Electricity Cycles

Back with a vengance

2009-06-19T07:51:00.001-07:00

HI,
We're back. Get ready for some cool stuff. Pics to follow.

Keep it Green tshirt

2008-11-23T20:09:00.001-08:00

This tshirt is officially going to be the motto that I roll with going forward on my bike. Here it is in this link

The Greenfly

2008-11-23T06:05:00.001-08:00

Over at the Biker Gene there's an interesting article on a Liquid Petroleum Gas(LPG) based motorcycle build by Dave Akhurst. While it still uses petroleum based fuel to power it, there are several interest design concepts introduced to a 80's era motorcycle that shows the real talent behind the design. Check it out here

Yale and Sustainability

2008-11-19T09:56:00.001-08:00

This is a great presentation on sustainability by the president of Yale. In it he goes to speak of how Yale creates a sustainable campus. The numbers are very surprising and it is interesting to see the amount of carbon that a student body can create. Hopefully these students will carry it over to the business world once they have graduated. Check out the presentation here

Automotive X Prize announced: Should there be an X Prize for motorcycles

2008-11-19T07:40:00.001-08:00

Over at Autobloggreen they give an update as to the 22 teams that are registered for the Auto X Prize. Here's the link. After reading through this I wonder if there should be an X Prize for electric motorcycles? I think there should be. Here are a couple reasons why:
1. More people ride motorcycles in the world: Yup, outside of the US in many developing countries this is there main for of transportation. India and China alone have several times the amount of riders in the US.
2. An X Prize is great PR for the cause: like it or not, there were a few names missing from the X Prize that should be there, such as the Big 3, BMW, VW, Mercedes, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia. I think this is a catastrophic failure on their part to realize the impact that their competing would bring to this competition. The winner is going to get a lot of air time and a ton of blogger time.
3. Prizes spur development: regardless of the winner, each of the companies involved are going to be implementing tangible solutions that the larger industry can follow.

What do you think?

Ben Nelson's Motorcycle conversion for Charity

2008-11-19T07:31:00.001-08:00

Over at Ecomodder, Ben Nelson tells about his upcoming ideas of building and documenting a bike and then selling or donating it. Check it out here

Self Stabilizers and motorcycles

2008-11-19T07:30:00.001-08:00

Over at Zoomilife they have a cool article about a self stabilizing electric bicycle . This seems like a really cool future feature to be added with ABS brakes and other safety components. I'm not sure I'd always want this on but if it can be used much in the same way that traction control is used for cars this could be a hit.

Self Stabilizers and motorcycles

2008-11-18T13:53:00.001-08:00

The monotracer

2008-11-18T12:55:00.001-08:00

Cool article on the Monotracer, a fully enclosed motorcycle that gets 65mpg and accelerates 0-60 sub 5 seconds.

Check it out here

Bailing out the big 3 & vehicle start ups

2008-11-18T12:52:00.001-08:00

Interesting discussion regarding the bail out and what should and will happen

http://gas2.org/2008/11/14/pressure-to-bailout-big-three-grows-but-what-about-startups/

Project bike time

2008-10-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

If you are looking to pick up a project bike and chassis , now is the time. With the
market conditions being what they are, there is a huge supply waiting to be swept up.
For example there are some 2003 250cc MXC bikes that are selling at a 38% residual based upon advertisement in craigslist. I'd wager that the last 8% is wiggle room so you can get a perfectly good bike for around 30%-35%($2800 for a Suzuki RM 250) of what it was 3 years ago new. What's more is that you can pull and sell the engine and exhaust for extra cash.

With bikes in the Northeast likely being ridden for a season aka 10 days of riding over 5 separate weekends, these bikes barely have been broken in.

Challenges for utilities

2008-10-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

Autobloggreen has a fascinating recording from an utility company perspective ont he future of PHEV and the grid. Check it out over at Autobloggreen

PHEVs and the cell phone model
One of the key points that is made is that there are over 3000 utilities in the United States that will have to deal with PHEVs. The focus is not just about consumption but also about production for next gen technologies and utility companies jumping on board. One of the ways that I think that many companies can get on board is to get involved now and help incubate the companies that develop this technology. Solar, wind, hydro, etc. whichever the rout, there are still companies that are looking for funding and this could be a great time for them.

What do you think?

Electric Bikes in video games

2008-10-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Moto GP 8 just came out and I was thinking what a great idea this would be if users could add in electric motorcycles. Maybe we'll see it next year. Check out MOTO GP 8 here.

KTM and electric bikes

2008-10-26T20:02:00.001-07:00

KTM is getting in on the electric bike action as well. Check it out here.

