All Discussions - eBikeNation http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussions/feed.rss Sun, 20 May 12 08:08:01 -0400 All Discussions - eBikeNation en-CA Spring is just around the corner! 2011 - Perfect for electric bikes! http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/10/spring-is-just-around-the-corner-2011-perfect-for-electric-bikes Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:31:05 -0500 anastas 10@/index.php?p=/discussions Electric car batteries demonstrate 180,000 + mile lifespan http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/9/electric-car-batteries-demonstrate-180000-mile-lifespan Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:46:28 -0500 anastas 9@/index.php?p=/discussions --> http://www.gizmag.com/electric-car-batteries-demonstrate-180000-plus-mile-lifespan/10491/

December 3, 2008 One of the key points critics have leveled at the electric car movement is that any money saved by switching gas stations for the power point will be lost when the battery fades and needs replacing. With battery costs currently still high, this is a valid concern - but how long can a battery pack last? Battery provider Southern California Edison have been testing a lithium-ion battery subpack for two and a half hears now and have demonstrated a life of more than 180,000 miles without significant performance deterioration. Considering that the average American family car does less than 15,000 miles a year, you're looking at well over ten years' service from a battery pack before it needs replacing. Factor in your gas guzzler's scheduled servicing costs (negligible on an electric) and a fuel bill of more than USD$10,000 at today's low gas prices even if you drive a 29mpg small car, and it appears the cost equation is becoming more convincing for electrics.

As automakers work toward putting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the road, Southern California Edison (SCE) recently announced a major milestone in advanced battery performance.

Through ongoing evaluation and tests at its Pomona, Calif.-based Electric Vehicle Technical Center, SCE has demonstrated battery life performance equivalent to more than 180,000 miles in a commercial delivery van with minimal battery deterioration. These batteries could power tomorrow’s plug-in vehicles.

The battery test, conducted in a laboratory setting, uses a Johnson Control-Saft lithium-ion battery subpack that is one-sixth of the actual battery size used in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The subpack has been tested continuously for two and a half years, and testing continues to monitor the battery’s remarkable performance.

Based on the results achieved with the battery pack, the U.S. Department of Energy has provided SCE with a full-size lithium ion battery and has asked SCE to test and evaluate the battery’s viability for passenger car application.

SCE is conducting the battery test in support of the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI’s) evaluation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The center evaluates all forms of electrodrive technologies for energy use, operating costs, efficiency, reliability, power quality, battery life, system impacts and safety.

image]]> The Copenhagen Wheel - Smart Phone eBike assist http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/8/the-copenhagen-wheel-smart-phone-ebike-assist Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:45:45 -0500 anastas 8@/index.php?p=/discussions --> http://cyanatrendland.com/2009/12/18/th ... +Trendland)
--> http://www.youtube.com/v/S7y3qIQu3Gc&hl=en_US&fs=1&
Smart, responsive and elegant, the Copenhagen Wheel is a new emblem for urban mobility. It transforms ordinary bicycles quickly into hybrid e-bikes that also function as mobile sensing units. The Copenhagen Wheel allows you to capture the energy dissipated while cycling and braking and save it for when you need a bit of a boost. It also gives you maps pollution levels, traffic congestion, and road conditions in real-time..


Controlled through your smart phone, the Copenhagen Wheel becomes a natural extension of your everyday life. You can use your phone to unlock and lock your bike, change gears and select how much the motor assists you. As you cycle, the wheel’s sensing unit is also capturing your effort level and information about your surroundings, including road conditions, carbon monoxide, NOx, noise, ambient temperature and relative humidity. Access this data through your phone or the web and use it to plan healthier bike routes, to achieve your exercise goals or to meet up with friends on the go. You can also share your data with friends, or with your city – anonymously if you wish – thereby contributing to a fine-grained database of environmental information from which we can all benefit.]]> The Copenhagen Wheel - Smrt Phone eBike assist http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/7/the-copenhagen-wheel-smrt-phone-ebike-assist Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:44:01 -0500 anastas 7@/index.php?p=/discussions --> http://cyanatrendland.com/2009/12/18/th ... +Trendland)

--> http://www.youtube.com/v/S7y3qIQu3Gc&hl=en_US&fs=1&

Smart, responsive and elegant, the Copenhagen Wheel is a new emblem for urban mobility. It transforms ordinary bicycles quickly into hybrid e-bikes that also function as mobile sensing units. The Copenhagen Wheel allows you to capture the energy dissipated while cycling and braking and save it for when you need a bit of a boost. It also gives you maps pollution levels, traffic congestion, and road conditions in real-time..


