Sustainable Vehicle

[farmkid4]

Froze my hands off and it started to hail, i was having so much fun i couldn't care.

You had some of that wonderfulness too :lol: I cant wait to get my bike together

 

[Sharkboat]

Roll cage is complete, just needs to be put on the vehicle. Fairing is not done. The fairing will cover all of the wires, and electronics. There is a picture of me using the cheap accucell 6 chargers 2 at a time with a power supply found in the lab.

If anyone played the game Halo back in the day, it feels like a Banshee while driving it. It is quieter than i thought it was going to be, Matt did a great job with the drive. The motor didn't even feel warm after use.

There are still a few minor bugs that need to be fixed. I have to lengthen the wire that picks up the speed of the tire in order to read the velocity and other fun stuff. I am going to reduce the size of the rear sprocket to increase the top speed up to 40 mph. I think i topped out at about 30 mph yesterday.

The motor power would cut out once i hit a certain speed, i think this is something that can be adjusted with CA. I wish i had more time to play around with it, but i have a test coming up.

 

[pdf]

I dont have a camera with me now, but ill take some as soon as i can. Drove it home today from campus, about 5 miles. It is way faster than by car! The best part is i can park it in the senior lab for charging, right in the center of campus. Beats searching around for a parking spot.

On campus I was driving it a little too fast for people to think it was a bike and the fairing isn't on it yet, so the motor was visible. Got pulled over by the police. Didn't even get a warning. They told me that it needed to be registered, but didn't know very much about the laws concerning this type of vehicle. Too bad NY laws are horrible. Can't even register it as a neighborhood electric vehicle. As long as i am careful on campus and don't show off, i should have no problems driving it to school and back. I found a route on the back roads, all 30 mph zones.

Froze my hands off and it started to hail, i was having so much fun i couldn't care.

It is not just NY laws that are a problem. This is the issue I mentioned earlier. You have something that, as far as I can tell, is not a bike (can go over 20 mph with motor), not a scooter (no title or registration. You don't have an MSO so you will have a hell of a time getting one if even possible), not an NEV (3 wheels, no windscreen, no seatbelt, goes too fast, etc.), and not a motorcycle (not registered or titled as such. Will not be able to because you have no DOE reg. headlight, turn signals, can't do highway speeds safely, etc. etc.) even in Tennessee. I know it is tons of fun to drive but I'd recommend thinking for just a minute about what is going to happen if an accident occurs on a public street within 100 feet of you, driving an illegal vehicle. You, and if you have no substantial resources, possibly your parents (don't know your age) will be sued back to the stone age. If it is for a course project, your College and possibly your advisor will likely be sued also.

I probably sound like a broken record but in my opinion, technology and engineering are not really the main issues here. If your objective is to build and promote a viable form of alternative transportation, you have to think about how it legally integrates into the current transportation system. My feeling is basically that all viable alternatives have pretty much been explored. The problem is putting them on the street and getting people to buy them. Until we see some major transportation system or law changes, the plain vanilla e-bike most people have is the sweetspot. For most purposes, it looks like a bike, rides like a bike and goes the speed of a bike. You can park it like a bike. People see it as a bike. You add 5 kW of power, an extra wheel, a roll cage and a 40 mph top end, then you have a good excuse for a lawsuit. I think these bikes are supercool and I'd give my left nert for a spin in one but riding one on a public road is a mistake in my humble opinion. Someone has to be the old codger. It will be me today.

Anyway, I admire your enthusiasm. Just be smart and safe.

Just my opinion and I'm nearly a complete idiot. Maybe worth what you paid, probably less.

 

[Sharkboat]

Hey pdf,
I agree, my vehicle is not very practical because it is not road legal. I know the risks involved in driving it on the road.

I have put a lot of thought into the P3 project, and have been asking every younger engineer i know if they would be interested in being involved. If i was to advise that project, i would tell them to use a more practical e-bike like you have suggested.

Sustainability depends on a combination of social, environmental, and economic factors. The invention of the automobile and cheap energy caused the social impact of creating suburbs. I like to think of my vehicle as a "future" vehicle that was created a few decades too soon. I think my vehicle would work perfectly in a society where gas is either gone, or prohibitively expensive. People would live in cities with E-bike highways, where cars are against the law.

That might sound like wishful thinking, but i believe i will see it in my lifetime. I am 22, btw.

 

[pdf]

Hey pdf,
I agree, my vehicle is not very practical because it is not road legal. I know the risks involved in driving it on the road.

I have put a lot of thought into the P3 project, and have been asking every younger engineer i know if they would be interested in being involved. If i was to advise that project, i would tell them to use a more practical e-bike like you have suggested.

Sustainability depends on a combination of social, environmental, and economic factors. The invention of the automobile and cheap energy caused the social impact of creating suburbs. I like to think of my vehicle as a "future" vehicle that was created a few decades too soon. I think my vehicle would work perfectly in a society where gas is either gone, or prohibitively expensive. People would live in cities with E-bike highways, where cars are against the law.

That might sound like wishful thinking, but i believe i will see it in my lifetime. I am 22, btw.

I would still recommend encouraging "out of the box" thinking for young people, esp. for academic exercises. Keep up the good work. You guys are the future.

 

[miuan]

Sharkboat, the trike is cool, keep up the good work.
I love how projects like this promote the right stuff, legal or not.
We all carry our own destiny. Build our own dreams.
Just came back from a 30 mile night ride thru our dark woods.
What a feeling. Just you, the bike and the complete silence.
There's something special about riding an ebike.
Once I discover exactly what it is, then all the magic goes away.

 

[Sharkboat]

beautiful day out in Binghamton for once! Showing off "light weight" design. Havent gotten a chance to weigh it yet, but it feels like its about 45-50lbs. Still needs a lot of work.