Electric X project - Petrol enhanced battery-electric bike.

[jonathan75]

I'd be very interested in buying one of these from you! I got into ebikes partly as a way of exploring Europe with the serenity and quiet, slowness and ability to access bicycle only areas which ebikes enable, then discovered the state of my knees meant range is a dealbreaker.

 

[LockH]

No word yet how much poisonous gases it exhausts. Tried sticking your nose up the exhaust pipe maybe? How long before you lose consciousness? (Just curious!)

 

[cj7hawk]

No word yet how much poisonous gases it exhausts. Tried sticking your nose up the exhaust pipe maybe? How long before you lose consciousness? (Just curious!)

Hi LockH.

Thank you for your trolling. Have a nice day.

 

[LockH]

No word yet how much poisonous gases it exhausts. Tried sticking your nose up the exhaust pipe maybe? How long before you lose consciousness? (Just curious!)

Hi LockH.

Thank you for your trolling. Have a nice day.

HAHA. (twit)

 

[cj7hawk]

I'd be very interested in buying one of these from you! I got into ebikes partly as a way of exploring Europe with the serenity and quiet, slowness and ability to access bicycle only areas which ebikes enable, then discovered the state of my knees meant range is a dealbreaker.

My knees are the reason I began this project. That and finding a very poorly petrol bicycle being discarded which got me interested in powered bicycles, and in how much of an improvement I could make over the cheap 2-stroke models that are fairly ubiquitous.

My knees don't cope well with normal riding, but I do go well with the power assist and the combination of petrol and electric helps me enormously.

Anyway, I'll PM you when I get home - I'm still at the testing phase of the project, but have progressed far enough that the project can be replicated at this point - so if you're interested in making one I'd be happy to share information - Mostly it's just a matter of ordering the parts ( it's all common off-the-shelf parts or 3D printed components, except for the small control circuit board ) and assembling them.

Mostly likely, I'll open-source and CC license the entire project so anyone can make them, and build their own spares as well.

I have some update pictures to put up later today too. I measured the final prototype Gen today - 1.85kg ! Very light - That's everything which bolts to a standard 38cc motor flange. But some customization may be required for your specific application to ensure range is suitable, and I'd need to know what kind of battery system you're using as well ( and what maximum charge rates are )

Regards
David

 

[parabellum]

I am still interested as well. Need 98V peak and whatever this combo can give in current. Thank you for your good work.

 

[vax]

Subscribed.
I'm also building hybrid drive bike, but with 2-stroke (40cc watercooled pocket bike) engine, coupled with Bafang gearmotor rotor/stator. I plan using street legal moped with plates and everything, swap original engine with my generator and use brushless hub motor at back wheel.
I like your motor controller idea, I'd like to go even further: using Kelly controller to start the engine and then switch it to regen mode. I plan using Arduino to control variable regen, to keep the engine in optimal (expansion pipe) rpm-s.

https://www.facebook.com/3dflux/photos/a.585449294815245.148824.375979235762253/1166666890026813/?type=3&theater

 

[MachinistCyclist]

I've been thinking about the potential of hybrid e-bikes of this kind for a while, and I'm wondering if I'm missing a reason why it's not a more common thing. A lot of the reasons that the author of this thread laid out would really justify some of the expense in developing a miniaturised generator as a substitute for large batteries on Ebikes for certain applications.

• Lightweight petrol motors for model aircraft plus fuel, could weigh only a couple of kg, while delivering more watt hours than substantially heavier batteries.
• Even the smallest petrol motors seem to output hundreds of watts at peak power, meaning they could easily be used selectively to top up a reserve battery.
• Being able to recharge on the go could result in charging profiles which avoid battery degradation by avoiding the need to fully charge lipos.
• Additional petrol is much cheaper and easier to acquire during a journey than additional batteries, to extend range.
• Applications such as bicycle touring, bikepacking etc. are not practical for Ebike use, particularly in remote areas, but could easily be done with this kind of setup.
• As the author pointed out, regulations around power limits make attaching the petrol motor directly to the drive chain illegal in many settings.
• Range is a factor of the terrain you travel on, the weight of your bike, with rider & cargo. Many replies cited battery ranges of 100km as easily achievable. I bet I could drain that battery in 20km with some of my use cases.

