| | | Motorized Electric Bicycles The motorized electric bicycle is a quiet and efficient form of transportation for general commuting. | Friction driven alternator experiment? Discussion at Motorized Bicycle Engine Kit Forum in the Motorized Electric Bicycles forum. a small generator would be great for a trike,it could power your electric motor,lights,radio and stuff.and ...  | | 
04-06-2009, 02:03 PM
|  | Motorized Bicycle Elite Member | | Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: upstate NY
Posts: 1,452
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment? a small generator would be great for a trike,it could power your electric motor,lights,radio and stuff.and it would still be electric power to make it legal. and you wouldnt need 50 batteries to make your trip across town. | 
04-06-2009, 03:46 PM
|  | Motorized Bicycle Elite Member | | Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Albuquerque
Posts: 1,086
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment?
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08-25-2009, 01:41 PM
|  | Motorized Bicycle Elite Member | | Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 119
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment? Quote:
Originally Posted by deacon some say they will burn, some say they won't.. I would use it in pulses not for extended time. Like run it on the hills but turn it off going down hill. Kick it on to get the speed up on the flats then let the bike coast some before you bring it back on again. that kind of thing. When i was young stupid and poor I used a household switch for my starter button on an old toyota. So you can use one of those as your on off switch.
Now that part fascinates me. How the starter will work. Those should be very easy to find in almost any town. | Actually, I've seen starters used but it's generally auto generators that are used, not starters, and the insides were rewired somehow. As common as starters are, there must be a reason we don't see them being used more (and they're very heavy). In the 1940s, model T generators were rewired and used on electric vehicles. See the attached pic of part of the 1945 plans for such a machine from the Lejay Manual. It supposedly had a range of 50-75 miles on a charge using one 12v battery. This can still be done but you have to get a Model T generator. They are still out there.
Last edited by geeksquid : 08-25-2009 at 03:34 PM.
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08-25-2009, 03:07 PM
|  | Motorized Bicycle Elite Member | | Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 119
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment? Here's a set of old plans for a scooter (could be adapted to a bike) that specifically calls for a 6v battery as being better than a 12v. It also says not to use a starter motor but use a generator. You actually have to rework the generator and use parts from a starter. The instructions might be a bit difficult for many but could be done. The range on these old electric vehicles was very good because of the methods used. I can only attach 5 files, so will post file 6 in another post. | 
08-25-2009, 03:08 PM
|  | Motorized Bicycle Elite Member | | Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 119
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment? Here's the last file for the Electro Bike. | 
09-28-2009, 09:01 PM
| | Motorized Bicycle Newbie | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 1
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment? Im on the same page. Im waiting till a efficient generator hub is invented.
Create energy with a generator hub on front.
Power bike with electric motor hub on rear.
Add regulator.
I don't know if I will break even but it makes sense that the bike still functions as a bike. I see alot of examples of a bike on a training stand attached to a generator/alternator. I dont get that. | 
10-09-2009, 09:20 PM
| | Motorized Bicycle Newbie | | Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Florida
Posts: 7
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment? The first law of thermodynamics always applies. That is why this will not work. | 
10-17-2009, 04:52 AM
| | Motorized Bicycle Senior Member | | Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 79
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment? Quote:
Originally Posted by jaeconsult The first law of thermodynamics always applies. That is why this will not work. | You're absolutely right, but every day, at least one of these brainchilds comes up. The one where the front hub generator charges the batteries for the rear hub motor while you're riding is my favorite. And the ones where you put a propeller on the handlebars to charge the batteries is right up there in my faves too. There should be one thread here just for perpetual motion ideas. | 
10-17-2009, 10:06 PM
| | Motorized Bicycle Member | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: massachusetts
Posts: 47
| | Re: Friction driven alternator experiment? Bucky5 - The exercise bike that uses an alternator/generator is exactly the principle that shows why you can't use your forward movement (front hub) to power your rear hub. The exercise bike puts the electricity it generates through a variable resistor that "eats" the power up. The more resistance that is dialed in, the harder it is to pump the bike. It's the same with a front generator powering a rear hub. Even if was 100% efficient, the power required to turn the rear hub (pushing the bike along) would equal the power that the front hub could generate. It would look like "resistance" to the front hub and the drag that resistance created would equal the power of the rear hub. You could only move by pedaling or going down hill. If you were pedaling on level ground it would require the same energy as pedaling a heavy bike with no motors working. If you were using a battery to store the generated energy as well as to power the rear hub, the battery would discharge at the same rate as if the motor was just driving the bike. In other words, in a 100% efficient system, the drag created by the generator would cause the motor to suck the exact amount of energy out of the battery as the generator was putting in. It is impossible to generate more energy (required to actually move the bike or keep the battery charged) without an external power source such as pedaling, going downhill or a China girl. Of course, neither the motor or generator are 100% efficient, so those losses have to be factored in, making it even more inefficient. Does that make it more clear? - jd
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