Controlled through your smart phone, the Copenhagen Wheel becomes a natural extension of your everyday life. You can use your phone to unlock and lock your bike, change gears and select how much the motor assists you. As you cycle, the wheel’s sensing unit is also capturing your effort level and information about your surroundings, including road conditions, carbon monoxide, NOx, noise, ambient temperature and relative humidity. Access this data through your phone or the web and use it to plan healthier bike routes, to achieve your exercise goals or to meet up with friends on the go. You can also share your data with friends, or with your city – anonymously if you wish – thereby contributing to a fine-grained database of environmental information from which we can all benefit.]]> How to Not Get Hit by Cars http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/6/how-to-not-get-hit-by-cars Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:43:02 -0500 anastas 6@/index.php?p=/discussions This is an article that I came across through the Cycle Santa Monica Blogspot about how to avoid getting hit by cars. Take a look and ride safe!

--> http://bicyclesafe.com/ or
--> http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-Ten-Ways- ... id=1871655
--> http://www.coolbiking.com/blog/cycling/ ... on-a-bike/

1. The Right Cross

The right cross is the most common way to be hit or almost to be hit by a car while on a bicycle. It consists of a car pulling out of a side street, parking lot, or a driveway on the right and hitting a cyclist. There are two possible types of collisions here. Either the cyclist is in front of the car and the car hits the cyclist or the car pulls out in front of the cyclist and the cyclists hits the car. 

Ways to Avoid this Accident: a headlight so that cars see the bike and a horn that is loud and is used, a lot.

2. Door Prize

In a "door prize" accident, a car's driver opens the car door right in front of a cyclist. The cyclist runs into the door because he or she is unable to stop in time or swerve to avoid the door. This type of accident or collision is more common than one would think. It is actually the most common car-bike collision in Santa Barbara. 

Ways to Avoid this Accident: ride far to the left of parked cars. Riding far to the left of a parked car will prevent the doors from being close enough for this situation to be a problem. 

3. Crosswalk Slam 

In a crosswalk slam, a cyclist is riding on the sidewalk and crosses a street in a crosswalk and a car makes a turn right into the cyclist. This accident occurs because cars don't expect bikes in a crosswalk so cyclists must be extra careful to avoid this type of accident. This type of accident is so common that some studies show that sidewalk riding is twice as dangerous as riding on the road. Another study showed that sidewalk riding was more than twice as dangerous as riding. 

Ways to Avoid this Accident: Use a headlight, slow down, or don't use the sidewalk at all 


]]> Schwinn's New Line of Electric Bikes http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/5/schwinns-new-line-of-electric-bikes Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:39:09 -0500 anastas 5@/index.php?p=/discussions Check out this new line of Schwinn electric bikes that should be able to charge in about 20 minutes.
--> http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/10 ... _bikes.php

http://ebikenation.com/styles/maxthon/theme/images/quote.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(235, 234, 221); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(219, 219, 206); border-right-color: rgb(219, 219, 206); border-bottom-color: rgb(219, 219, 206); border-left-color: rgb(219, 219, 206); font-size: 0.95em; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; background-position: 6px 8px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Do not attempt to adjust your monitor, this is really a picture of an electric bike. Schwinn’s new electric bikes are probably the slickest and most smoothly integrated set of power-assisted velocipedes we’ve yet seen. Schwinn teamed up with Protanium Inc. to develop a whole series of rides in different configurations (the Streamline pictured above), all of which employ lithium polymer batteries and in-hub motors, both well concealed.

They claim their Plug’n Drive system delivers approx. 40 miles of range and charges fully in four hours. They also claim their batteries deliver full power until completely drained (rather than slowly dwindling). Total bike weight ranges from 40-45 lbs., the electric system alone weighs around ten, the battery is stashed on the cargo rack behind the seat, and electric components live inside the frame tubes. To read more about Schwinn’s 2007 electric bike line and other trends in the electric cycling, check out Forbes Bagatelle-Black’s great review of the North American Bike Show at EV World.

No word on price yet for the Schwinn’s, but they could be looking at a corner on the market. The company has offered electric bikes and scooters in the past, but the vast majority of motor-assisted bikes on the market come out looking freakish (like this electric bike from Aprilia or this electric bike from eZee). Beautiful as they may be to the more deeply appreciating ecological citizen, electric bikes won’t go big time until they can blend in the with rest of the pack.]]> Ultra Motors Light Electric Vehicle Hits US this Summer http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/4/ultra-motors-light-electric-vehicle-hits-us-this-summer Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:38:04 -0500 anastas 4@/index.php?p=/discussions --> http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/06/10/lig ... tra-motor/
Ultra Motors Light Electric Vehicle Hits US this Summer
by Kate Andrews


Following the success of Ultra Motor’s Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) in India and China, this eco and economical form of urban transport is set to go on sale in the U.S. this summer, and in Europe later this year. The 2008 electric bike, the “A2B”, offers the style of a bike with the power of an electric motor, offering ‘unassisted power’ for up to 20miles, with a top speed of 20mph/33kmph.



