IamIan
100 mW
Just passing along an FYI (for those few who might be interested) about a slight oddity I got.
A one person bicycle/low speed enclosed e-scooter I got.
Model Name = LEF
OEM = EV Mobility (Based in Netherlands)
Actively being produced for retail = Not that I know of .. just a few so far have been sold (like the one I got).
To get legal compliance in the Netherlands , the initial OEM setup it for 25kph (15mph) nominal 500watt (short peak up to 1kw).
I have not changed this speed or power yet.
Vehicle/Device:
~200 Lbs
2m long x 1.2m tall x 0.75m wide side mirrors in .. (~0.85m wide with side mirrors all the way out).
(The width allows it to fit any place in the U.S. that is ADA compliant , and through any house 3' door)
When I imported my blue one (pic attached):
I got delivery of mine (RI USA) back in December of 2021 .. so far soo good
US customs considered/classified it an 'electric scooter' .. mainly because it didn't come with pedals.
Then my state RI DMV told me :
In 1st quarter of 2022
It fell into their electric tricycle category .. no license , registration , inspection , insurance needed.
I was told keep the nominal power to under 1.5hp , and keep the electric speed limited to under 30mph.
Then in Jan 1 , 2023 ..
They reclassified into the same group as a type2 electric bicycle
I was told to keep the nominal power to under 750watts and keep the electric limited to under 20mph.
If I install a pedal movement based feed back that controlled the electric throttle (pedal generator or such) then I could reclassify as a type3 for up to 28mph.
Still no license , registration , inspection , insurance needed (although I did get bicycle insurance for it).
If I want it considered an ADA device (like an electric wheel chair) it would have to be restricted to 10mph , and a handicap parking plaque displayed.
Efficiency
I've been getting around ~35 miles per kwh.
So far I have not seen any trip under 30 or over 40.
OEM:
No pedals
The logic is that .. For a vehicle like this .. low energy per mile .. from sun light to movement .. human pedal power would be less efficient and more polluting .. so they made it as just a no-pedal electric scooter.
Battery
It comes with the option for two 16s LFP batteries .. a 20Ah and a 10Ah .. you flip a switch to switch from one to the other.
The logic is it gives them 3 range options to sell .. a smallest range 10ah .. a middle range 20Ah .. and a max range combined 30ah.
At ~35 Miles per kwh those would be ranges of about .. ~18 miles .. ~36 Miles .. ~55miles
Controls
Manual variable throttle , or hold speed cruise control.
One button flip from forward drive to reverse drive.
Regenerative Braking .. backup mechanical bicycle type disc brakes .. mechanical brakes include a parking brake hold button.
Right and Left turn signals
Horn
Fan on/off
Key lock-out/off
The canopy also has a key lock available to secure it closed.
Instrumentation:
Speed
Lifetime Distance
Trip Distance
Battery SoC (bar graph) ... optional toggle to voltage display
Visibility:
R & L side rear view mirrors
Easy see around with clear canopy down.
They sent me an optional windshield wiper to install if I wanted to help with rain visibility .. I have not put it on yet.
It has LED forward head and rear back lights , for better night time visibility.
Cargo:
Small cargo space behind the seat fits 2-3 grocery bags.
I have not yet done the side bracket others have done. (red one pic attached)
I have not yet done the bicycle trailer others have done. (green one pic attached)
Modifications I have Already Made:
Battery
In the space that had for 2 batteries .. I installed a two part battery .. 6s (with it's own 6s BMS) and 10s (with it's own 10s BMS) .. that when the LEF is operating both are connected in series and act as just one big battery .. both are 3p (33140 15Ah cells)_ .. soo I have a combined 16s3p LFP ~52v ~45Ah (~2.3kwh .. ~2,000 food calories) .. ~80 Miles per charge .. of course miles vary , up hill not the same mile as down hill , etc .. the switch that allows me to switch to a 2nd battery is still there , but now it allows me to switch to an additional removable battery.
Soo comparing my LEF to a 100% human powered pedal bike on a long (say cross country) bike tour ..
~2000 Calories base metabolic human rate (this base rate is always paid for the human to be alive)
~2,000 calories of electricity for LEF to go ~80 Miles ... ~4,000 both (Human+LEF) combined.
~2000 Calories of human pedal power activity .. for a total of ~4,000 food calories to human per day , it would be difficult with that daily calorie limit for a human to sustain more than that ~80 miles per day.
Sooo ... around the same ball park for efficiency at least.
Grin Charger:
Instead of using a Europe to US adapter .. I am using a Grin AC-DC charger for the 16s3p (45Ah) LFP battery.
Perforated Vynl:
I put on some perforated vynl 80/20 on the top of the roof canopy .. white outside black on inside .. where the roof of a car would be .. forward and side is still open and clear .. and if I need to , I can still see out the top , but it blocks ~80% of the sun , from a direction I don't normally need to see out of.
Increased Air Flow:
I added additional inlet and exhaust fans , to increase the resh air flow when the canopy is down.
