Charging a zombiepocalypse e-bike

[kiltedcelt]

So, it's the zombiepocalypse or other more realistic disaster scenario. You're bugging out with your e-bike loaded down with food and survival supplies, maybe towing a trailer and the power grid is unreliable or simply not functioning. It seems like solar or wind power is the only way you're going to be able to recharge your batteries, but is there ANY kind of bike-portable system that can actually recharge a decent LiFePo4 battery without needing something like 18 hours of daylight, or more than a couple days of sun exposure to effectively charge up the system? This also would apply to anyone who maybe wants to try touring with an e-bike and who won't always have available power to plug into for a recharge.

 

[amberwolf]

I think you're looking for the "solar charging an ebike" thread, and the other various similar threads about this stuff.

 

[Sunder]

The problem is, there are few things in nature that have a high energy differential that you could take advantage of easily with little to no technology. So it's pretty much out.

You can't rely on getting fossil fuels in a zombiepocalypse, so there goes generators.

Fuel cells need fuel of some sort as well, and anything that will charge more than a cell phone will not be easily portable.

Renewables tend to collect low energy differentials over a long period of time - wind, water, solar.

Combustibles have no efficient conversion method, so while you can burn stuff, and maybe have a thermo electric converter, you'll not be able to do it efficiently enough to charge an ebike.

That really leaves a dynamo, powered by humans or animals. Hey - I got it, put regen on and pedal! Oh wait, if that was the case, you might as well just have a normal bike.

Sorry mate, there's no such thing as a free lunch, or a free charge.

 

[dogman dan]

Actually, you could do a wood gas generator, then run an engine on that. This could sound confusing, the wood gas generator generates combustible gasses. then you run your generator on that gas. Lots of this was done in Europe during WW II to run a car or truck.

The real problem with this in a true apocalypse, is an electricity producing device would be valuable = some a hole takes it from you.

Solar, it's plausible to carry up to about 200w of the latest lightweight flexible panels. But Humongous and his pack of motorcycle riders will catch up with you riding along at 200w of power. Hell, the kid with the boomerang could catch you on foot. And take it from you.

Zombies on the other hand, you'd be able to out run them.

Maybe the best approach in a real apocalypse, would be to dress like Jesus and trudge around dragging this humongous cross. Hidden in the cross, all kinds of goodies. Water purifiers, foldable solar panels, water, food, hunting gun and ammo.

 

[mountain biker]

nice idea here i like it.....i wish there were more threads like this on this things......
the people above mentioned solar powered charging e bike thread....
gensun charge controller or bioenno charge controller.....
maybe 40 to 60 watts of panel over bike rack.....24 volt amazon panels or string 12 volt panels etc....
also check out a thread called wood stove for bike.....
gasification system- sounds nice. nothing commercially viable. but this does make the most sense because you could use any biomass....sticks,garbage,zombie arms...etc.. auxillary heat could be used for cooking boiling water. now this will generate alot of heat.so be careful.....

commercially viable
http://americanpowerinc.com/DC%20Gen.htm.

so for like a grand you coould get a 24 48 or 36 volt charging gas enggine to charge a bike battery...must make sure your bike battery can receive charge and discharge at same time..
or run it through your charge controller...bike load goes on output load and dc charger primarly spenbt on bike motor while driving and a little charging...
however the dc charger gas one is like a grand has 9 horse power enginge...probably weighs 100 pounds...
solar panels 24 volt battery 20ah battery lets say....480 watt hours....solar panel 40 watts... let say you get half that 20 watts...lets say you lose 10 percent for charge controller and battery inefficiency or rainy day etc.....so 18 watts of power per hour into 480 would like 25 hours....roughly....
12 hours sunny days....
aleko makes solar panels for garage door opener and street lamps...they are bike size and relativly affordable but 60 watt 24 volt panel 70 bucks but weighs in at 20 pounds...this is doable but still means full day of arizona middle of july sun. bioneo charge controller or genasun charge controller....they are one of the few that i have seen online and actually have a call center where you can ask them questions. oh and chargelifepo4 battery.....they do make custom voltatges too ie 36 volt...
bieono power is more affordable but is pmw charging(sorry they released mppt charger last month) and genasun is mppt and buckboost mppt style....
the above poster probably mentioned the most important obstacle to charging a bike during a zombie appocalse....when SHTF time.... some one will probably kill you for your bike. it sounds like thats almost already happening in larger cities in america today.
so if were are theorizing here....

you need mirrors so you can see all your surroundings..you will need amazon/ebay motion alarms..smoke alarms activated by motion not smoke..you need to mount some sort of gun pistol to your handle barse both front and back. prefarably have them able to be taken off,,,prefarably by you....some sort of mechannism to fire while driving...also you will need some sort of gun strap on you so you can start firing...you know a judge taurus with 410 shot gun rounds on front and back would be cool.......but i am assuming something like a 22long rifle with 64 plus round clips would be more realistic and you carry the judge as an auxiallry weapon in replacement of your water bottle and maybe some short stock sks style pistol/rifle strapped around your chest. keep in mind that you must be able to carry all your weapons on you if you get off that bike. don't leave them on there....

also motion detectors demountable on bike to surround a permitter around bike either pointing toward bike if you are away from bike...or pointing outward if you are camping out...better to drive off and lose a motion sensor than have your brains eaten by a zombie......enjoy

 

[Drunkskunk]

If the Zombie apocalypses happens, and/or society collapses, the last thing you are going to want is something that draws any attention to your self. Zombies are bad enough, but the real threat would be from other survivors who place their own survival above yours.

