- Beiträge
- 4.099
If I understand the goals of @Jens Buckbesch correctly he has modified a fast vélomobile (Germany South-North record holder) to be more versatile in everyday use. First of all for himself. So all the thoughts about heavy modification of the Bülk are slightly off topic I think
Motor:
I really like lightweight hub motors but they do not work well with vélomobiles because the clutches don't survive high speeds (my BBS01 clutch seems to have the same problem?), they were never designed for that. So the best option is a lightweight BB motor and there are a couple available under 2.5 kg. The battery weight can be from 1.6 kg and for long range touring from personal experience (without a trailer) 2 of those connected in parallel or used separately should give >220 km range.
I would like to be able to remove the motor and go back to a standard BB within a 15 minute time frame and without stress. Other accessories like the LCD and speed sensor stay put of course.
Solar:
Solar charging is a nice idea and with my setup of 2 x 10 Ah batteries one of them could be charging as you drive. But for long range touring there is a trick used by the solar race vehicles:
- when there is sun send the Watts from the panel directly to the motor
- when there is no/less sun switch to the battery which can be much smaller
- in this situation I would carry a lighter battery for the electronics, today's strong headlights draw 10 Wh or more and that reduces range
This works if you ignore EN15194 and remove the 25 km/h limit, solar race vehicles can do that because they are considered to be competition vehicles and do not need to follow pedelec rules. They are limited to 45 km/h however.
Luggage:
I don't like the feel of a standard trailer, I have only tested behind a trike. When it is loaded it gets pushy and the brakes really need to be strong. It would be very interesting to test the Bülk trailer with its low centre of gravity. For me a trailer will only ever be of use locally and over shorter distances - up to 30 km maximum. I have adopted ultra-light camping gear so I would never consider going long range with the trailer, I don't need that volume. I can understand the use of a trailer for large tents and inflatable water toys if you have sites within 100 km range. With optimised weight and aerodynamics that is probably all the range you can expect from the battery.
Tank steering:
It is about time! I never understood why the option wasn't available on launch...
Motor:
I really like lightweight hub motors but they do not work well with vélomobiles because the clutches don't survive high speeds (my BBS01 clutch seems to have the same problem?), they were never designed for that. So the best option is a lightweight BB motor and there are a couple available under 2.5 kg. The battery weight can be from 1.6 kg and for long range touring from personal experience (without a trailer) 2 of those connected in parallel or used separately should give >220 km range.
I would like to be able to remove the motor and go back to a standard BB within a 15 minute time frame and without stress. Other accessories like the LCD and speed sensor stay put of course.
Solar:
Solar charging is a nice idea and with my setup of 2 x 10 Ah batteries one of them could be charging as you drive. But for long range touring there is a trick used by the solar race vehicles:
- when there is sun send the Watts from the panel directly to the motor
- when there is no/less sun switch to the battery which can be much smaller
- in this situation I would carry a lighter battery for the electronics, today's strong headlights draw 10 Wh or more and that reduces range
This works if you ignore EN15194 and remove the 25 km/h limit, solar race vehicles can do that because they are considered to be competition vehicles and do not need to follow pedelec rules. They are limited to 45 km/h however.
Luggage:
I don't like the feel of a standard trailer, I have only tested behind a trike. When it is loaded it gets pushy and the brakes really need to be strong. It would be very interesting to test the Bülk trailer with its low centre of gravity. For me a trailer will only ever be of use locally and over shorter distances - up to 30 km maximum. I have adopted ultra-light camping gear so I would never consider going long range with the trailer, I don't need that volume. I can understand the use of a trailer for large tents and inflatable water toys if you have sites within 100 km range. With optimised weight and aerodynamics that is probably all the range you can expect from the battery.
Tank steering:
It is about time! I never understood why the option wasn't available on launch...