Commander in Green

2008-10-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

When I was in the Marines, there was a saying that we are all green but simply different shades of green. Every Marine, regardless of rank, earns the title and as such is privileged and honored to be called Marine. The highest levels of any government always have a trickle down impact on the most green recruit and the decision by Senator Barack Obama to employ green vehicles for the White House fleet is a big deal. Here's the link.

The impact on the rest of government is going to be huge. There is a huge potential for other agencies to follow suit here on the local, state, and federal level. We're all going to be green and I hope he gets elected.

Congrats Killacycle!

2008-10-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

New record run by Killacycle!

GM and the future of E Bikes

2008-10-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

It's not new news that GM has bet the farm on the Volt. They have pretty much done everything that can be done to make sure that this reality occurs and is either the last fleeting hurrah of a once giant or is a genius move by Lutz and co. I think its genius.

Here are a couple of reasons:
1. GM is a pace setter for the rest of the auto industry GLOBALLY. Forget dominating the US. They dominate the world within every product group available. And these changes aren't going to be just for mid size cars. SUVS and work vehicles are likely the biggest polluters out there. I expect my next car will be an electric Suburban in another 7 years.

2. GM is leveraged for the mid term. GM has enough debt to effectively run for the next 24 months prior to the Volt's release. This means that GM has to start the order flows going hopefully soon for this.

3. Assimilation into the bow tie
GM still has enough cash on hand to start buying lots of companies that are floundering that have taken a decidedly different path(hybrid versus electric). I'd expect to see Chrysler(post Tesla aquisition) and Ford to become part of GM.

4. GM has other labor and politicians on board
GM also knows that the cost of doing business has skyrocketed for them as their pensioners are literally with them for lifetimes over. They haven;t dropped their the ball yet, but they have carefully worked to reduce the burden that this has on their bottom line. Politicians know this and this would be another reason that they fared well from the Wall St bail out.

5. Where GM moves parts companies follow
Unline Hionda GM doesn;t have a bike company directly connected to it. But the sheer scale in parts will likely get some of their suppliers in the process of dealing with other firms. A nice little trickle down effect.

Progrnosis:
GM keeps getting beaten up but there is still a lot of life left in this firm.

Escape from Berkely

2008-10-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is a great idea for a race and hopefully we can see more and more this coming year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/us/15eco.html?ref=science

If you need support staff for one of these give me a shout!

LIEAA Meeting November 5th

2008-10-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Just set the date on my calendar to head out to Long Island to check out the Long Island Electric Auto Association. The meeting is their regular monthly meeting and I am looking forward to meeting their president, Carl Vogel. Carl is an electric motorcycle builder and definitely someone I hope to learn from. Check out the site here and hopefully I'll get to meet lots of great people.

The Shipyard and why we need one of these on the east coast,preferably int he tri state area

2008-10-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

In today's news and a future post about Escape from Berkeley this evening, there was a place mentioned called the Shipyard. This is without a doubt the coolest idea around and something that I want to go and check out the next time I'm on the left coast.

Here's a link to the Shipyard. Take a second to check out the people and the creations that they have put together.

More stuff to add to the bike: Maxdon electric's controller

2008-10-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

In looking for more diagnostic tools to add to the bike I saw that the following controller seems to push out the data that I need. Maxdon's controller has the following features:
* Backlit LCD display (highly visible in both day and night) with four modes:
o Battery electrical parameters (voltage, current)
o Graphic representation of power delivered and Amp hours remaining in the battery
o Run-time in seconds (for speed trials)
o Throttle and speed settings
* Real-time control law that provides torque-control throttle feel
* 6 Hz audible "tick" when the bike is "live"
* Reprogrammable in-situ

I'm going to give these guys a call and see what the costs are and update the parts spreadsheet.

Another site: zoomilife

2008-10-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

Adding another blog to my reader(getting to be a lot these days)
http://www.zoomilife.com/

Daily postings of electric vehicles and motorcycles with some really cool insight and they're based in CA. Shot out to the West Coast EV scene. Subscribe to them when you get a chance as they have an awesome site.

Adding new links on plugged in sites

2008-10-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Check out these two sites for cool PHEV links:

http://pluginpartners.com/
http://pluginamerica.org/

Tire pressure monitoring tech

2008-10-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today on the Kneeslider they have a great piece of hardware that I want to add to my bike: tire pressure monitor. Check it out here and here is the brochure.

Bike I want to convert to electric

2008-10-03T11:55:00.001-07:00

Rokon makes a 2wd drive motorcycle. It's used all over the world by various groups and organizations. Did I mention its a 2X2 bike with a motor on the front wheel as well as the rear wheel?!
Here's their most recent sales brochure.

