Linear brushless motor

• Here’s what looks like a first example of a linear brushless motor mounted to a standard pushbike. Doesn’t look like it has much torque, but for a first attempt, looks promising

Filming of Toyota Auris-hybrid

• Managed to track down the creators of the video commercial for the new Toyota Auris, Hybrid. Impressive array of technology. The wheels are surrounded by phosphorescent lighting strips used in boutique hotels and discos. The rest is lighting projectors, 3D CGI mapping overlays. The second video shows the manufacturing process of the car. You get to see how relatively small the battery pack is. The battery pack is covered for 8 years under warranty and can be factory returned and recycled. At one time it had a solar roof, but for the UK at least, they took it off, because it wouldn’t be cost effective, plus in the concept car it looks a bit distractive
• The battery uses NiMh – Nickel Metal Hydride technology which is environmentally friendly according to Wikipedia, There is also a very interesting and revealing post on patent encumbrance by Texaco/Chevron. It’s well worth the read, because it explains why up until recently, why there have been few pure EV cars like the iMiEV on the market..

New Toyota Auris hybrid hits the UK

• My next car perhaps?

Toyota Auris hyrid. 70mpg. We shall see..

First pedelec (e-bike)

• A short video showing my first foray into the e-bike market. I bought the Cyclamatic Power Plus a low cost CE approved pedelec. Technically an e-bike is a throttle activated only bike, whereas a pedelec is peddle assisted, i.e. you peddle and a motion sensor kicks in and spools up the brushless electric motor. Maximum speed is limited to 25kph, range >40km. I’ve added a decent lock and a set of 25W LED lights. This will be my main commute bike when I work in Dublin. I’m going to import a couple more, then build my own from scratch using a custom built carbon fibre frame and custom electronics as a basis to building a business model

Garbage powered cars anybody?

Webcam chat at Ustream

• This video is from the LA Autoshow 2009. After the first guy drops out, Brian Nesbitt comes on and talks about E85 (ethanol) based fuel and the difference between the European  manufacturers. Bottom line, the Yanks are dragging their heels and shouldering up to the big ‘oil’ power..

First e-bike setup and test

• Posted earlier on this bike from SportHQ, advertised on Amazon for £499, but luckily for me I spotted it had dropped to £399 in the January sales. Tim at SportHQ was kind enough to lower the price!
• It arrived a few days later over the Xmas break. I unpacked it and had it assembled, tires inflated via my car electric pump and off we went. It’s a Pedelec, which means as you peddle it engages to 250W brushless electric rear hub motor, seamlessly making hill climbing a synch! It has a 24V 10Amp battery, 7-speed Shimano SIS derailleur, rear hub brake and standard front calliper brake. The battery can be removed for charging. The handbook says to connect the battery charge plug into the battery prior to connecting the LiPol charger to the mains. You then reverse the process by pulling out the mains supply plug, a relay is heard to drop out, then disconnect the battery connector. The battery box is sealed from water, so should be rain proof. Comments on Amazon rate this bike at 4.5 stars, with one complaint about some of the bolts rusting. This can be easily remedied with a little grease or household Vaseline and general maintenance with the oil can every couple of weeks. Front suspension is average quality, but for the town/city it is adequate and you could always buy a seat post knuckle-over suspension like the SR SUNTOUR SP-NE
• I took it for a spin around my close up and down a 10 degree incline and hardly had to use force to get uphill. Just freewheel to disengage the motor, peddle to start again and the peddle sensor detects the main chain-wheel moving and engages the motor. The split throttle can also be twisted towards you to manually engage the motor. The throttle doesn’t incrementally step up, but there is no sudden jolt, the motor just spools up, so it’s more of a switch. I will try a few more hills with steep inclines to know more of how the pedelec system performs

Product Features

• 17" mountain bike frame (suitable for use from 5ft 5 to approximately 6ft 2) - 250 watt brushless motor
• New Lithium-ion battery provides huge power (up to 45km range) and weighs a fraction of traditional lead-acid batteries. Also won't suffer 'memory effect' and has a very low self-discharge rate -
• Shimano Tourney SIS-Index gears with quick-shift - Adjustable height seat raises to up to 43" from the ground
• Servo "anti-cling" safety brakes - premium front suspension for comfort
• Quick release battery and front wheel - Front and rear mud guards - Legal for road use - no road tax or driving licence required. Legally, no helmet nor insurance required (although we recommend both!)

