http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=56622&start=25
It's pretty straightforward, I did most of that work in a tiny apartment and a parking lot, but now I have a garage. I've since welded a frame for the battery box onto the bike, fully enclosed it in ABS, extended the rear a bit, and welded on new torque-arms. Advantages? It kills in slippery conditions, and it accelerates REALLY fast. And it's just comfortable. And I can park it on campus without paying 600-1200 a year in fees...
It handles potholes and such surprisingly well even at 60mph or so, but raised objects on the road (as opposed to recesses) are not taken so lightly... e.g. speed bumps or debris. One time I accidentally hit a chunk of ice the size of my fist at 30mph, little did I know it was anchored in a pothole, it totally flipped me over. Ripped up the knee of my zip ups. Curbs are doable but not fun at all. And while my wrists are safe from carpal tunnel, I can't bunnyhop. Also, it's a bit wider than I'd like for pedestrian paths and such.
I plan on addressing those issues with a narrow track leaning delta velomobile. I hope I'm not threadjacking here, let me know, but here are some of my design points;
Vertical leading link fork. This will facilitate several things-- firstly, its a good design for a suspended FWD hubmotor, very sturdy. Second, it will maintain trail when I negotiate zero-point turns, which will remain ergonomic via simple U-joint linkage. The U-joint linkage will also allow easy adjustment of handlebar height, which will facilitate yet another point; the back of my seat will be able to flip up near the headrest and lock up, so that I can ride upright if I want. At least part of the fairing will be attached to the handlebars, and raise with it. There will be doors, which will both move forward on the inside of the fairing
Short wheelbase. The front wheel will be about in line with my knees, this will increase load on the front and help with traction. I plan on regen-braking a lot but I'm looking at getting a moto hydraulic brake and disc on my Cro... alternatively, some DH brakes should do.
Self-centering geometry. The rear swingarms will be designed such that leaning will increase the overall center of gravity as it moves from the midline, instead of lowering it like a traditional linear track vehicle. It probably won't be enough to reliably remain upright at a stop, I'll have a lean-lock for that, but it'll help dampen excessive leaning due to loss of rear traction (which should never occur anyway in a FWD setup-- if you can tell, I plan on riding in snow and ice)
Full fairing with a bubble. I want to be able to hunker down and cut through the wind. I don't want to blink when I think about riding in -20F weather. Or 100F weather, I've already designed some NACA ducts...
Serial drivetrain. I plan on riding at speeds from 5mph among pedestrians up to 60mph on the highway, and if it's cold, I'd like to stay warm that whole time. I plan on using a reversed mid-drive and cheap 6fet for resistance and energy. It won't be as efficient as a chain drive, but I don't care about that with a 7.5kwhr pack-- I care about staying warm, and getting exercise, and this accomplishes that better than a complex chainline on a FWD leaner... Also, I really want it to be super quiet, and chains can be noisy. A single belt drive should be pretty quiet though.
Big ass trunk. I want lots of convenient storage, and a delta gives me room, so it'll be big. And you can bet that empty space under the flat bed of the trunk and behind the seat will be full of batteries. Since it'll lean, things won't even slide around. I'll have room in the front of the fairing too.
The fairing, and charging. Since I just need stiffness, I plan on laying up carbon fiber over a high-infill multi-part 3d-printed mold, it should actually be cheaper than fiberglass for the same stiffness. And it'll be a one-step process. Some of the tools won't be cheap but it'll be nice to have them around. Also, I plan on making the fairing "rippled"; ~~~. The idea would be to get as many flexible solar cells on there as I can; since flex cells are very good at capturing energy at off angles and low-light conditions, it makes sense to use a "wave arrangement" to maximize surface area. I read that you can get ~30% more energy from a given area this way. I'll test it myself first before I build the fairing and try to compare to monocrystalline panels. Aero is more important than 1-2% panel efficiency, so I seriously doubt I'll use monos. But, if I could get a measly 100W out of that setup it'd take care of all my local commuting; I predict I could get 200w in sunny conditions. I use only 300wh on my typical daily commute, plus some extra for other trips. I'll have a master switch that turns on my Adaptto display, and simultaneously switches the panels and pedals to bulk-charging mode. When I park it, depending on charge state I'll either leave it like that or switch it to a coil/balance charge so it doesn't exceed my preferred pack limits. I would like to jack into the Max-E shunt for bulk-charging but might play it safe and use a CAv3 and inline shunt. I'd also like to have the ability to charge from 110v, 220v, and J1722.
I know it's a lot to pack into a single vehicle but I don't see why it can't be done, as I've seen examples of all these bits by themselves. I plan on getting an Ultimaker 2 if my boss doesn't, as it is capable of producing exceptionally precise (~20 micron resolution) FDM prints when tuned properly, and I could print a nice dash, fairing mold, aero side mirror mounts, headlight mounts, NACA ducts, fenders or molds for composite fenders, etc... with high resolution and some care, it's easy to glue ABS parts together and get a solid finished piece. Plus with infill you can make it lighter than sheeting...
I want it to serve as an all-weather vehicle with worry-free range, silent and comfortable operation with excellent suspension, lots of cargo space, good performance and handling, and integrated solar charging... for my ultimate goal; a vehicle that I can operate for 3,000 miles without plugging in to a wall, changing a tire, checking a dipstick, anything other than verifying things are working as they should. It's an arbitrary goal and bragging point. Of course I'll have longer term maintenance items with bearings, U-joints, suspension, and other linkages... but weather protection will go a long way in preserving those. I would like to have the frame done within a year, and the fairing done the next year. We'll see. I've been really really motivated but grad school is ridiculously time-consuming and I need to get a welding table before anything else, I think... large steel plates are expensive. I'll probably end up spending at least 5k all together and I might cannibalize my previous build too! But, I want it to be my transportation endpoint. Extremely custom, comfortable, reliable, and versatile.