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Old 03-08-2022, 11:10 PM   #61 (permalink)
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Rebellion - '16 KMX Framekit Custom electric velomobile
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In January, the right-side steering spindle failed at 40 mph due to hitting a deep pothole. I was unhurt, and dragged it back home 15 miles. I don't have AAA, and was not about to pay $150+ to have a two truck get it back.

I'm waiting on a replacement spindle to arrive from the UK. With the weather warming up, I very badly want to resume progress on this project. One of the lessons learned from the ordeal is that I need to design a sturdier spindle, and one which can accommodate a Cotter Pin axle.

In the meantime, I've been riding the Milan around a lot. Its efficiency is something I really desperately want to translate to the next design iteration of the custom velo. A more practical version of the Milan, with a wider track, motorcycle tires/wheels/brakes, roll cage, and over-powered electric motor would be a very interesting vehicle.

I take my Milan out onto Rte 141 to do top speed runs because it is relatively flat for long stretches. I can almost hit 50 mph, which considering I have no motor installed, is testament to its efficiency. I've also started doing squats via barbell training in order to get faster. Maybe I'll be able to hit 55 mph next year.

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Old 07-10-2022, 10:47 PM   #62 (permalink)
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This vehicle's been in the process of being overhauled. To do so, I had to remove the body shell that I put hundreds of hours of work into.

I've reclined the seat further back after cutting the seat posts and drilling new mounting holes, and have installed rear suspension. The new motor is a 3T wind built into a 20" rear wheel. That will eventually be changed to a 16x1.4" DOT rim. A 130V pack should be good for 110+ mph top end if I get the CdA to 0.08 m^2, and this motor can handle enough peak power to do 0-60 mph in under 9 seconds. It's not yet set up for that and the rest of the trike isn't either. At least not yet.

Before installing this rear suspension, going over bumps at 30 mph used to send the rear of the trike airborne. I'd temporarily lose control and had to keep the steering unchanged until the rear wheel remained in contact with the ground, otherwise I could flip the trike.

I don't have to worry about that anymore. I had this installed last week, and finally got the trike ridable today, minus a functioning electric drive system. I deliberately hit a deep pothole while bombing down a hill at 30 mph, and instead of the rear wheel going airborne, the seat lifted up about an inch and it felt like the trike was going to fly, but it retained stability and lowered itself back down. My primary goal with this has been met. I no longer have to worry about deep potholes causing me to lose control because they no longer launch the rear of the trike inches into the air.

As a result, it's also a LOT more comfortable to ride. Very smooth. It's more comfortable than some cheap cars that I've ridden in. On the whole, having full suspension on this trike made it ride as comfortably as a 90s economy car, at least at the < 30 mph speeds I've ridden it like this. From the standpoint of comfort, my expectations are well exceeded.

The battery needs to be split up and attached under the seat, so this ride was entirely pedal-powered, since the battery is no longer mounted. Because of the rear suspension lifting the seat and lowering the front when I get off the trike, and because of bumps lifting me at speed, underneath the boom is no longer a viable place to have the battery mounted. On the next shell, I'm getting a rear firewall and all the electronics, with the exception of the CA3, torque sensor, throttle, and 12V lighting/signals, is being isolated from the rider area. My seat is now as far forward as possible and is as reclined as possible while still allowing the rear shock to travel without interference.

I must say, going downhill at 30 mph and deliberately hitting deep potholes showed me that I barely feel them! With the more reclined seat, tipping it is much more difficult to do. I deliberately cornered tightly at speed and it didn't go up on 2 wheels. It wanted to skid instead. This is encouraging. I want to be resistant to tipping when cornering hard. Previously, this build could still tip if I was careless, and have had it up on 2 wheels a few times(mostly deliberately) before removing the body and doing the recent changes.

Pics below:







Very happy I did this mod. It was necessary for the speed and performance I intend to eventually have with this machine.

As for the body, I will not be able to re-use it. The parameters of the trike have changed too much for that to be a possibility. It is definitely going to corner much better than the previous iteration, and the more reclined seating position is going to allow a reduced frontal area.

