2 place velomobile

At last it runs!

- - inside the workshop, but at least it moves. I finally took the motor into e-ride, the young tech there (Peter?) fixed a hall sensor problem - one leg wasn't insulated and was shorting. Maybe tomorrow I will hook up a brake and re-do the pedal setup to be workable. The two minimum items I need to get it on the road.

The Fantom and the Leitra together. The parts are so itemized for the Leitra I can't say for sure how much it cost. Of those over 100,000 copies of the drawings for the Fantom, few were ever completed because, as with so many "Plans" you buy, it doesn't really tell you how to build it. Many of those that were finished bear little resemblance to the drawings.



http://www.westsystem.com/ss/wood-epoxy-longevity/

If you go to a boat shop, you can find West System epoxy to put a finish on your wood. You get the 105, I'd go with the slow hardener but you can take the faster one if you like. You can use the straight epoxy 2:1 with the hardener. The straight epoxy will have that glossy finish. Ask for a UV additive. I was thinking of suggesting the hotcoat, but maybe I'd be getting you into more than you're ready for. If you use the clear epoxy you can put a photo, etc. on the wood and you'll see it right through. "Tubesteak Tracy," upon whom "The Kahuna" of 'Gidget' was based, got his nickname from resining his surfboard with a napkin from the beachside fast food outlet offering "Tubes, Steaks. . . ." It's best to print out whatever you want to put on there on ricepaper, or something light. Any little pattern you put on the wood will show through.

http://www.amazon.com/Yasutomo-Kozo-Paper-Sketch-Sheets/dp/B000AMQFRK

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/

You can do the hotcoat instead with the polyester (Fiberglas resin from Pep Boys, etc.) for greater reliability, you normally use just 1-2% hardener but with acetone I'm told to go 3%. Mix a little acetone in the resin BEFORE adding the hardener, up to a 1:1 ratio. Polyester is rather forgiving, it's easier to do this with it than with epoxy. You can get a woodlike surface. Or you can use the regular polyester without acetone and 1-2% hardener. It'll give the same glossy finish as the epoxy and it'll be cheaper. You'll also want the UV protectant to mix in.

Oh, if you really did use 1/8" plywood, I'd suggest picking up some 6 ounce per yard to 10 ounce per yard fiberglas to put on there. The fiberglas is clear when the polyester or epoxy is applied, you'll see the wood. You can even fit some pieces of corrogated cardboard inside using the resin as glue and putting fiberglas over it, this will really strengthen the hull without adding much weight. Literally with a light core of some sort you might add 7% of the weight but make it 3-5 times stronger. 6 ounce per yard means that it weighs 6 ounces per 3' x 3' square, the proper amount of resin would be 1.5 times that weight, so literally if your surface is one square yard you add about a pound this way.

If you want to color it you can do it by mixing the paint into---- well, maybe I shouldn't start a rookie off on too much. Although maybe just a gel coat (Polyester) or facecoat (Epoxy) after wouldn't be so hard. Either way will cover anything you had on there before the resin.

AND DO TEST PANELS BEFORE YOU DO THIS TO YOUR REAL BIKE! Make sure you can make it work before you risk the finished product.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/projects/

You don't even have to use plywood, you can buy the 1/2" EPS foam (White coffee cup material) from the lumber section of the hardware store in 4' x 8' sheets same as plywood, then glass it as I said, except either 2-3 layers of 6 ounce or 1-2 layers of 10 ounce on the outside and maybe just 1-2 layers of 6 or 1 of 10 inside. Epoxy only, don't use polyester, EPS will melt. It's good to put some sealer on EPS to keep it from soaking up your resin, maybe straight latex paint or mix a little plaster in to thicken it. If you sand it smooth it's easier to create a flat smooth finish. I suspect even though it would be lighter than the plywood car it would be stronger.

You can cut EPS with a razor blade, coping saw, bandsaw, but the best is with a hot wire. Tells how to make one here:

http://www2.swaylocks.com/node/1019361

Once you're good at that, you can learn to make surfboards.

http://boardcad.org/index.php/Main_Page

http://switchvehicles.com/

1JohnFoster said:

Thanks for the reference point Lowracer,

Quest is the best. Will probably go 3 times faster than mine, even without electric assist! Too bad they don't sell those Q2's yet. Also too bad it will cost $15k when they do.

John

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$8K Canadian. http://www.velomobilepro.com/content-product_info/product_id-1857/quest_velomobile.html

Hi jmygann,

The Switch is interesting, but lacks both pedals, and a body. I'd have to get parking, insurance, somehow get the thing registered & licenced.... I really prefer my e-car as an e-bike.

salty9,

No, $8K only gets you a one person Quest with no electric assist. I was talking about the "Duo-Quest" two person Quest prototype, which they are not offering for sale.

