Electric Hybrid Bike Guide

using your existing bike follow the steps below.

Step 1) Get yourself a brushless hub motor that will fit your bike wheel diameter. I got mine from RSDBikes.com, but you can get them from many places online. FYI I have the Crystalyte RoadRunner 408 26″ diameter brushless motor. I believe the Aparrow Crystalyte version is not an instant start and you have to peddle start it to get it going (although not a big deal in riding experience, it can save you some money).
–> http://www.rsdbikes.com/

Just a quick search I found these online hub motor retailers…
–> http://www.fiveflagsmotorbikes.com
–> http://www.kingsmotorbikes.com/

Step 2) get a battery from this website.
–> http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=836

Note: the Voltage determines the power and the amp hours determines the distance you can travel or the capacity of the battery. For reference my 36v 10,000mAh battery can go about 15 miles on a charge at about 18 MPH (I weigh about 200lbs). That means, if I casually peddle without breaking a sweat, I can go about 20 mile range at about 20MPH speed. I recommend 25MPH with about a 20 mile range, without peddling. That means you probably want a 48v 10amp hour battery pack.

Step 3) You will also need a controller and a throttle. You can get both from the following website The PoweRide Store or call to talk to Earl 770.995.3535. Make sure the controller works with the hub motor that you decide to get. I have the 408 Crystalyte 26″ (wheel diameter for my bike frame) and a fixed voltage controller, although I am planning on getting the variable voltage controller for the instant start hub motor.
–> http://www.poweridestore.com/ttp

Step 4) To protect your investment, get a Watt’s Up amp and voltage meter which you can also get from the The PoweRide Store. Make sure that you don’t run your battery down too low, because it apparently can reduce the capacity of your battery substantially.

Reduce Your Dependence on Cars!

Have You Reduced Your Dependence on Cars?

QuietRevolution Wind Turbine

quietrevolution

An elegant vertical-axis wind turbine, quietrevolution has been
designed and developed by XCO2, an established low-carbon energy
consultancy and engineering practice.

Virtually silent and vibration free, quietrevolution is ideally suited
to both urban sites and exposed locations.

The simple and robust design (patent pending) has just one moving
part, maximising reliability and minimising maintenance requirements.

Variable Traffic Signs

In Reference to this article The Science of Traffic Jams which I encountered through completerss.com > sustainabilityzone.com: The Science of Traffic and Congestion Mitigation Strategies

I previously sent a suggestion to Los Angeles’ city transportation department, but as most government employment systems go… there was not much response to the idea.

I think the suggestion that I have come up with over the years of driving in LA is a similar solution that is achievable in a more reasonable time frame. It produces the same effect as an “Adaptive Cruise Control” system but without the need for retrofitting all cars with the technology. In fact since I first envisioned the idea it has been implemented around Lancaster California (for weather safety reasons), around Washington DC and I’m sure in other areas. It essentially turns each individual into “adaptive cruise controllers”, but requires a strict enforcement system (photo enforced speed sensors for example) to become effective.

The idea is to add “Variable Speed Limit Signs” throughout the inner urban freeway systems. What it will do from a technical point of view, is monitor the average traffic speed on the freeway within a certain span of freeway before and after the “Variable Speed Limit Sign” (approximately 3-10 miles). After sensors in the road (or other methods of speed sensing such as video motion detection) determine the average traffic speed. An average speed will be displayed on the “Variable Speed Limit Sign” which becomes the new speed limit (legally enforced). This will prevent the stop and go redundancy in freeway traffic which waists gas and increases traffic and driver stress, among other things mentioned in the article.

In order to implement this system, a strict regulation on the variable speed limits would need to be enforced. If the variable speed limits cannot be enforced, obviously the system cannot be effective. One advantage to this system is that it does not require a great deal of engineering of new freeway systems, it just makes the current system more efficient.

This system will not solve the Freeway Traffic problems entirely (that’s what removing corrupt lobbied politicians and adding public transportation is for!), but it will definitely make the current and future systems run more smoothly.