Owner | Ellis Madsen |
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Owner's Other EVs | LowTrike Hybrid Powered bicycle |
Location | Louisville, Kentucky United States map |
Vehicle | 2008 Brico v2.0 parts of 3 bicycles and one stationary bike obtained off the street on neighborhood "junk" day |
Motor | Currie 300W 24V Brushless DC |
Drivetrain | two chains: #25 and bicycle, each having a hand-made tensioner and reduction gears necessary to get the proper speed. |
Controller | Currie internal Hall effect I make a "thumb nub" controller on a 5KOhm pot. |
Batteries | 2 Werker WK12-18NB, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, AGM from BatterySpace.com |
System Voltage | 24 Volts |
Charger | I use either a 12V 3A smart charger from 120VAC or charge from the a 10W portable solar array that I made. |
Heater | a heavy coat |
Instrumentation | I made a "fuel gauge" from the LED circuit of a surplus German automotive battery charger. |
Top Speed | 9 MPH (14 KPH) estimated. For me, a 300W motor is the top of the fun/safety curve. Some greater acceleration might be nice, but usually it's not needed. Anyway, the lower the power drain, the longer the battery life, generally speaking. |
Acceleration | Fair. I accelerate slowly to preserve the chains, which I'm sure angers motorists behind me, but my overall progress on the stop-light controlled streets in no less than car traffic. I take the less travelled back streets anyway. |
Range | 7 Miles (11 Kilometers) estimated at 50% discharge |
Watt Hours/Mile | 300W/24V = 12.5A |
Seating Capacity | 1 adult |
Curb Weight | 57 Pounds (25 Kilograms) without batteries which add 25 lbs. |
Tires | bicycle tube-type |
Conversion Time | 4 months |
Conversion Cost | US$225. |
Additional Features | rear-view mirror, head light, cargo rack, 5 LED hand-made break light, cut off switch, master switch and a security extension made of a German 220V plug/socket. |
This is my e-moped. I made it using only a hand power drill and a manual hack saw. I made it with a low CG and low step-over because I'm old and arthritic. It has a back rest that I originally put on for comfort, but have since found out that it acilitate the use of "Fred Flintstone" brakes. I didn't want to buy and fit disk brakes but was concerned that I'd be able to decelerate fast enough. In fact the "Flintstones" work really well and also stabilize the stop very nicely. (A cardinal rule for any vehicle should be that you should never go faster than you can reasonably stop.) Yaba Daba Doo! |