Juicedriders.com – China trip

• Juicedriders.com is a play on words for bikes that are juiced with batteries, i.e. powered. This video shows how extensively the Chinese are using e-bikes to ferry children and goods on a daily basis. 2009 China sold 21 million e-bikes internally and have 100 million e-bikes on the road. They outsell cars 2:1 – 12 million cars hit the streets in 09, 1 million per  month! China still has an impressive growth rate of between 8-9% per annum. E-bikes are their biggest sellers. They have been riding e-bikes for years now, being originally based on lead-acid batteries

Chevy Cruze at Jay Leno’s garage

• Early version of the 2011 GM Chevy Cruze. Does 40mpg, possibly more as it’s a pure electric hybrid utilising a 1.4ltr petrol decoupled engine driving a generator. 40 miles on the electric motor alone, no step-down functionality (powers up motor for power boost) unlike the Prius, although it does have a sport mode giving you 120W of power. Uses Li-ion (Lithium Ion)) batteries down the central tunnel and under the boot. After battery discharge, engine kicks in to give drive only power with charge being necessary from home; does have regenerative braking with disk based stop-through for faster breaking. Charge time 6-8 hours on 120VAC or 3-4 hours on 240VAC

Atkinson cycle!? My surname in fame..

• Ford fusion car with a Atkinson cycle hybrid engine. The Atkinson cycle leaves the inlet valve open for longer during the induction phase loosing some low end torque which is compensated by combining the electric motor during acceleration. The new Toyota Prius uses this technology along with regenerative braking and a heat transfer pump, taking exhaust heat away to keep the engine warm during pure electric phase of driving. 2.5 ltr. donkey!? Are you kidding me! The Prius uses a 1.8 VVti engine giving roughly 50mpg combined – theoretically >72mpg.
• This puppy does  42mpg urban (city) and 36mpg extra-urban (highway) with a combined of 39mpg ‘theoretically’; more like 35mpg in the real world according to the-truth-about-cars. It weighs in at circa 3,800 pounds or 1.9 imperial tons!
• Waste of money? We should see some better hybrids on the market in 2010, for now my advice is stay away from them. Is this a hybrid? No not really, more like a ‘light hybrid’ with a gas-guzzler engine. A 3 cylinder modern diesel-electric (with a particulate filter) would be the best hybrid I reckon, perhaps combined with a capacitive battery utilising emerging carbon-nanotube technology

Chevy Equinox – hydrogen fuel cell SUV

• Jay takes the Chevy Equinox for a spin. range >300 miles, output, water. Zero pollute technology apart from the carbon used to produce it. Electric motor with 1:1 gearbox differential. Three hydrogen compressed gas tanks, storing 2.2x3=6.6kg of fuel
• In Q3 2010, we should see the 2011 Chevy Cruze go to market, a lighter, leaner looking car, sweet

Atkinson cycle!? My surname in fame..

• Ford fusion car with a Atkinson cycle engine hybrid engine. The Atkinson cycle leaves the inlet valve open for longer during the induction phase loosing some low end torque which is compensated by combining the electric motor during acceleration. The new Toyota Prius uses this technology along with regenerative braking and a heat transfer pump, taking exhaust heat away to keep the engine warm during pure electric phase of driving. 2.5 ltr. donkey!? Are you kidding me! The Prius uses a 1.8 VVti engine giving roughly 50mpg combined – theoretically >72mpg.
• This puppy does  42mpg urban (city) and 36mpg extra-urban (highway) with a combined of 39mpg ‘theoretically’; more like 35mpg in the real world according to the-truth-about-cars. It weighs in at circa 3,800 pounds or 1.9 imperial tons!
• Waste of money? We should see some better hybrids on the market in 2010, for now my advice is stay away from them. Is this a hybrid? No not really, more like a ‘light hybrid’ with a gas-guzzler engine. A 3 cylinder modern diesel-electric (with a particulate filter) would be the best hybrid I reckon, perhaps combined with a capacitive battery utilising emerging carbon-nanotube technology

Jay Leno goes green?

