eBike news and items of interest

GoldenMotor.com

biknut

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Sep 28, 2010
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wheelbender6

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" Brammo just dropped their price by $4000"
Wow. That is a big drop.
I guess they got a deal from a battery supplier.
 
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wheelbender6

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Tesla is following sound logic in building the battery Gigafactory.
-When Henry Ford didn't like the price his steel vendor demanded, he built his
own steel mill and foundry. If Henry Ford didn't like the vendor's price, he became their
competitor.
 

wheelbender6

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Sep 4, 2008
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A lot of us remember Craig Vetter, aerodynamics wizard, as a guy that sold a whole lot of bat wing fairings. Vetter also sponsors an annual motorcycle gas mileage contest. As of late, the mpg competition has been expanded to be a lowest energy cost contest, to include e-motorcycles and other types of propulsion. A modified Zero won this year. More at the links.
http://blog.motorcycle.com/2014/09/...rohershner-win-vetter-fuel-economy-challenge/
http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/2014-Challenges/2014-Wendover-to-Tooele-Challenge.html
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,632
411
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Dallas
A lot of us remember Craig Vetter, aerodynamics wizard, as a guy that sold a whole lot of bat wing fairings. Vetter also sponsors an annual motorcycle gas mileage contest. As of late, the mpg competition has been expanded to be a lowest energy cost contest, to include e-motorcycles and other types of propulsion. A modified Zero won this year. More at the links.
http://blog.motorcycle.com/2014/09/...rohershner-win-vetter-fuel-economy-challenge/
http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/2014-Challenges/2014-Wendover-to-Tooele-Challenge.html
"Aboard his modified 2012 Zero S electric motorcycle with an aerodynamic fairing, “Electric Terry” covered 172 miles at a cost of only $2.29, or approximately 1.3 cents per mile, becoming the first electric powered motorcycle to win and the most efficient to date. Even accounting for higher electricity costs and paying an equivalent in fuel taxes, Hershner and his Zero motorcycle were 25% better than their nearest petroleum powered competitor"

That's impressive. Sounds like he owned it. Sounds like it will be hard for a gas bike to ever win. I bet that fairing is full of battery's.
 

wheelbender6

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Sep 4, 2008
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I clicked on link for one of those high performance, crazy expensive e-scooters. After absorbing the sticker shock, I found some interesting things on the American made ZEV scooters. They are using 10KW HUB motors, to eliminate the need for chains and other drive gear. Hub motors are normally prone to overheating at high wattage ratings, so ZEV uses an oil cooled hub motor to overcome that.
They use Li-ion LFMP battery chemistry. They also use four connection terminals on each battery, rather than two, to reduce risk of disconnection due to vibration and jolts. More info at the link.
http://zelectricvehicle.com/15.html

 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,632
411
83
Dallas
I clicked on link for one of those high performance, crazy expensive e-scooters. After absorbing the sticker shock, I found some interesting things on the American made ZEV scooters. They are using 10KW HUB motors, to eliminate the need for chains and other drive gear. Hub motors are normally prone to overheating at high wattage ratings, so ZEV uses an oil cooled hub motor to overcome that.
They use Li-ion LFMP battery chemistry. They also use four connection terminals on each battery, rather than two, to reduce risk of disconnection due to vibration and jolts. More info at the link.
http://zelectricvehicle.com/15.html

Kind of reminds me of a Honda Ruckus, with body panels.