A friend once posed the question "If your child need insulin, and your neighbor had the last dose on the planet. The neighbor needs it so their child can survive one more day. But your child won't survive one more day without it. what would you be willing to do to get that last dose?"
It won't take long after the zombie hoard shows up before survivors start looking at other people thinking "what do they have that could increase my chance of survival, and is it worth the risk to try and take?"

So anything that is visible from out side the ring of bushes you're hiding in, or anything that is audible is out. that eliminates portable wind turbans, gas generators, steam generators, or just about any thing else.

Whats left is solar. Solar panels can be laid flat, so hidden on top of things easy enough. they make no sound, they produce no smoke, they can be disguised as bed rolls or general trash when not in use.

But I question the wisdom of relying on an electric bike for transport, unless you can tie in to a defended base. My plans for a post apocalyptic vehicle would be a diesel powered motorbike. You can run a diesel on anything from 30 year old tractor fuel to the drippings from BBQed cat. There should be plenty of oils in rendered zombie, so you would have a constant source fuel and a good way of disposal.

 

[MrDude_1]

But I question the wisdom of relying on an electric bike for transport, unless you can tie in to a defended base. My plans for a post apocalyptic vehicle would be a diesel powered motorbike. You can run a diesel on anything from 30 year old tractor fuel to the drippings from BBQed cat. There should be plenty of oils in rendered zombie, so you would have a constant source fuel and a good way of disposal.

I like the way you think.
The military does buy modified Kawasaki KLRs that have been converted to diesel. They're pretty awesome. Slow, but will run on zombie fat, provided you add a line-warmer...

 

[Willow]

a generator based on a Sterling Engine design would be the go...

 

[Sunder]

On a completely different take, in Australia, it'd be pretty easy. 200km will bring you to some pretty isolated areas, where zombies, having no intelligence to use vehicles, wouldn't be able to easily reach. So half a tank of fuel will get you out of immediate danger.

Find a spot near a river, fish, hunt, wait a few months until the Zombies eventually eat everything, then decay to meaninglessness, and then go back and take any medicines and tech that you need, and live the rest of your life semi-off the land. So a few weeks of food to get you set up, and a few months of medicals or anything else you might need, will get you through from that point of view.

In all seriousness, after all the recent talk about dirty bombs and terrorist attacks, I thought about doing up a "bug out" plan. My parents have a holiday home on 55 acres about 90 minutes from Sydney. Was thinking of stocking it for a bug out location. Food, water and the capability to make more, as well as a few months supply of medication we need, and basic first aid stuff.

 

[spinningmagnets]

I know this is a little "tongue in cheek" but...still a useful discussion. I vote for a hybrid bicycle. Silent electric power when you need stealth, liquid fuel when you need range, power, and to charge the battery back up.

Biodiesel is better for DIY, than converting gasoline engine to using home-brew alcohol...

 

[John in CR]

You have to start with how much energy you need per day, or at least how far you need to travel daily. If the SHTF then being out like you're on a bike tour is the last thing you want to do, since you're so exposed and a weapon as simple as a stick could take you down. With a defended home base a high power go anywhere ebike would be great for quick and silent ventures out as long as you have good enough visibility and space to be able to ride. You'd be surprised how little in the way of solar power you could get away with.

Guard it well and use it sparingly early on, because when it would really pay off is in a year or two when the gas is gone along with much of the population. If it was like the movies, then riding unfettered in London during daylight hours just 28 days in would be awesome though you could do a lot better with solar in other locations.

Regarding flexible panels, I'd only consider thin film type if I actually needed flexible. The thin portable panels made with high efficiency cells and claimed to be flexible aren't something you want flexing back and forth, because the solar cells will rapidly disintegrate. Keep them flat for best output, or bend them in a shallow arc just once and attach to a rigid structure.

 

[mountain biker]

Rough call.....we got bio diesel Kawasaki. ..sterling..,..solar...and gasification. .....hate to add weight but zombie or not I would lug 20 pound hail proof panels etc at 60 watts. Gear the bike for 2.5 but no higher.mid drive of course.(20 per cent reduction on first) ....stick three way switch in one for.ac charging. .small gas generator. ....two for external solar panel larger panel set..stationary. ..3 bread and.butter on board 60 watt solar.,...
Now this sterling engine.......I like it ...can't find anything past 20 watts of claimed mechanical power...anything.bigger? However 20 watts.....24 hours is 480watts.....so I like it......

