The Current electric bikes come with a reverse "gear" feature. It is operated by holding down a button located to the left of throttle control while at the same time rolling the throttle. The button is far enough away from the throttle that I cannot reach it with my thumb and grip the throttle with my palm at the same time. I need to grip the throttle with my fingers only in order to reach the reverse button with my thumb. I find it a little bit clumsy to control the amount of throttle from this position and have been giving some thought as to other ways of implementing the operation of reverse feature.
My first thought was to put the button on the left side so I could press the button with my left hand while operating the throttle with my right hand. What worries me about this solution is the possibility of pressing the reverse button by mistake when reaching for the turn signal or horn. My next thought was to leave the button where it is and make it a toggle push button that would stay down when pressed and released when pressed a second time. That way I could put the controller into reverse mode and then operate the throttle with a firm grip so that I would have better control over how much throttle I was applying. I'd have a light in the button that blinked when in reverse so there would be no mistaking what mode I was in. Also, I think a white backup light would be a nice feature to have both so I can see where I'm going in the dark and to alert pedestrians and other vehicles when I'm about to back out of a parking space.
I'm interested to know what other people think. What's the best way to implement reverse on a bike?
John D.
John, I have also thought It was hard to use the backup on my C.M.C.= C.130 I like your idea of a toggle switch !!! maybe lit with a red/green led that would be, on , to light the switch at night and indicate the mode ? the reverse also seems to turn off if you hit the brakes!! while you are maneuvering in reverse ! . The reverse thing is complicated by having to be (safe) ! maybe John Harding has an idea or two !
LaTeR
thank GOD I wake up above ground !!!!
Me too! I'm very interested to hear what the community thinks about reverse. Also, for the Vectrix owner's - do you like the way it's implemented on your bikes?
You are right that it's awkward to press the button and roll the throttle - but we saw that as an OK trade off because of the slow speed nature of reversing.
We were balancing two things when we implemented reverse - easy to operate and safe. I worry about a toggle switch that it would be too easy for the rider to be surprised. Even with lights or other indicators saying it was in reverse. Grabbing a big handful of throttle for a quick get away and shooting backwards would not be a happy experience! Maybe a timeout could be used? If the throttle is off for a short period (say 3 to 5 seconds) reverse automatically cancels? The rider could still cancel it with a second press.
I'd love to hear people's suggestions and experience with reverse on motorcycles.
p.s. I was skeptical when we added reverse thinking it would be a "gee whiz" feature to show folks but that it wouldn't be used much. Now I use it *all* the time!
John H. Founder of Current Motor Company - opinions on this site belong to me; not to my employer
Remember: " 'lectric for local. diesel for distance" - JTH, Amp Bros || "No Gas.
I wouldn't put much weight on the problem of being in reverse by mistake. I never have that problem with my car. After I back out of my driveway or a parking space, I know to shift into first before I step on the gas. It shouldn't be any different with the bike. The only time cars drivers have a problem is when they don't stop fast enough at a red light, back up out of the intersection and then forget the car is in reverse.
I have an electric rider mower that uses a rocker switch to toggle between forward and reverse and I've never been surprised with that either. Of course it has an annoying beeping that sounds when in reverse so it's hard to mistake which mode you are in. I think a blinking red push button would make it absolutely impossible to not know you were in reverse. But even without the blinking light, I'd rather have a toggle than the momentary switch.
The reverse is definitely not a "gee whiz" feature. I use it to back all the way out of my driveway and into the street rather than going forward and making a u-turn on the lawn. I also always use it backing out of a parking space. That's when a white reverse light would be a great safety feature. It lets other drivers know I'm planning on backing out.
John D.
I don't really like the idea of a toggle, but I wonder if we could skip the throttle component entirely, just use the button alone?
You can't exactly balance yourself well while moving backwards, so the max speed you'll ever want is a walking pace. The bike is light enough that I'd never use the reverse gear on flat ground, since pushing with my feet is easy. The time when you need reverse is when you've parked facing downhill, and pushing back is no longer easy.
So all you need is to slowly ramp up the torque until you hit about -3mph, then hold that speed. There's probably a little extra software complexity to limit based on speed but allow high torque, but this approach would work without changing the existing hardware. It's a one button solution.
My electric vehicle: CuMoCo C130 scooter.
I want to be able to control the speed of the reverse. I go faster backing down the driveway and slow down when I get to the street. I also need to go slower to back up a ramp and through a doorway or onto my lawn trailer.