Call to all Australian e-bike enthusiasts!

[mingonn]

That's great that there are moves afoot to deal with ebikes, the only bummer is that 'Throttles' look like they are out

I reckon that is to keep other road users happy, I get some pretty greasy looks from cyclists when they work out why I am not pedaling and they are :lol:

Hopefully that will just be a controller mod, my new crazy man controll came with a chain ring sensor that I think should do the job if it comes to that.

Derek

 

[Freddyflatfoot]

Ok, the law states power output at the motor is supposed to be 200w max.
The rules state that there should be a label on the motor that says what the voltage and power output is. For instance my (recently sold) Oatley motor stated it has a max output of 250w at 24v. My Bafang motor has a label that says it is rated at 200w at 24v.
In actual fact, neither motor is technically running at those figures!
My newer hub motor has a label that says its rated at 200w (sic) at 36v.
For instance, the Oatley came std with a 15A controller, so thats 24 x 15 = 360 watt draw. At 80% eff, thats 288 watts at the motor! Increase that to 20A, and you have a motor capable of 384 watts, and thats a nominal 250 watt motor!
If you work out the same figures for my Bafang running at 36v and 15A controller, you'll see that it is putting out a healthy amount of assist!
But, it has a label that states that it is rated at 200w!
If I were checked by a cop, that would be the only thing he can refer to as to the power output of the motor, and as it says 200w, than I am 'legal'.
I would actually doubt that there are any systems out there that are 'legal'. I suspect that a lot of manufacturers/suppliers are quoting a nominal output as the max output, to circumvent the Oz law.
IMO, especially as a cop, and please, my opinion, NOT advice, is that if you have a reasonable motor output, ride/behave sensibly, then the chances of ever being convicted of using an overpowered e-bike are extremely small. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. E-bikes have the advantage of being very stealth, especially small hub motors! Most people wouldn't even know that there a motor on the bike!
If you don't give yourself a reason to be stopped by the local constabulary, then you are probably worrying for nothing.
I think the people who should be concerned, are those riding the ICE powered versions, as they are generally all overpowered, and bring attention to themselves due to the noise output. The other group are those riding the scooter type of bikes, as they are designed to be an electric scooter first, and a bike second! And they don't look like a push bike.
So keep it quiet, keep it stealth, obey the law, wear your helmet, make sure your motor is labeled, and you should be ok.
If you really, really want to stick to a legal 200w, then thats up to you. I would be looking for a BB drive for that kind of power output, and quite probably PAS. You couldn't rely on that sort of power to give your legs a rest, and coast on the motor for a bit.

 

[zog]

Well you could get a legal e bike that can hit 102 km/h thats subject to the same road rules (vectrix)!

But yes the rules governing unlicensed lower power bikes have a very fuzzy border.. they are basicly crap it seems - since neither the police, vicroads or bike sellers can agree. Getting something that looks like a pushbike on cursory examination and wearing the legal safety gear no doubt will help in real life.

edit: while I was typing this in (very slowly!) Freddyflatfoot stated what I was saying much more clearly and cohesively.

In some ways the NSW ruling re: scooters is good 'cos it at least clears the air.

 

[tailwind]

The Australian Bicycle Council has a current project to look at increasing the power output of Power Assisted Bicycles to 300 watts.
The next meeting of the ABC is in August 2008.

http://www.austroads.com.au/abc/index.php?type=main&id=8

There was nothing mentioned about this project in their April 2008 report.

I think these would be the people to contact if we want to influence the decision.

The contact from the Cyclist user groups is a nominee of the Bicycle Federation of Australia.
Currently this is Warren Salomon.
http://www.austroads.com.au/documents/ABC_Member_Contact_List_April_08.doc

Greg

 

[mingonn]

I was quite happy with my 200w (at the battery) limited setup, it didn't pull hard but would still get up to 28-30 km/h on the flat in no wind conditions. Made hills easy to pedal up.

I am even happier now with 200w at the motor, I assumed a system loss of 25% (20% motor, 5% controller and wiring) and bumped up my shunt limited max current to 5.3 amps at 50v. Pulls alot harder, hills are alot easier to pedal up and speed is better.

My 2kg 48v 4ah, v2 Ping pack is plenty for my 12 km ride in and would probably get be back without a charge but I have been charging up at work.

I am expecting even better hill climbing and acceleration out of my Dahon/Bafang conversion expecially with the 100psi Stelvios I will be running and my 1kg 44.4v 3.8ah LIPO pack.

From what I recall Force = Mass x Acceleration, if you assume an all up weight of 100kg (bike and rider) then for every 1kg you drop your acceleration/hill climbing improves by 1%

 

[Mike]

Everyone talking about 15 A controllers and 24 V times 15 A = 360 W and therefore it's not 200 W...

If you are looking at the labelling on the controller box and seeing "15Amps", that is what the unit is rated to handle... obviously it is not indicative of the power or current output from the controller, because that output is variable; that's what the controller does. It just means that the current draw, from the device that the controller feeds power to, can not be more than 15 A; the circuitry is not rated to handle any more than that.

 

[Freddyflatfoot]

Actually Mike, you are only half right. Yes, 360 watts is what is being inputed to the motor. You also need to factor in the motor efficiency for the output. After all it is the output of the motor that would determine whether or not it is legal!The equation is V x A X eff = output.
I usually use 80% eff for my calcs, so,
24V x 15A x 80%eff = 288 watts output. (Still over!)
Hope that helps!

 

[mickk]

We live in the most over governed, regulated country on earth.

Theres no way they will ever increase the 200w limit, its more likely to be reduced than upped.

You can thank the fun police, whingers in cars who do nothing but moan that bikes pay no registration and ignorant loud mouths, bitter about not having the guts or energy to extract their big fat carcases from their cars. You know the type. They drive the 50 metres to the shop, cut you off at the corner and then attempt to park inside the shop to lessen the walking.

The papers and radio are full of people dirty on bicycles of any form. Motorists anger at speed cameras, speeding fines and gridlock is vented toward cyclists. They are just jealous but there is enough of them to dominate the debate.

Government would love us to be registered, lots of revenue, however it is impossible and impractical to judge if a bike is over 200w. Ok if youre a kid doing 60 with a chainsaw motor strapped on the back, youre gunna get caught. But if you are silent and older and minding your own business, its only a bored copper or one of those vindictive ( I failed the Police exam) RTA types that would be interested in you.

The same morons want bikes registered, same reasons, just dirty on the world.

So ride with 1000w if you can, just put a 200w sticker on it and dont get caught doing 60 without pedalling.