 

[Willow]

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[MadRhino]

Back to pedals if you really want to ride a bike after a major disaster. I would probably park the bikes with my gassers to rot in a shed, and ride the horses for a while. Sure move away from the cities, probably build a discreet shack by a lake in a remote area. :wink:

 

[dogman dan]

There you go. Carry your gun, and go get somebodies horse. Assuming the horses survived the pocalypse.

Fun to speculate. My very first life memory is the family telling me the world could end this week. Cuban Missile Crisis. Hmmm, that got my attention. By 14, I knew how to hunt and fish, and identify edible plants. But I never solved how I would get away from the crater made when they nuked White Sands Missile test facility. To make it, you need to be where the pocalypse didn't happen. Like Harry Belafonte coming out of the mine.

Not like you usually get a few days warning the pocalypse is coming. But supposing you didn't end up a piece of glass, stealth would be the paramount thing as you travel to a place you could survive as a hunter gatherer.

Riding at night for a start, then hunkering down in camouflage all day. Foldable solar panel could charge your battery while you wait for dark, and no moon.

 

[izeman]

Zombies on the other hand, you'd be able to out run them.

i would agree if i only watched "the walking dead" or similar, but according to "world war z" you're busted. they fast as hell ...
you would need docbas's dual drive bike to run from them. and you could do this for a quarter mile only. damn... better save the last bullet for yourself.
but back on topic: energy density of the sun depending on where on the planet you are, depending on season of the year, multiplied with the panel efficiency and multiplied with the chargers efficiency would mean BIG panels for any reasonable charge time.

 

[izeman]

To make it, you need to be where the pocalypse didn't happen. Like Harry Belafonte coming out of the mine

and the problem with a zombiepocalypse which by itself would for sure be a REAL FUN thing, is not the zombies itself. they are slow, they are dumb, they can be fooled and tricked easily. the real problem is man-made. what will happen to 100s of nuclear power plants once the diesel engines for cooling stop? booooom. nuclear waste everywhere. and nowhere to hide from that.
i really like the walking dead tv series, but as everyone else i can't stop wonder how stupid those characters behave sometime. let them come one by one. hit the in the head, they will pile up and the entrance is blocked. they won't run down a brick wall. what to they do? let them all in and wait to be run over by them without any way left to move?!

 

[Cephalotus]

Maybe a "bike" that runs on gasoline like the Motoped?

https://motoped.com/survival/

Add a lightweight DD motor (BionX SL?) in the rear wheel and make it a hybrid bike with regenerative braking and a silent mode and double power on steep hills. You will also get electricity for other devices and you could sumplemt your fuel with some solar power...

Or wait for something like that to recharge your e-bike:

http://www.ezelleron.eu/en/eZell2.html

At 250W you get 3000Wh per day.

You need to refill propane / butane but you could build some caches for them along the road, kept dry propane / butane canisters store for a very long time...

A 3rd idea would be a solar trailer. sadly this one will not work at our winters:

http://www.tour-de-sahara.com/

4th option: Steal electricity from car batteries or large solar arrays on your way with a quick charger that can handle various input sources...

5th option: Build a battery that is good enough for 1 day and recharge with a generator once a day.

6th option: Just run a bicycle. If you need more power for short escapes maybe run a BionX bicycle and use just as much energy as you could generate from regen (or solar power) and keep your small battery well charged for those escape bursts...

7th: add a boat to your bike. Zombies don't like swimming

http://www.bikerafting.com/

 

[John in CR]

...a zombiepocalypse which by itself would for sure be a REAL FUN thing, is not the zombies itself. they are slow, they are dumb, they can be fooled and tricked easily...

World War Z, 28 Days Later, or even the little girl at the beginning of Dawn of the Dead, will make you re-evaluate your position on zombies.

Now if you want to talk about 6 months to a year later when most of the world's population is gone along with the stench of rotting corpses, then that's when it gets fun. No traffic, no police, and no trucks to bust up the roads would be ebiker heaven.

 

[Dauntless]

During an apocalypse, hungry people eat horses.

But you know what would REALLY come in handy at a time like this: OVERUNITY! If we can have zombies in this disaster, we can have overunity.

The nice thing about a stirling engine is you can just whip up a dingfutser from junk right in the middle of your crisis---Assuming you still have junk at that point. Ranks up there with the gassifier as turning practical suddenly.

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[dogman dan]

Nah, fast zombies are by definition not zombies. Zombies are dead, and therefore not too perky. Fire the writers of world war Z.

But other apocalplyses, you'd need the last of the V eights. Or a nice gyrocopter.

 

[mountain biker]

i remember on the matrix movie the machines would use the humans are electricity. you and me are probably around 40 volts. hence any shock over 44 volts really starts to effecting vital functions of your body. bio electric......creepy but hey... i wonder what these zombies are running at..... very little research is published on using animals or humans. however there is some stuff out there using plants now. i believe star trek used plant bioelectric for shields, but it was the year 2400 i believe.

 

[Sunder]

Would I be too ironic if I now yelled: