Vintage Voltage electric motorised bicycle

andyBeaker · 31/7/20

dont know if anyone saw this last night...this lot normally convert classic cars to electric but have done their first motorised cycle which is based on a modern Indian made Royal Enfield.

I think it is quite impressive, range of 100 miles and the test rider was impressed.

The all In cost was £20k which is obviously an awful lot, but that included the cost of the motorised cycle., custom paint and £2500 on 3D printing for the panels that make the battery box look like an engine. Plus an awful lot of engineering to replace the original motor which was part of the chassis. Plus upgrading to disc brake at the rear and LED lights (the headlight is an off the shelf unit and is very smart).

Some will immediately dismiss it as a result of the cost and others because it looks a bit odd.

Others will see it as the future.

And those that live anywhere near traditional 'biker' roads will see it as heaven sent.

.

Jaws · 31/7/20

Yep.. Watched a few.. There work is quite good but they should step away from bikes as they seem to have little understanding

andyBeaker · 31/7/20

Jaws said:
Yep.. Watched a few.. There work is quite good but they should step away from bikes as they seem to have little understanding

Expand please...looked pretty good to me!

Jaws · 31/7/20

Just left me feeling it was wrong..
Why did they start with an Enfield is the first question... A bike that is a modern antique ( and is available as an electric in India already )
Why bother with a disk rear brake given the back EMF an electric motor delivers
Was the suspension set up addressed to accommodate the weight position differences
Was the C.O.G or indeed the longitudinal weight distribution changes addressed ( or indeed even checked )

Malone · 31/7/20

Not a future I want to be a part of or associated with.

Jaws · 31/7/20

Malone said:
Not a future I want to be a part of or associated with.

I still think they are simply following the path of least resistance going with rechargeable batteries ( no pun intended )

I am told repeatedly the infrastructure will be there..
I do not believe there is or will be enough generating capacity to support the present number of vehicles on the road
Not one organisation seems to have addressed charge stations on motorways ( do the math .. charge time x volume x charging points required + current supply needed.. )

I am firmly in the hydrogen fuel cell camp ( as are, I might add, Mazda and somewhat shyly, Ford )

andyBeaker · 31/7/20

Jaws said:
I still think they are simply following the path of least resistance going with rechargeable batteries ( no pun intended )

I am told repeatedly the infrastructure will be there..
I do not believe there is or will be enough generating capacity to support the present number of vehicles on the road
Not one organisation seems to have addressed charge stations on motorways ( do the math .. charge time x volume x charging points required + current supply needed.. )

I am firmly in the hydrogen fuel cell camp ( as are, I might add, Mazda and somewhat shyly, Ford )

I agree up to a point....however, the average car journey is something ridiculous like three miles so charging at home is the answer for most people most of the time. If I had a car with 100 mile range I would rarely need to charge away from home, but of course everyone is different.

Infrastructure is needed,, as is an improvement in behaviours (now there's a surprise!) from what I hear - for example people leaving their cars on charge all day in park and rides in Oxford and Cambridge so others can't use them.

andyBeaker · 31/7/20

Jaws said:
Just left me feeling it was wrong..
Why did they start with an Enfield is the first question... A bike that is a modern antique ( and is available as an electric in India already )
Why bother with a disk rear brake given the back EMF an electric motor delivers
Was the suspension set up addressed to accommodate the weight position differences
Was the C.O.G or indeed the longitudinal weight distribution changes addressed ( or indeed even checked )

I think you are being a tad over critical john

the chap who did the rest ride seemed to have some idea what he was doing and was impressed. They have built a 'pooling about' bike from a 'pootling about' bike so high specification/performance/fine margins isn't really part of the equation. It seems like a step in the right direction to me. Maybe what will change is what everyone thinks a motor bike should look like going forward - logic says longer bikes to reduce the centre of gravity to deal with battery weight. But batteries will get smaller as the technology improves.

Squag1 · 31/7/20

I don't believe infrastructure will be there.
Where's all the generation going to occur and what volume will they be able to provide?
Long time ago somebody showed me a study claiming that electricity production was only 55% efficient.

Haven't heard anything about dealing with nuclear waste for a long time.

Haven't head much about CFL bulbs recently either. I think disposal was a problem. I thought all other types were being discontinued.

Jaws · 31/7/20

andyBeaker said:
I agree up to a point....however, the average car journey is something ridiculous like three miles so charging at home is the answer for most people most of the time. If I had a car with 100 mile range I would rarely need to charge away from home, but of course everyone is different.

Infrastructure is needed,, as is an improvement in behaviours (now there's a surprise!) from what I hear - for example people leaving their cars on charge all day in park and rides in Oxford and Cambridge so others can't use them.

According to the figures I have just googled the M6 has an average daily traffic use of 260,000 vehicles
Lets say 1/10 of those will need a charge. There are 20 services on the M6 ( 10 per side )
So lets say traffic volume is evenly spaced time wise all day, and all services are used equally .... equates to approx 55 vehicles in every service per hour
Average charging time .. lets be generous and presume all have a top of the range Tesla and all points are Tesla super chargers... 40 minutes
To feed the Tesla super chargers are rated at 150kW
If there are 10 service points that is a 1500 kW supply required of 341 AMPS at 440 v with zero safety margin
Cables as thick as a mans arm.. and that is EACH of the 20 service areas

So looking at the absolute minimum basic figures it does not take a genius to realise in peak times there are going to be cars queuing back out on to the road.. There is BOUND to be cars running out of battery whilst waiting ( esp in winter )..
The infrastructure just for ONE motorway is going to cripple all the surrounding towns for years to come, if and that is a big if, it is even a viable project to start with

And that is only on a motorway
The issues when you talk about city and town use are completely different and even more problematic
Already the solicitors are rubbing their hands together with a few case of folk tripping over charging cables crossing footpaths outside peoples houses

Consider this..
The first rather crude electric car was invented in 1832
OK, the ICE development halted the advance of the electric car for proly 100 years...
That still leaves nearly 80 years of faffing around... Any one who thinks all the problems of 'going electric' are gonna be sorted in the next 5 to 15 years are in cuckoo land !

I stand by my original argument.. and say that hydrogen cells are the future

ogr1 · 31/7/20

Nottingham uni IOMTT at least they got the shape right.

Daley-Mathison-IOMTT-2017-University-Nottingham-TT-Zero.jpg

Jaws · 1/8/20

ogr1 said:
Nottingham uni IOMTT at least they got the shape right.

Well nearly
Not too man other GP type bikes out there sporting a rather natty version of a barn door to aid the aerodynamic profile

nigem1965 · 1/8/20

Jaws said:
I still think they are simply following the path of least resistance going with rechargeable batteries ( no pun intended )

I am told repeatedly the infrastructure will be there..
I do not believe there is or will be enough generating capacity to support the present number of vehicles on the road
Not one organisation seems to have addressed charge stations on motorways ( do the math .. charge time x volume x charging points required + current supply needed.. )

I am firmly in the hydrogen fuel cell camp ( as are, I might add, Mazda and somewhat shyly, Ford )

The get London to Bristol has been electrified ,however there's not the generating capacity to run it

andyBeaker · 1/8/20

Jaws said:
According to the figures I have just googled the M6 has an average daily traffic use of 260,000 vehicles
Lets say 1/10 of those will need a charge. There are 20 services on the M6 ( 10 per side )
So lets say traffic volume is evenly spaced time wise all day, and all services are used equally .... equates to approx 55 vehicles in every service per hour
Average charging time .. lets be generous and presume all have a top of the range Tesla and all points are Tesla super chargers... 40 minutes
To feed the Tesla super chargers are rated at 150kW
If there are 10 service points that is a 1500 kW supply required of 341 AMPS at 440 v with zero safety margin
Cables as thick as a mans arm.. and that is EACH of the 20 service areas

So looking at the absolute minimum basic figures it does not take a genius to realise in peak times there are going to be cars queuing back out on to the road.. There is BOUND to be cars running out of battery whilst waiting ( esp in winter )..
The infrastructure just for ONE motorway is going to cripple all the surrounding towns for years to come, if and that is a big if, it is even a viable project to start with

And that is only on a motorway
The issues when you talk about city and town use are completely different and even more problematic
Already the solicitors are rubbing their hands together with a few case of folk tripping over charging cables crossing footpaths outside peoples houses

Consider this..
The first rather crude electric car was invented in 1832
OK, the ICE development halted the advance of the electric car for proly 100 years...
That still leaves nearly 80 years of faffing around... Any one who thinks all the problems of 'going electric' are gonna be sorted in the next 5 to 15 years are in cuckoo land !

I stand by my original argument.. and say that hydrogen cells are the future

Technology races ahead when there is an incentive and there isn't a massive incentive so no,reason why technology won't continue to evolve quickly. I wouldn't write electric transport just yet.

Jaws · 1/8/20

andyBeaker said:
Technology races ahead when there is an incentive and there isn't a massive incentive so no,reason why technology won't continue to evolve quickly. I wouldn't write electric transport just yet.

Agreed, but until the laws of physics are changed the situation will not change
The only solution at present is to limit personal travel

Lee337 · 3/8/20

My step father's sister has just bought a Tesla. She uses it to go shopping. Any other journey, she relies on her V8 Range Rover so she doesn't have to worry about running out of juice. Doing her bit for the planet!

slim63 · 3/8/20

Bikes are about noise, speed, fun & freedom the boat anchor shown above offers none of those despite the huge expense

a 500 quid snotter would offer more of all the above mentioned things so while its a very clever exercise in electrical engineering ultimately its completely pointless

Squag1 · 3/8/20

Lee337 said:
My step father's sister has just bought a Tesla. She uses it to go shopping. Any other journey, she relies on her V8 Range Rover so she doesn't have to worry about running out of juice. Doing her bit for the planet!

V8 definitely saves the planet

andyBeaker · 3/8/20

slim63 said:
Bikes are about noise, speed, fun & freedom the boat anchor shown above offers none of those despite the huge expense a 500 quid snotter would offer more of all the above mentioned things so while its a very clever exercise in electrical engineering ultimately its completely pointless

You have hit most of the downsides of fossil fuel motorised bicycles in one post

Cougar377 · 3/8/20

andyBeaker said:
You have hit most of the downsides of fossil fuel motorised bicycles in one post

So when do you intend converting to an electric automobile...?

Vintage Voltage electric motorised bicycle

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