They are based in New Hampshire so I'm adding these guys to the field trip list. I def want to check out and see what kind of traction this bike has.

Electric racing circuit

2008-09-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

After looking into the TTGXP(unfortunately for me you have to be licensed and participate in several races) I wanted to see if there were races for electric motorcycles. Why race? In NASCAR, the saying has been race on Sunday, sell on Monday.

So where can you check out electric racing? After a quick search on the internet, here is the only one that I have found:
National Electric Drag Racing Association

I want to check one of these races. Looks like there is one next year in Maryland. I'm going to set this as one of the goals for next year to try and see if the team can get a bike in the race.

Electric motorcycle racing: The TT and green bikes

2008-09-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Developing electric bikes = cool. Developing electric bikes that are fast = very cool. Racing fast electric technology = Awesome!

The Isle of Mann TT is a world famous race and next year there is going to be a green variant of the famous race. Check it out here.

I hope that I can go to this and blog it. This is going to be a great event.

Greening the bailout

2008-09-29T13:44:00.001-07:00

Thomas L Friedman had a great article this weekend about the future of the new economy being green.

I think he's right , particularly over the fact that a green solution is going to be the better solution. America is a nation of tinkerers and of risk takers(some good and some bad). But thinking about the model of our nation, of how it was founded and is added to each and every day by people willing to take a risk to become something more. It's these people and the small companies that they build that are going to push the new technology and are going to keep making countless numbers steps that will bring our economy ahead.

It's time to bring manufacturing back to America and its time to do things better.

The BUILD: Prepping the shop

2008-09-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since an update on the electric bike has occurred. Right now I am in the process of clearing out a proper workspace to work on the bike and to have a team in place(aka clearing out the garage of anything and everything that I can sell, recycle, donate, or toss. )I'll link some before and after pictures here later this week. October seems like a great month to start projects and its when I am going to start mine.

Prometheus Electric Cycle

2008-09-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this cool motorcycle show here. Thanks Autobloggreen.

Honda entering the game

2008-09-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about this news that Honda will be developing both Hybrid and Electric motorcycles in the next few years. Here's the link.

Honda has developed some especially cool technology over the last few years and it will be interesting to see the trickle down effect this may have on their bikes. For those keeping score at home, Honda's Goldwing has been a test bed for new technology such as anti lock brakes, automatic transmission, and hopefully air bags in the not so distant future.

Moore's Law and electric motorcycles

2008-09-28T15:51:00.001-07:00

This is a bunch of ideas and responses and as a whole will not make sense :)

Ars Technica has a cool article explaining Moore's Law. Check it out here.

Motorcyclists by their very nature are thought to avoid technological change, as seen by the amount of rigid choppers that are still out there and lots of bikes have carbs, disc brakes, and no bikes have the ability to actively manage thier settings electronically out of the box. But is it due to a lack of technology? NO.

When you ride, you want freedom and the experience of riding with the wind blowing and the turns and twists coming at you. Motorcyclists seem to be at heart, purists of speed and power yearning for the pull of G's in the corners and the feel of the road. Does that mean that they need internal combustion engines only? NO.

So what's going to be the paradigm shift for motorcycles? What can we do here in the US to spur a change that will see an electric cycle in every dealership? If you're thinking about what it is you've already missed the boat. It's not going to happen in the US. OR is it?

Cars are too prevalent to make cycles the platform of choice for new technology changes and ultimately there is a need for cycle specific solutions to be used as opposed of transference of tech from auto to moto. Just like technology built for laptops had to be derived from the progression of generations of laptops and not specific to desk tops. So is it going to happen? YES.

Times are changing and for the better

Moore's law regarding motorcycling With a reduction in the cost of operation due to lower fuel

My ideal is riding down the highway without any noise whatsoever and being able to actively navigate the same way I would on an internal combustion bike. But there is more to this as well as the amount of noise that a motorcycles generate would be greatly reduced. In some countries, noise levels have environmental impacts on people who are exposed to them on a day to day basis causing hearing loss and stress. Imagine being at a bike rally where there are hundreds of bikes and the noise hears is that of the people laughing and enjoying.

I hope to see this occur in my lifetime and not just for bikes. People are resistant to live near highways and allow for the expansion of them due to the environmental impacts from the road sound. Having rented an apartment with a scenic view of a 6 lane highway several years ago I can say that I no longer miss hearing the J brakes of trucks and cars in the evening and morning rush hours. Who knows what is yet to come but with the amount of cars and bikes set to be released I am looking forward to the impact on the quality of life.

