a pedal bike.
>
>
>


MG set (motor - generator sets) are at best 70% efficient. The rest of
theenergy goes into heat. Batteries are 40 - 70% efficient (getting
better and better all the time)





--
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