• Jay Leno’s garage is err.. ginormous and he has some impressive gas-guzzlers for sure, but he’s also a keen motorcyclist by the looks of it and is interested in the whole EV/Green motors

• His green site

Zero motorcycles

• Nice e-Mbike from Zero Motorcycles that does 60mph, range 60 miles and can pop wheelies :-)
• Jay Leno has an vast garage and he needs to loose some pork, so e-bikes might be the route for him, arf

Frisbee – endurance e-bike

• Here you see Umberto Marchese (born 1941) at the grand old age of 60 racing in the Giro delle Dolomiti (the Dolomites in Italy) in 2007 on his Frisbee e-bike. That bike has some range and this guy is pretty fit for an old guy!

• Here Umberto is doing a run from Denmark to Italy a distance of >200Km per day, covering a total distance of 3266Km in 15 days in June of 2009

GRACE – e-motorbike?

• GRACE have created a custom built allow frame housing a 1300AH Lion battery (how would you replace them!?) frame mounted speed controller utilising a 1300W motor. They say it’s a motorbike and are asking for about €5877 for this puppy. Nice idea, but way too expensive for what is really a custom built mountain bike with a overly large motor. Range is only 30-50km range and a top speed of 45kph (street version is limited)

E+ – Electric bikes

• Another company out in Northern Virginia called Electric Motor Systems have an interesting take on the e-bike, they incorporate the battery in the front hub. Some smart electronics on the handlebars including a computer providing battery usage etc. also provides a human charge cycle, whereby the cyclist recharges the battery

Bicicletta - Whisper

• This is the first truly professional looking video from an outfit over in the UK selling e-bikes. Well overpriced at £1,249.99! But hey, they have no competition yet. I don’t see the need to pay more that £500 for an alloy framed bike with suspension, and cable based brakes. There are plenty of other people entering the market within the £500 range

• Above is the Ultra Motor from Kozy Cyclery in Chicago

Amazon selling e-bikes

• Just spotted an e-bike called the Cyclamatic Power Plus for £499 on Amazon. The actual seller is Sport HQ and they do two bikes, a mountain/tourer and a foldaway. Not a bad price for an Alloy frame and a Shimano group set. Note the electric hub on the rear wheel supports and integral brake
• The battery looks like a decent size and the hand throttle is well detailed with a battery meter and on/off switch. The battery is detachable and lockable. A nicely detailed example of what an e-bike should be. It’s only 24V, so don’t expect radical torque on take-off; more aimed at longevity than out and out power

Product Features

• 17" mountain bike frame (suitable for use from 5ft 5 to approximately 6ft 2) - 250 watt brushless motor
• New Lithium-ion battery provides huge power (up to 45km range) and weighs a fraction of traditional lead-acid batteries. Also won't suffer 'memory effect' and has a very low self-discharge rate -
• Shimano Tourney SIS-Index gears with quick-shift - Adjustable height seat raises to up to 43" from the ground
• Servo "anti-cling" safety brakes - premium front suspension for comfort
• Quick release battery and front wheel - Front and rear mud guards - Legal for road use - no road tax or driving licence required. Legally, no helmet nor insurance required (although we recommend both!)

YikeBike

• Not what I call a comfortable ride, but the YikeBike puts an interesting spin on the concept compact e-bike. Lack of range and durability look like its main sticking points. OK for small local rides on smooth surfaces. Certainly a fun concept, but I can’t see it going mainstream, especially with an expected price tag of between €3500-3900

In search for the perfect e-bike

• I’m whittling down the options for creating two e-bikes out of two existing mountain bikes I have languishing in my garage. The best so far is from http://www.cyclone-usa.com using a brushless motor that mounts under the main ring gear, thus giving the advantage of using the main gears for hill climbing and cruising
• The brushless motor includes a “DC motor featuring an integrated planetary gearbox that significantly multiplies the motor torque” combined with 360 or a 500W motors. The 500W looks like the one to go for with speeds up to 26mph on the flat using a 26” rim whilst drawing between 15/20 accelerating and >40amps climbing. The best power to weight battery appears to be the 24V 20Amp/hr Lion (Lithium-ion) giving a range of up to 45 miles on the flat
• The kit:

• Fitted:

• Project – hill climber. 12-18mph >6% incline, with no pedalling!