Electric Canonball Run

2008-09-27T14:22:00.001-07:00

I was cruising through Youtube and saw the following:

How cool would it be to do and electric cannonball run? Time to email some of the future bike companies to see if they would do it.

Cool fuel road trip needs to rerun and we need a cool fuel road trip 2.0

2008-09-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I wrote to the Long Island Electric Auto Association to see if they had anyone that had built an electric motorcycle before. The following day I had an email from Carl Vogel from Vogel Built. Carl mentioned that he built a bike for the cool fuel road trip I took a look a the link of the TV show and was blown away. This show, which was on in 2005 when gas was $2 a gallon and the cost for a barrel of oil was $around $50.

With so many more companies now out developing electric and alternative vehicles, it would be great to see the intrepid Aussies and Kiwi again on TV and another trip across the US. The US market is even more ready for the changes that they suggested and the technology that they showed on their show. Perhaps Bob Lutz or another automaker would be willing to provide them with some vehicles. With the amount of companies just in Silicon Valley alone it could be interesting to see.

By the way if you have not see the long way round you should check that out as well.

Throttle Jockey/Electric vehicle test ride calendar

2008-09-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

I've been a big fan of the Throttle Jockey at the LA times. Susan Carpenter is great writer and she also brings a great on screen style to her various test rides. Did I mention she rode bikes with Starbuck and 6 from BSG? So it's been some time since I've seen her on the LA Times site and figured I would email her to see what she has in the works for her next ride. I'll let you know what I hear back and will update it here.

But this got me thinking, in the spirit of the throttle jockey, I figured it could be fun to check out all of the Electric Vehicles that are in the general vicinity of NYC tri state area and add that as a component to this blog. First up on my list is the Vectrix. I've sent in a request for a test ride to my local dealer and will update when I hear back.

If you have any other ideas for electric scooters or motorcycles , heck even cars or trucks send them my way to electricitycycles@gmail.com or post them in the comments.

CT needs a clean tech challenge

2008-09-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Just read that California has this cool challenge looking for clean solutions known as the CCTO. I think my state as well as lots of other states should have this as well. Innovation is done via baby steps, simple steps in building into one large solution. The further incorporation of small steps will help us win the energy race, and it is a race we need to win.

I used to imagine these were the stories of science fiction but they are closer to becoming a reality. With 6 or 7 small solutions to your house could make it require zero power from the grid but that seems more and more like a reality. From passive water turbines that run off of waste water power, to solar panels, to wind turbines, to high efficiency lighting, pulling excess power off of your Electric vehicle, and even high efficiency furnaces.

The same investment into small baby step solutions is also occurring for transportation and the changes that will come to the motorcycle world. But it has yet to come and many states need to focus on the development of new technology from universities to corporations to back yard tinkerers and hackers.

My state is an incredibly small state but a state with HUGE technology investments and the brain power needed. The helicopter was created in Stratford as well as the Nuclear Sub in Groton, CT. I think its time for CT to be known for more than being a hedge fund capital of the world and get back to the development of products that can benefit the world over.

congrats to Zero!

2008-09-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

Zero has sold out of all of its bikes for 2008! Congratulations guys! In case you have yet to see it in action check out their site at www.zeromotorcycles.com or a recent appearence at Jay's Garage

I for one am very excited about their 2009 street bike and what the years have to come for these guys.

Andy Grove and why we need to change

2008-09-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

If there was a reason as to why we need to build electric vehicles please see the article about Andy Grove. Andy Grove in NY Times Andy is a hero of mine, now more than ever.

Motorcycle simulators and green bikes

2008-09-18T17:22:00.003-07:00

I've read about Indy and Nascar racers working with their consoles and practicing the riding of courses. How cool would it be if you could modify the source code of games like Tourist Trophy or Moto GP 4 so that they could be used for R&D of electric bikes. I'll have to research this further to see how in depth the details are for adding a bike. I wonder if you could add the specs of El Ninja's and the EX 250. What would be interesting to see the calculations and how the batteries react in different environments.

Business Plan v1.0 done

2008-09-18T17:22:00.002-07:00

Updates
First round of writing the business plan has been competed. Time for revisions and to come up with effective pricing schedule for the course as well as the sales of the bike.
Issue faced and overcome:
Used bikes have lots of old parts -- Found a company that makes 250cc bikes that will import them for less than $1000 USD.
Garage space -- Tag sale should get rid of most of the junk in the garage.

Things still to work out:
Costs for course over 12 weeks
Motorcycle Mechanic and welding contact needed

ICE Bikes I would convert to Electric

2008-09-18T17:22:00.001-07:00

Top 5 bikes I would convert to electric if given the chance and significant amounts of cash:

1. Can Am Spyder This is a hot looking trike that not only adds a dimension of stability but also a cool factor bar none.