The arguments against this application that stand out to me are:

• Cost; the smallest motors tend to be quite pricey.
• Complexity; there would be additional parts that could fail.
• Noise; the smaller motors aren't necessarily quiet.
• Emissions.

None of those seem to be deal breakers to me.

 

[gogo]

I've been thinking about the potential of hybrid e-bikes of this kind for a while, and I'm wondering if I'm missing a reason why it's not a more common thing. A lot of the reasons that the author of this thread laid out would really justify some of the expense in developing a miniaturised generator as a substitute for large batteries on Ebikes for certain applications.

• Lightweight petrol motors for model aircraft plus fuel, could weigh only a couple of kg, while delivering more watt hours than substantially heavier batteries.
• Even the smallest petrol motors seem to output hundreds of watts at peak power, meaning they could easily be used selectively to top up a reserve battery.
• Being able to recharge on the go could result in charging profiles which avoid battery degradation by avoiding the need to fully charge lipos.
• Additional petrol is much cheaper and easier to acquire during a journey than additional batteries, to extend range.
• Applications such as bicycle touring, bikepacking etc. are not practical for Ebike use, particularly in remote areas, but could easily be done with this kind of setup.
• As the author pointed out, regulations around power limits make attaching the petrol motor directly to the drive chain illegal in many settings.
• Range is a factor of the terrain you travel on, the weight of your bike, with rider & cargo. Many replies cited battery ranges of 100km as easily achievable. I bet I could drain that battery in 20km with some of my use cases.

The arguments against this application that stand out to me are:

• Cost; the smallest motors tend to be quite pricey.
• Complexity; there would be additional parts that could fail.
• Noise; the smaller motors aren't necessarily quiet.
• Emissions.

None of those seem to be deal breakers to me.

Have you seen Mazda's reintroduction of the rotary as an EV range extender? I wonder how small this design could go?

I've been doing 3rd party food delivery and am keen on comparing systems that would allow 100 mi range for a relatively heavy and not aerodynamic bicycle.

 

[Squilt]

I've been thinking about the potential of hybrid e-bikes of this kind for a while, and I'm wondering if I'm missing a reason why it's not a more common thing. A lot of the reasons that the author of this thread laid out would really justify some of the expense in developing a miniaturised generator as a substitute for large batteries on Ebikes for certain applications.

• Lightweight petrol motors for model aircraft plus fuel, could weigh only a couple of kg, while delivering more watt hours than substantially heavier batteries.
• Even the smallest petrol motors seem to output hundreds of watts at peak power, meaning they could easily be used selectively to top up a reserve battery.
• Being able to recharge on the go could result in charging profiles which avoid battery degradation by avoiding the need to fully charge lipos.
• Additional petrol is much cheaper and easier to acquire during a journey than additional batteries, to extend range.
• Applications such as bicycle touring, bikepacking etc. are not practical for Ebike use, particularly in remote areas, but could easily be done with this kind of setup.
• As the author pointed out, regulations around power limits make attaching the petrol motor directly to the drive chain illegal in many settings.
• Range is a factor of the terrain you travel on, the weight of your bike, with rider & cargo. Many replies cited battery ranges of 100km as easily achievable. I bet I could drain that battery in 20km with some of my use cases.

The arguments against this application that stand out to me are:

• Cost; the smallest motors tend to be quite pricey.
• Complexity; there would be additional parts that could fail.
• Noise; the smaller motors aren't necessarily quiet.
• Emissions.

None of those seem to be deal breakers to me.

I've got a plan for a series hybrid, though I've conceded that it isn't the best option. I'm still doing it because I think it's cool. Just using a bigger battery is almost always lighter, cheaper, and more reliable.

Rc plane engines are very light, but are unreliable and expensive. Not viable for much more than a proof of concept.

There aren't many ebikers who want to spend hours in the saddle doing cross country trips. And people that do that stuff with an ICE don't get much from EVs and likely aren't interested.

Ebikes and motorized bikes are similar in that legality is all up to whether or not the local cops care enough to stop you.