I have no idea about these types of things but I was just thinking how cool it would be to have a bike, or in my case I want to build a tadpole trike that is somehow running an electric motor powered by a gas generator. In my mind it seems like it would almost be easier. Electric motors are very reliable but the batteries are crazy expensive and need to be recharged. Could you just simply buy a small and cheap generator that has electricity running to an electric motor?
Is it possible to make an electric bike powered by a gas generator
- Thread starter Bigbrag
- Start date
Elmo
New Member
The Professor has built one. Here is one thread http://motorbicycling.com/f9/gas-alternator-powered-e-bike-13354.html Do a search on his user name and he has some more stuff.
DuctTapedGoat
Active Member
I would use a generator as a gas drive, and just have great access to a true electrical system. 
It can be done, but it's more expensive since you're paying for 2+ engines: a gas engine, an electric wheel motor, plus some kind of generator/dynamo.
Plus it's less efficient, since you're converting the fuel energy twice instead of once: gasoline to electricity, and then electricity to mechanical power.
Still, if you needed lots of pulling or hillclimbing power, it could be useful. Especially if you could make your own dynamo & electric motor. I'd think you could build both totally-brushless, yet still avoid using any electronics at all.
Plus it's less efficient, since you're converting the fuel energy twice instead of once: gasoline to electricity, and then electricity to mechanical power.
Still, if you needed lots of pulling or hillclimbing power, it could be useful. Especially if you could make your own dynamo & electric motor. I'd think you could build both totally-brushless, yet still avoid using any electronics at all.
kerf
New Member
Over the years I've learned that possible doesn't always equal practical. Sometimes things that are fun to think about are best kept just for that purpose. Still, if it's a dream, go for it, if everyone listened to me we would probably still be shoveling horse $#@& off the street.
DuctTapedGoat
Active Member
I've wanted to do a hybrid bike for a long time - front wheel electric hub.
There's actually 3 realistic locations on the bike you can tap to get energy from the motor - one is the rim mount generator, the other two are at the center of your cogs under the clutch cover. It wouldn't be enough to fully power it, though it would be enough to extend the distance you can travel.
There's actually 3 realistic locations on the bike you can tap to get energy from the motor - one is the rim mount generator, the other two are at the center of your cogs under the clutch cover. It wouldn't be enough to fully power it, though it would be enough to extend the distance you can travel.
MEASURE TWICE
Well-Known Member
Why not use a small diesel to power the electric motor like trains do! I actually was at the controls for a short while at a railway museum where for a price you are trained and run it a straight track. You don't pass any intersection or anything, relatively safe with the trainer right there. The one I was on was 1000hp and had 10 each foot in diameter cylinders for the engine.
The conversion I understand must lose a bit, but this locomotive I was on was made just prior to Pearl Harbor Day Dec 1941. Still, with all that displacement it would seem that you would get better to the wheels than 1000hp?
Maybe today the generator – alternator, would be way more efficient. I understand that the range of speed is so limited on the diesels that this is why the conversion to electric motor.
I just wondered why then truck get by with a lot of gears like 15-20 maybe. Not a good idea to have trains with gears?
There was actually on this old restored locomotive a switch that made series to series-parallel, to get a type of electrical gearing effect with the windings on the electric motor.
Measure Twice
The conversion I understand must lose a bit, but this locomotive I was on was made just prior to Pearl Harbor Day Dec 1941. Still, with all that displacement it would seem that you would get better to the wheels than 1000hp?
Maybe today the generator – alternator, would be way more efficient. I understand that the range of speed is so limited on the diesels that this is why the conversion to electric motor.
I just wondered why then truck get by with a lot of gears like 15-20 maybe. Not a good idea to have trains with gears?
There was actually on this old restored locomotive a switch that made series to series-parallel, to get a type of electrical gearing effect with the windings on the electric motor.
Measure Twice
The reason that trains used first direct-geared steam engines (pistons hooled directly to the driving wheels) and then electric wheel motors (powered by a diesel engine) is that trains need to have maximum torque at zero RPMs. There's only ever been two types of engines that could do that--steam engines and electric motors.
Trains switched to electric-drive because the maintenance on steam engines was relatively huge.
After they switched to electric wheel motors, a diesel piston engine was the most efficient way of turning a generator.
MEASURE TWICE
Well-Known Member
Would they have ever thought of putting 10, 20, maybe 50 years to gets a train going, avoiding the conversion to electric with loss that it has. You know like hearing the trucks where you here them keep going through gears for a minute or two to get going. Maybe trucks should be come diesel electric?
I have my motor bike with the jack shaft to make possible the centered weighting of the engine on the frame, not needing to align the engines crankshaft with the rear wheel exactly. This also leaves me with a foot long jack shaft that on one side I have nothing attached. I thought if I might put old car alternator and battery to be the one litup with 60 amps at 12 volts of lights putted around!
Only then how much of the 3 hp will be left from the wheels with maybe 500 watts. If I used an inverter and got 120 volts (loss there too 25%), I have old super8 movie projectors that use around 500 watts mostly for the incandescent bulb. The thing there is that the filaments are very fragile. Maybe I could have a take on a turbo charger, but not from exhaust. Use an electric motor to compress air!
Measure Twice
I have my motor bike with the jack shaft to make possible the centered weighting of the engine on the frame, not needing to align the engines crankshaft with the rear wheel exactly. This also leaves me with a foot long jack shaft that on one side I have nothing attached. I thought if I might put old car alternator and battery to be the one litup with 60 amps at 12 volts of lights putted around!
Only then how much of the 3 hp will be left from the wheels with maybe 500 watts. If I used an inverter and got 120 volts (loss there too 25%), I have old super8 movie projectors that use around 500 watts mostly for the incandescent bulb. The thing there is that the filaments are very fragile. Maybe I could have a take on a turbo charger, but not from exhaust. Use an electric motor to compress air!
Measure Twice
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