2. Suzuki Haybusa Without a doubt the baddest bike on the road and one that deserves to be an E cycle.

3. Harley Davidson Fat Boy The bike that Arnold made famous in T2. A machine ridden by a machine and one that could be used to define the future of hawgs.

4. 1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 : If you've ever seen Mad Max, this is the bike that defined the movie.

5. Triumph 650 : Steve McQueen rode on in The Great Escape.

Upping the posting

2008-09-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm back from a short vacation and will be blogging on a daily basis. Lots of cool stuff going on and I just can't contain it. Long live the electric beast!

Donate

2008-08-26T04:27:00.001-07:00

In the effort of putting the project together I've setup a donation button here:

Support the project, buy a magnet,sticker or Tshirt

2008-08-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Want to help the project? Buy a tshirt, magnet or sticker at the store:
http://www.cafepress.com/electricitycycl

why my bike needs boat loads of tech

2008-08-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

I firmly believe that my e-bike should be a platform for tech. There I said it, line in the sand, contrary to most motorcycle purists who believe a tach is all you need(true kneesliders will say that knowing what gear you are in and the sound of the bike they can tell you their speed.) I for one think there are several reasons to have tech that will not detract.

Safety

First and foremost on the list is safety. I believe that having a black box will be extremely useful in determining why accidents occur and the recording of any information if I am involved in one.
I'm also a fan of keeping my butt protected as much as it can be riding. You'll never see me on a bike with a t shirt, shorts, and flip flops. I know I am going to crash at some point but I also know physics; friction versus skin is not nice. Kevlar reinforced motorcycle jacket & pants, gloves, boots, and high quality helmet.
I'm also going to get an airbag vert as well. The technology has the capacity to dampen the impact to major body parts. Here is an article on this: http://www.windmeadow.com/node/51

Power control & performance statistics

I want to be able to effectively manage power on a macro level based upon my riding needs. Still looking for a nice open source solution that I can put into place and customize based upon the look of my bike . I want a power commander just like my dream Hayabusa.
I also want to be able to grab stats from the controller, odometer, and batteries to track how the bike is responding to a series of inputs.

Bluetooth key

Why carry keys when a cell phone will do. A nice solution to tie into the push button start on the bike.

Lighting

I want to put some LEDs on the rear pegs , install a low profile brake light kit, high intensity headlights, and a KITT light for fun.

Logo

2008-08-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

Here's the logo we're going to use for the blog going forward.

Bike selections in progress

2008-08-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Bike selections, team, training manual and 501 c3

Bike

Some further updates as to the status of the project: I've been actively looking at Craigslist, ebaymotors, and the Bargain News in the hopes of finding suitable rolling chassis. I'd like to keep the costs down to as low as possible but at the same point I would rather not sacrifice the type of bike to get. For all intensive purposes a sport bike seems to be the most worthwhile. I'm open to the size of bike and would rather look for a larger bike in the hopes of putting more batteries in it to cover the trip to work. Right now we're looking at 22 miles one way with traffic of the Merritt Parkway/I-95 corridor to deal with so the charge has got to be good for at least 40 miles factoring in stop and start.

Team

I've added my sister and cousin to the team and they seem excited. Right now I'm brining them up to speed in what they need to understand. Welcome Jono and Charlotte!

Training Manual

I've started to put together a training manual/text book to cover the major components, with a focus on being a combination of hands on training as well as some book work. The overall goal is to make it so that the course & build can be completed over 6-8 weeks with a nice blend of class work and hands on time.

501 c-3 & business plan

In an effort to make this more viable, setting up a 501c3 will be a logical solution so that we can apply for grants and receive donations. This involves a ton of paperwork but I have begun to define the business plan and hope to have it and the 501c3 forms in place by the end of the month. Setting up a not for profit seems like a great way to train the people that will be working on this technology in the future. Perhaps at some point a for profit component will be created but I have to think that will be a long time coming.

That's all for now. I'm still looking to go on some test rides and see if we can pick up the first bike within the next couple of weeks as the season ends.

Search continues

2008-07-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

Progress made on the bike search and have been working some further leads. Ordered the secrets of el ninja and have added to the team. 501 c 3 paper work and business plan are in process for green collar training.

Building the Bike: planning stages

2008-07-25T05:46:00.001-07:00

Done:

setup blog

grabbed web address

made contact with evfr.net

grabbed several sets of build instructions from various sites

Immediate Todos:

Find donor bike

Review through circuits

Short term todos:

Configure engine and set to get

Longer term research:

HUD

Motoputer

AC motor

LION Batteries