Hi all, I have an idea and could use some feedback/brainstorming from people who know what they are talking about (i.e. not me).
My idea is for an electric in town commuter bike (I have an old 1980 Honda c70 72cc scooter that gets about 70-80mpg and it is the main inspiration for this project). Ideally it would have the form factor of a classy scooter (again the c70 passport being my favorite) and would be powered by an electric motor with a top speed of at least 35-40 mph (45-50 in a perfect world). The range would be 20-30 miles on a single charge, but here's the kicker, it would be pedal assisted. In the first gear the pedals would aid in getting the bike moving, hopefully taking some of the weight off the motor for that first push (and maybe saving a lot of juice?) and then past 1st gear would act as a charger for the battery (like a household exercise bike power generator). To add to the utility it would have a "neutral charging" gear and a very solid kickstand so at long stop lights you could put the stand down and pedal charge the batteries while waiting for the light to change. The idea here is to be able to increase the range of the vehicle as well as increasing the cost effectiveness as you could pedal it in neutral at home before/after rides to reduce the amount of power drawn from your home to charge the batteries.
The problem is I know nothing about mechanical engineering and even less about electricity and batteries. I welcome any and all ideas, critiques, support, etc. Is this possible?
edit: A few extra thoughts I just had: Ben, when you read this, know that I do remember you saying that the Honda c70 frame is fairly impractical for an electric mod, so I'm letting you know I'm not married to that frame
What's most important to me is that it be a viable daily commuter/around town errand machine. With that in mind there has to be some kind of storage solution possible in the future, some kind of container/basket that can be attached for carrying a small amount of groceries and the like.
In a perfect world this bike would be able to travel up to 45 miles an hour, be useable for commuting or light errands on a single charge (I think the 20-30 miles would be sufficient) and with the pedal power added would have increased utility, range, (health benefits
) and heck, maybe via a lighter outlet could be used to charge small electronics in that "neutral charging" gear i mentioned.
I realize this is probably insanely ambitious, but my goal is to save money now, and use the next 2 years (before I move back to california) to brainstorm, plan, and research this project so that when I do settle in back in Cali I can start the project!