gas/electric hybrid ideas

[yamahansolo]

ok i work for toyota... the maker not the sellers... we build air conditioners so i got the low down on a new prius that will use a small gas powered generator to run an electric motor for the wheels.

i thought this might work for a bike? i might try it with the xj frame.???

i have sourced several motors. one of them has 100 hp and 110 ftlbs.

but it's 1000 bucks...

it also only weighs about 130 pounds.
if one could get a small gas generator to power the motor and accecories you should be able to go much faster than the current electric bikes . besides the 2,000 bateried kila cycle you's have a swift bike i am sure that would out do 70 mph.

any ideas?
oh here is an example of the motors the 9" one would be a good one.

http://pioneerconversions.com/Motors.html

[egleaves]

I haven't really put much research into it yet, but I decided some time ago that if my 1100 power house ever goes belly up I'm going to use the bike for some sort of electric conversion. I never thought of a hybrid conversion, that would be pretty slick.

[Lucien Harpress]

When I started having battery charging issues, I had a hybrid bike of my own. It ran off gasoline, and every time I got home I had to plug it in to re-charge the battery!

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[psycoreefer]

I think you need to start doing some calculations, the problem with a hybrid as you describe is that your converting gas/chemical energy -> mechanical energy -> electrical energy -> mechanical energy. Each time you make a conversion you lose power, so in order for this to work you need a gas generator that has enough power to move the bike all on its own. The only gain in efficiency is that you can design the generator motor to run at peak efficiency at a specific RPM and then always run it at that speed.

So really it would be a fun project and you might get better mileage then a stock 11, but I wouldn't expect miracles.

[yamahansolo]

they are already doing this with some cars. if you look at the link and read the power of the motor you would see what i mean.

if i drew it out it might make better sense. but basically the gas generator only needs to make current. not move the bike. i haven't done the calculations yet but you can buy generators to power your house when the powert goes out. all you need is enough juice for one small motor.
an ac motor is not great at vaiable speeds but a dc motor was built for it. so speed won't be an issue. it would actually be a very simple design and should weigh much less than the xs motor. but who knows...

[egleaves]

I think a key aspect would be harnessing the power of gravity, and maybe even regenerative braking.

When coasting downhill, or even to a stop, the rear wheel essentially becomes a generator; this is fundamental in modern hybrid cars, but it requires additional controls and circuits.

Regenerative braking might be difficult on a bike, but if it could be used there is a lot of energy lost through the brakes. Some sort of Peltier device could be used to convert the heat generated by the brakes into electricity, although I am clueless as to how efficient that could be.

If only you could somehow collect the exhaust fumes pouring from the Harley in front of you, the unburnt fuel could probably be used to run the generator!

[psycoreefer]

I'm not trying to convince you not to try, someone out there thinking outside the box is going to figure out something all the auto companies can't grasp...I'm just speaking from what I know, I was looking at doing the exact same thing to an s10 pickup I used to own when the motor went out in it. S10's are a very popular base for home built ev's, the problem I ran into is that to push a vehicle down the road at 70 or 80 mph takes a lot of power. Thats a lot of wind resistance. I can't remember exactly what it figured out to be but it was something like 20 or 30 kilowatts. Now obviously if your going around town you don't need that kind of speed, and a bike will take less power to push then an S10 but you've also got a lot less space to work with. Take a look at what a 10 or 15 kilowatt generator will cost you, keep in mind it will have to be rated that at continuous load, not peak.

All that said, take a look at some of the bike specific ev kits out there. I remember when I was looking that there were some motors designed to mount directly to the wheel, and they were as good as the stuff your looking at and took a lot less space. They also have controllers and electric throttles designed for bikes. You might also consider a few batteries or maybe a large capacitor or two to give you some extra umph when you crack the throttle.

[psycoreefer]

Heres a thread that throws around some ideas and numbers, might give you some insight.....

http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums...rid-14775.html

[mstic2000]

someone out there thinking outside the box is going to figure out something all the auto companies can't grasp....

...and (they) the auto & oil industry lobbiest will spend millions to keep it from ever going to market.

[earl G]

[IMG][IMG][/IMG][/IMG]i saw this at bikefest in bloomsburg,pa[IMG][/IMG]

[earl G]

all electric for about 10k. can ride for 2 hours, thats right two. [IMG][/IMG]

[Ivan]

I was watching the isle of man TT coverage today, and they have an electric class (called zero emission, I think) and they run the course averaging about 80 mph, two laps, about 68 miles I think.

[trbig]

I think a key aspect would be harnessing the power of gravity, and maybe even regenerative braking.

When coasting downhill, or even to a stop, the rear wheel essentially becomes a generator; this is fundamental in modern hybrid cars, but it requires additional controls and circuits.

What you are talking about is different than what he is talking about. Hybrid cars run on gas OR electric, not both. Running on electric, they are running on batteries and need the regenerative breaking and such to charge the batteries. What he is describing is basically the same thing all the locomotives in the country use. A motor to run a generator to create electricity for an electric motor. It's been working for a long time in a lot of different applications. It would take some designing, but don't know why it wouldn't work.


Tod

[Geezer]

I read a news report about all the rare earth materials used in hybrids and it seems there is a shortage of these predicted not far away. I think a efficient diesel or gas engine would be the hot ticket for cheap driving.

It seems large slow turning cylinders are more efficient. The SR500 Yamaha was a great mileage bike but not too fast. If you can live with pathetic performance, you can drive or ride very cheap...

Geezer

[CatatonicBug]

I know this is a little off-topic, but I figured it fits with the gist of the discussion.

I have a thing for the old VW beetles, especially the late '60s models. I was riding yesterday, and saw a really nice, bright orange one pull out in front of me in the next lane over. I started oogling over it, and noticed a big "bumper sticker" on the engine cover. It said, "electric vehicle - it's a gas". I didn't think much of it until I stopped next to it at a light. No signature VW exhaust sounds! I looked at the rear end again, and realized it had no tailpipes either! Evidently, someone had converted this VW Beetle into a fully electric car!

I applaud the ambition, but at the same time, I can't help but feel sad for the loss of a classic bug...