Lid Stay:
I installed a lid stay that allows me to lock/hold the canopy in an slightly open possition .. this allows for allot of air flow (as long as it's not raining) .. but canopy still at a slight angle so that the forward air is trying to push it down , not lift it open like a snow plow .. My crude testing showed it would take more than 100 Lbs of force to lift it while the lid stay has it in that hold possition .. soo I am fairly confident it will be fine.
Potential Modifications:
Pedals :
There are some health benefits , and here in RI it would legally open up a little bit more speed .. If I modify to include even a very basic low power pedal power system .. Even like ~10watt pedal power would be enough to comply .. soo I've thought a bit and tinkered a bit .. but I am not yet satisfied enough with the (size and noise) options I've found so far , to install it in the LEF.
2nd battery :
I left the option open to use that OEM battery switch .. just in case I ever want to make a 2nd easily removable / swappable battery that would fit on the floor of the cargo space behind the seat .. or .. plug into a battery in a bicycle trailer I might be towing .. I would never need it ~99% of the time in my day to day .. soo not a high priority.
Bicycle Trailer:
I don't really need it often enough to make it a priority.
Twin Hub Motors:
right now , OEM it is just the one rear right side wheel hub motor .. which works fine .. but .. on a hard regen brake it does torque steer a little .. going to two (one in each rear wheel) would solve that , even if total power is still under the RI DMV 750 nominal watts number.
Suspension Upgrade:
The OEM suspension is kind of stiff .. which is fine ~80% of the time .. but on those ~20% times , it would be very nice to have a softer ride.
Solar:
I like the idea .. still toying with options .. I could make a form fit to the shape panels .. I could use the side brackets for panels that fold out when parked ... or just keep plugging it in to the solar out my house to charge it , instead of any on vehicle solar.
Heat Pump:
I've toyed with the idea .. there is very little space to work with .. Soo fitting such in might not be impossible .. but definitely not easy .. There is a cost benefit question too .. a little heat for extend into winter would be the lower hanging fruit / easy to fit in .. but a little cooling to extend into hot sunny summer days would be a challenge .. sense I only need ~20 miles of range per day .. but my battery has ~80 .. I do have a little extra available energy I could use for heating or cooling .. neat/fun idea .. I've toyed a little .. but .. not yet found a satisfying option .. and for about ~1/2 the year such is not needed/useful.
Why Get It:
Fun .. I like the high efficiency wh/mile .. I like the rain/wind-chill protection .. ~99% of the time I don't go far , ~20 miles per day round trip (work , grocery ,etc are bicycle speed available in my location) .. I see tinker potential options that appeal to me.
A one person bicycle/low speed enclosed e-scooter I got.
Model Name = LEF
OEM = EV Mobility (Based in Netherlands)
Actively being produced for retail = Not that I know of .. just a few so far have been sold (like the one I got).
To get legal compliance in the Netherlands , the initial OEM setup it for 25kph (15mph) nominal 500watt (short peak up to 1kw).
I have not changed this speed or power yet.
Vehicle/Device:
~200 Lbs
2m long x 1.2m tall x 0.75m wide side mirrors in .. (~0.85m wide with side mirrors all the way out).
(The width allows it to fit any place in the U.S. that is ADA compliant , and through any house 3' door)
When I imported my blue one (pic attached):
I got delivery of mine (RI USA) back in December of 2021 .. so far soo good
US customs considered/classified it an 'electric scooter' .. mainly because it didn't come with pedals.
Then my state RI DMV told me :
In 1st quarter of 2022
It fell into their electric tricycle category .. no license , registration , inspection , insurance needed.
I was told keep the nominal power to under 1.5hp , and keep the electric speed limited to under 30mph.
Then in Jan 1 , 2023 ..
They reclassified into the same group as a type2 electric bicycle
I was told to keep the nominal power to under 750watts and keep the electric limited to under 20mph.
If I install a pedal movement based feed back that controlled the electric throttle (pedal generator or such) then I could reclassify as a type3 for up to 28mph.
Still no license , registration , inspection , insurance needed (although I did get bicycle insurance for it).
If I want it considered an ADA device (like an electric wheel chair) it would have to be restricted to 10mph , and a handicap parking plaque displayed.
Efficiency
I've been getting around ~35 miles per kwh.
So far I have not seen any trip under 30 or over 40.
OEM:
No pedals
The logic is that .. For a vehicle like this .. low energy per mile .. from sun light to movement .. human pedal power would be less efficient and more polluting .. so they made it as just a no-pedal electric scooter.
Battery
It comes with the option for two 16s LFP batteries .. a 20Ah and a 10Ah .. you flip a switch to switch from one to the other.
The logic is it gives them 3 range options to sell .. a smallest range 10ah .. a middle range 20Ah .. and a max range combined 30ah.
At ~35 Miles per kwh those would be ranges of about .. ~18 miles .. ~36 Miles .. ~55miles
Controls
Manual variable throttle , or hold speed cruise control.
One button flip from forward drive to reverse drive.
Regenerative Braking .. backup mechanical bicycle type disc brakes .. mechanical brakes include a parking brake hold button.