I'm designing the roll cage that will be going around it, and hopefully the next shell is slippery enough that it has about twice the drag as the Milan SL, but with the advantage of being a lot easier to work on and service. If this drag is achieved, I'm looking at being able to hold 25 mph with 150W with the motor disabled, and 30 mph @ 250W. I might double overall efficiency at 30-35 mph, but with the modifications I'm planning, maximum safe/reliable cruising speed will probably be a lot higher than that.

It's soon going to have hydraulic disk brakes with ATV rotors and a motorcycle fluid reservoir, a roll cage, 16x1.4" DOT rims with at minimum Schwalbe Marathon Plus up front and a Mitas MC2 in the rear(maybe Mitas MC2 all around depending upon how pedalability with a disabled motor is effected), stronger spindles, Cotter pin axles, a cable pull emergency brake in the rear(in addition to low wattage regen).
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Old 07-11-2022, 12:56 AM   #63 (permalink)
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Quote:
I'm designing the roll cage that will be going around it,
With a 110MPH top end that sounds like a good idea!

Will the new body cover the roll cage or have it buried into the shell to reinforce it?
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Old 07-11-2022, 02:02 PM   #64 (permalink)
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Where is the battery pack located?
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Old 07-11-2022, 04:36 PM   #65 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard View Post
Where is the battery pack located?
Before I removed the body, I had it underneath the front boom. Twin Greenway 46.8V 15.6 AH packs enclosed in a coroplast box, c-clipped and zip-tied underneath the boom.

With the body off and rear suspension added, it allowed the pack to touch the ground going over bumps, so it had to be removed. In the photos, the pack is not present. I did my first test ride with full suspension 100% pedal powered.

The battery will temporarily soon be relocated behind/under the seat in two separate parts on each side. When the new body shell is made, it will be permanently moved fully behind the seat separated from the rider compartment by a firewall. Even with this change, because of the extended wheelbase and more reclined seat, center of gravity should still be very favorable when compared to the previous design iteration of the trike.

This battery pack is also going to be replaced with something lighter, with more peak power and capacity. Getting some 21700s from a salvaged Model 3 and will be building my final pack from those. I have some Panasonic NCR18650GAs I'm going to build a 72V pack out of soon to get a hang of spot welding. With an ASI BAC4000 controller, setting a 250A phase current and 10 kW limit should allow car-like performance, but top speed in the best of circumstances will only be around 70 mph. Then I'm going to go to a much higher voltage pack and controller after that once I know what I'm doing with the spot welder.

The current pack can only do 3 kW peak. This is still enough to allow it to do donuts in a parking lot and take off like a car from 0-20 mph with the rear wheel clawing for traction. But it's going to eventually have a lot more than 3 kW.

Last edited by The Toecutter; 07-11-2022 at 04:49 PM..
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Old 07-11-2022, 04:43 PM   #66 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard View Post
Will the new body cover the roll cage or have it buried into the shell to reinforce it?
Initially, the prototype will cover the roll cage. Once I get all the details worked out and finalized(everything on this bike needs to be accessible for servicing and repair), I might imbed a permanent body as part of the roll cage structure, if I don't decide to build a monocoque outright. Maybe 2mm coroplast wrapped in carbon fiber. I also need to get the shape right, which is what I bought the Milan for. It's a matter of properly scaling the shape to fit my unique requirements then going over the little details that will allow it to work for my needs.
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Old 07-11-2022, 04:53 PM   #67 (permalink)
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Quote:
Maybe 2mm coroplast wrapped in carbon fiber
What do you think of Basalt?

duckduckgo.com/?q=basalt+velomobile&ia=web
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Old 07-11-2022, 05:01 PM   #68 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by freebeard View Post
What do you think of Basalt?
It's a great choice of material to work with. I have no experience with it, and I require compound curves to a specific set of dimensions. Coroplast is not conducive to that at all, but it can be made to work closely enough.

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