Priced at $2,200 and available through retailers across the states (incl. California, Ohio, New York and Texas), the A2B “comes with a tissue-box-sized removable lithium ion battery that can be charged in a normal electric outlet, just like a mobile phone.” In an article written for BusinessWeek (March 2008), Jennifer L. Schenker explained the relevant timing for the launch of Ultra Motor’s electric transport, noting ever-crowding cities and high oil prices making the market timing just right.

Not only is the A2B a great form of sustainable travel, but the six year old British company Ultra Motor have extended the design and are currently rolling out their concept for ‘LEV Cities’, “a new transportation system providing clean mobility to city dwellers, commuters and tourists alike.” Similar to the Vélib’ bicycle rental scheme in Paris, the LEV City is built on a network of charging stations and is incredibly simple to use; once registered as a LEV user, you find a charging station, dock your bike, swipe your card, charge the battery… and ride (there is a short animation, illustrating the concept on the Ultra Motor website).

Just last week, BusinessWeek reported that Stuttgart have signed up with the British company, to make LEV’s available for rent throughout the German city: “LEV parking spots, which will be connected to the electricity grid in Stuttgart and double as charging stations, will be sprinkled every 150-200 meters throughout the city. The plan is to have 1,200 LEVs available for rent at 250 stations in a first phase, and 10 times that many in a second phase, says Ultra Motor Chief Executive Joe Bowman. Launch is expected in about 10 months.”

What a refreshingly simple and sustainable concept! Maybe we are looking at the future of inner city travel.

+ Ultra Motors
+ BusinessWeek (June 2008). Urban Eco-Transport to Hit the Street.
+ BusinessWeek (March 2008). Revolutionizing Urban Transport.]]> Bike-sharing services roll into the U.S. http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/3/bike-sharing-services-roll-into-the-u.s. Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:36:14 -0500 anastas 3@/index.php?p=/discussions I just came across this article about bike sharing program in Washington DC.

image

http://ebikenation.com/styles/maxthon/theme/images/quote.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(235, 234, 221); border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(219, 219, 206); border-right-color: rgb(219, 219, 206); border-bottom-color: rgb(219, 219, 206); border-left-color: rgb(219, 219, 206); font-size: 0.95em; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; background-position: 6px 8px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">City commuters weary of stuffy journeys aboard buses and subways now have a better way to get to work, buy groceries and meet for a Saturday matinee. The bike-sharing programs that have transformed Europeans into two-wheeled travelers are now en route to the U.S.

Clear Channel Outdoor, an outdoor advertising company, will launch the country’s first bike-share service in Washington, D.C., in mid-May in partnership with the district’s Department of Transportation. SmartBike DC will initially offer annual subscribers access to 100 bikes at 10 stations in the city’s central business district. Other cities, including San Francisco and Chicago, are eager to follow suit.

Read More here .... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23869261/]]> Ciclavia Los Angeles! - March 1st 2011 http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/2/ciclavia-los-angeles-march-1st-2011 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:12:57 -0500 anastas 2@/index.php?p=/discussions Who's coming to the next Ciclavia event! We went to the first one on 10/10/10 and it was pretty fun. Take a look at the wrap-up photos on their website.

Expanding CicLAvia into Boyle Heights 
and East Los Angeles, Community Dialogue
Tuesday March 1st 2011
5:30pm-7:30pm  All welcome!

]]> Green Wheel - 3 in 1 wireless electric bicycle hub motor http://www.ebikenation.com/index.php?p=/discussion/1/green-wheel-3-in-1-wireless-electric-bicycle-hub-motor Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:10:33 -0500 anastas 1@/index.php?p=/discussions

February 24, 2009 A fully self contained bicycle hub motor known as the GreenWheel has been developed by students at MIT that contains the motor, batteries and motor controller all within the hub enclosure. Very similar in concept to the E+ we reported on earlier this week (which we have been informed by a reader is a reincarnation of a Wavecrest Electric bike), but taken one step further by combining the batteries together with the motor in a single hub instead of putting the batteries in the front hub and motor/controller in the rear hub as on the E+.

The only external part of the GreenWheel system is the handlebar-mounted throttle that is connected wirelessly to the electric motor in the wheel, so absolutely now external wiring is required along the bike frame. The hub motor is spoked into a standard bicycle wheel and is powered by Lithium ion Nanophosphate batteries supplied by another MIT firm A123 Systems.

The potential advantage of this enclosed system is that if you want to give your bike an electric boost, you only need to change the wheel, not purchase a whole new steed.

No details on motor power output or battery capacity have been made available but range is expected to be an estimated 25 miles (40 km). Pedaling the bike doubles the range under electric power provided the rider isn't traveling at the nearly top speed of 30 miles an hour (48 kmh). The bike can be charged by pedaling or by plugging it into the electric grid. A123 batteries can be fully charged in only 10-15 mins.

Both front, rear or both wheels on any bicycle can be powered with a GreenWheel and the team estimates its range at 40,000 miles (64,000 km), or about eight years work of travel at an estimated 20 miles (32 km) per business day.

Paul Evans

Via Treehugger via Discovery Channel.

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