For a few hundred dollars invested so far, mostly in epoxy resin, I don't think I'm doing too badly.

- John

i think you are doing great .... one of only 2 sociable tadpole trikes I know of

http://www.plastemart.com/Plastic-Technical-Article.asp?LiteratureID=1774&Paper=lightweight-vehicles-with-polyurethane-composites

It's out of the workshop!

And into the parkade. I just have to put the wheels & suspension back on now. Had a scare for a while as the gunnels wouldn't fit through an outer door, but I found an angle where I could squeeze it through. Planning to get it down to VEVA's Electrafest EV show downtown Vancouver this Saturday.

Did make it out to the REV!, er, Electrafest show! Also down to the mini Maker Faire at the Vancouver PNE. I drove it 10km round trip, no big problems.

First bump I hit, heard a crack, and the steering went wonky. Oh dear! Too far from home to return! The wooden brace on the inside of the car that holds the top of the strut cracked off from the plywood. No biggie, I thought that might happen. Found a plastic shelf in a dumpster near by and wedged it back into place.

One of the highlights of the Maker Faire, at least for my friends, was my parked velocar suddenly peeling out and tearing across the room all by itself. Luckily it didn't hit anyone. It stopped when it rammed a table, a bit of a crack, no biggie. Guess I probably forgot to turn off the breaker off when I parked it, and maybe someone was wondering what that little lever on the steering wheel was.

The highlight for me was driving with a friend + a borrowed child in the rumble seat for a drive around the Maker Fair yard. It made it up a reasonably steep ramp, and around in a few circles no problem. So it seems to have enough power & strength for the design payload of two small adults & a child. The body flexes just a bit, but doesn't affect the "handling". Lots of people climbing in & out didn't break the floor. Kids climbing all over it didn't break the door nor the rumble seat. I took lots of pictures with other people's cameras but forgot to take any for myself. Lots of positive feedback on the appearance & concept. Odd though, I think people got as much of a kick out of the antique horn as much all my work on the rest of the design! Other strange thing was that everyone who read my bogus history about it being an actual historic vehicle believed it, so I had to take down that sign.

I don't notice much of a problem with bump steer, but the shocks aren't really operating - one has seals gone, so I put tubing on both shocks + just a bit of foam to take the edge off the hits. The rear suspension works fine, and it is pretty stable side-side. Not noisy at all, I was worried that being monocoque the body would be booming out road noise. The open body probably helps a lot, as does foam & fabric seat covers. Plenty of power.

It has a name now, it's a '12 (1912? 2012?) "Fauchet" Velocar. (Get it? Faux - Mochet / Foster - Mochet And it's own email address. No website yet.

-John

It does 60kph. I find 60kph a thrill with my arm hanging out over a 3/4" gunnel. If the suspension failed I don't think I would have time to react. If I'm fast enough I can duck my head under the dash, to try to prevent a rash, but there's a 70lb lump of lead down there that could squish me if we rolls.

It handles nicely, both slowly and at speed. Very long turning radius though. Not as bad as a car, but takes getting used to when if you are thinking bicycle mode. Also it doesn't fit easily into car nor bicycle road placement. I almost always take the lane (city driving), but am a little lower than a bike, and I don't have the option of fitting between two lanes if a car wanders into my lane. I feel curiously more vulnerable in the Fauchet than I do on a bicycle.

Jymgann, maybe I can design my rain protection into something that transforms into a vertical axis wind machine

I did hope to put together a set of plans at some time, inspired by Atomic Zombie's beautiful works, and the original Fantom plans.
This is all I have up now: http://fauchet.tripod.com/home.html If anyone wants it, I can send photos of parts with the dim's on them (I don't have any cad), you can roll your own plans, offer for sale, improve it or whatever.


Three teenagers climbed in at the mini-maker faire. Apparently they are mini-makers, and intend to build something similar, hope to see them next year!

John

Was thinking of something a little lower for two with bobsled style seatIng and pod/slipper style body. Any velo is real cool. I really like the swept back paint job.8)

a little lower for two with bobsled style seatIng and pod/slipper style body.

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Sounds like fun. I made a hovercraft with bobsled style seating, it was a nice feeling with that special somebody behind. Would be hard to figure out how to get the second person pedaling.
"Pod/slipper" style body sounds cool, but I have no idea what you mean.

Like the bobsled ride at Disneyland.

Nice tadpole John!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Velomobile-Three-Seat-Electric-Car/?ALLSTEPS