Right and Left turn signals
Horn
Fan on/off
Key lock-out/off
The canopy also has a key lock available to secure it closed.
Instrumentation:
Speed
Lifetime Distance
Trip Distance
Battery SoC (bar graph) ... optional toggle to voltage display
Visibility:
R & L side rear view mirrors
Easy see around with clear canopy down.
They sent me an optional windshield wiper to install if I wanted to help with rain visibility .. I have not put it on yet.
It has LED forward head and rear back lights , for better night time visibility.
Cargo:
Small cargo space behind the seat fits 2-3 grocery bags.
I have not yet done the side bracket others have done. (red one pic attached)
I have not yet done the bicycle trailer others have done. (green one pic attached)
Modifications I have Already Made:
Battery
In the space that had for 2 batteries .. I installed a two part battery .. 6s (with it's own 6s BMS) and 10s (with it's own 10s BMS) .. that when the LEF is operating both are connected in series and act as just one big battery .. both are 3p (33140 15Ah cells)_ .. soo I have a combined 16s3p LFP ~52v ~45Ah (~2.3kwh .. ~2,000 food calories) .. ~80 Miles per charge .. of course miles vary , up hill not the same mile as down hill , etc .. the switch that allows me to switch to a 2nd battery is still there , but now it allows me to switch to an additional removable battery.
Soo comparing my LEF to a 100% human powered pedal bike on a long (say cross country) bike tour ..
~2000 Calories base metabolic human rate (this base rate is always paid for the human to be alive)
~2,000 calories of electricity for LEF to go ~80 Miles ... ~4,000 both (Human+LEF) combined.
~2000 Calories of human pedal power activity .. for a total of ~4,000 food calories to human per day , it would be difficult with that daily calorie limit for a human to sustain more than that ~80 miles per day.
Sooo ... around the same ball park for efficiency at least.
Grin Charger:
Instead of using a Europe to US adapter .. I am using a Grin AC-DC charger for the 16s3p (45Ah) LFP battery.
Perforated Vynl:
I put on some perforated vynl 80/20 on the top of the roof canopy .. white outside black on inside .. where the roof of a car would be .. forward and side is still open and clear .. and if I need to , I can still see out the top , but it blocks ~80% of the sun , from a direction I don't normally need to see out of.
Increased Air Flow:
I added additional inlet and exhaust fans , to increase the resh air flow when the canopy is down.
Lid Stay:
I installed a lid stay that allows me to lock/hold the canopy in an slightly open possition .. this allows for allot of air flow (as long as it's not raining) .. but canopy still at a slight angle so that the forward air is trying to push it down , not lift it open like a snow plow .. My crude testing showed it would take more than 100 Lbs of force to lift it while the lid stay has it in that hold possition .. soo I am fairly confident it will be fine.
Potential Modifications:
Pedals :
There are some health benefits , and here in RI it would legally open up a little bit more speed .. If I modify to include even a very basic low power pedal power system .. Even like ~10watt pedal power would be enough to comply .. soo I've thought a bit and tinkered a bit .. but I am not yet satisfied enough with the (size and noise) options I've found so far , to install it in the LEF.
2nd battery :
I left the option open to use that OEM battery switch .. just in case I ever want to make a 2nd easily removable / swappable battery that would fit on the floor of the cargo space behind the seat .. or .. plug into a battery in a bicycle trailer I might be towing .. I would never need it ~99% of the time in my day to day .. soo not a high priority.
Bicycle Trailer:
I don't really need it often enough to make it a priority.
Twin Hub Motors:
right now , OEM it is just the one rear right side wheel hub motor .. which works fine .. but .. on a hard regen brake it does torque steer a little .. going to two (one in each rear wheel) would solve that , even if total power is still under the RI DMV 750 nominal watts number.
Suspension Upgrade:
The OEM suspension is kind of stiff .. which is fine ~80% of the time .. but on those ~20% times , it would be very nice to have a softer ride.
Solar:
I like the idea .. still toying with options .. I could make a form fit to the shape panels .. I could use the side brackets for panels that fold out when parked ... or just keep plugging it in to the solar out my house to charge it , instead of any on vehicle solar.
Heat Pump:
I've toyed with the idea .. there is very little space to work with .. Soo fitting such in might not be impossible .. but definitely not easy .. There is a cost benefit question too .. a little heat for extend into winter would be the lower hanging fruit / easy to fit in .. but a little cooling to extend into hot sunny summer days would be a challenge .. sense I only need ~20 miles of range per day .. but my battery has ~80 .. I do have a little extra available energy I could use for heating or cooling .. neat/fun idea .. I've toyed a little .. but .. not yet found a satisfying option .. and for about ~1/2 the year such is not needed/useful.
Why Get It:
Fun .. I like the high efficiency wh/mile .. I like the rain/wind-chill protection .. ~99% of the time I don't go far , ~20 miles per day round trip (work , grocery ,etc are bicycle speed available in my location) .. I see tinker potential options that appeal to me.
