Hi all,
I am new to the forums and would like to ask you all a question: could i technically attach a gas generator to the 700li to extend the milage? I know that this is an enthusiast forum for evs that use alternatives to gas but lets face it,battery technology isnt quite up to snuff for some long distance traveling. Let me explain my idea...
I want to travel about 80-120 miles per charge if possible so that I could stay at a hotel/family members house and recharge, thus i would get 80-120 miles a day. I live in California and would absolutely love being able to ride an ebike to utah, wyoming, and an even bigger dream of mine would be to ride it from coast to coast.
I am legally blind so this venture would promote those with partial sight and also evs.
Any help would be appreciated
thanks,
Blueshift
A Google search for "trailer generator "range extender" scooter" generates a lot of action.
There are a couple of problems with the concepts, however:
Mark
Welcome to the forum, Blueshift.
As for your question... interesting. I'd imagine a small engine would fit under / inside the seat, and the chain / peddle system is there.
The trick is connecting a gas engine to the chain sprocket. You'd be rebuilding from the frame level to make that happen. In short, it wouldn't be an add-on accessory.
This sounds like a hybrid that needs to be built from the ground up.
But if you get started keep us informed.
Perhaps someone else on the forum can give you a better answer.
ebiker.. to clarify, i was thinking about using a gas generator to simultaneously charge the battery. That way i wouldnt have to mess with the chain sprocket and just keep the battery powering the bike. so gas generator>battery>bike.
mf70, as much as i would like to lower emissions i do not think it would be of much harm to use a generator on very very occasional trips and leave the generator off when not needed ( which is most often).
here is pretty much the same concept but with a regular acid battery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJDNWcnYlFo&feature=related
thx for your responses thus far
http://www.veloteq.com/ibike.htm
Here is an ebike with an onboard generator built in. It is promised, but not yet available. As far as I can see having a small motor to drive the electric motor and charge the battery at the same time, or have the motor supplement the battery is just a matter of engineering. I see the Honda generator in the YouTube video. I believe it is about 1000 watts continuous AC 120 volts. It probably has a 12 volt DC charger outlet. This is probably a bridge rectifier, filtered and regulated. However this is not much use for a 48 volt system.
I believe you could soon construct a 48 volt system with a transformer, bridge rectifier, filter capacitor and maybe some regulation. I do not think it has to be tightly regulated as the motor is probably forgiving on voltage levels. You could have a select switch that selected between battery only, or both, or even maybe a motor only, although I am not sure how the motor only would work.
The system is something like the Chevy Volt uses, battery only which can be plug in charged, or motor can be used to help the car, or the motor can recharge the batteries. However it is hard to predict whether this will meet opposition whether it meets the ebike definition, even though Veloteq says it is legal as an ebike.
Makes perfect sense.
I wonder how long out the technology is? Often prototypes can run for years before coming to market.
I have the xb700li w/ LiPO4 48v 20Ah battery. I have not run it to full discharge yet, so I don't have the range. I was looking at getting a spare battery from xtreme, or a higher capacity (30Ah) from Ping, the price is comparable. The idea of having a gas drive backup will only work with a lead acid battery setup. The LiPO4 batteries are not made for dumping a large amount of juice into them. You can find a second hand lead acid scooter on craiglist/ ebay for very cheap. I had one with lead acid 48v 12Ah batteries and 350w motor I picked up for $500.00USD. Unfortunately it was stolen from the local DMV parking lot under the watchfull eyes of three rent-a-cops. Apparently the key lock is easily broken with a screwdriver. I am much impressed with the xtreme 700 Lipo4 scooter. Far superior to the DongMo I had, higher cruise speed, better hill climbing, better lights and styling and a nice 5amp charger. The battery weighs 20lbs compared to the lower capacity lead acid which weighed 50lbs, which comes in handy to bring the battery inside for overnight charging. Before my lead acid scooter got ripped off, I was thinking about a chain saw motor hooked up to a DC generator to dump juice into the lead acid battery while on a long haul. Now with the XB700Li, I am more inclined to add an extra battery rack in lieu of the backrest. Also, getting a rear tire flat is a real bummer on the highway, you have some real issues doing a roadside repair. For quick long distance trips, I prefer my E-bike which I can load onto the front rack of the local Bus Service to expedite a trip on the freeways of LA.
I am assuming that you do not have a driver license. Therefore I would suggest a 900 watt harbor freight (2) stroke generator about 50lbs. I bought one on sale for $90.00 fully California CARB legal with the intention of using it on a long trip to the beach, where there are no charging outlets. ("http://www.harborfreight.com/engines-generators/gas-engine-generators/800-rated-watts-900-max-watts-portable-generator-66619.html") I built a 50lb lead acid pack 48v 18Ah for $200.00 with a lead acid 2 amp 48V charger as a spare to play around with. I did not want to damage the $700.00 LIPO4 pack or the OEM charger. Otherwise, If you do have a driver license, it is better to buy a secondhand gas 49cc scooter and add an electric hub motor to the front wheel (See "http://www.goldenmotor.com/"). The gas drive scooters have better suspension and tires than the electric scooters. By the way, I got my driver license back and I want to sell most of my Ebikes and my xb-700li. I am in Los Angeles. My xb-700Li is in perfect condition, I upgraded the tires to Shinko SR007 110/70-12 which fit perfectly and look and handle awesome. (I had to trim the front fender because it scraped) I added a Direct plugin Cyle Analyst and I have an aftermarket USB fully programmable 45A controller (with Optional speed limiter). I have the OEM controller as a spare (With 25MPH Max Speed Limiter). I also removed the stock backrest and added a nice removable helmet storage case (the generator will fits on the rack top but NOT while running!)