Pedal Powered Car... Killing two (theoretical) birds with one stone - Page 2 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Bicycle Bob · 09-24-2009, 07:29 PM

If you keep the power boost turned down, so that you pedal as hard as you normally would, it makes you feel like Bionic Man, keeps the seat load comfortable, and gives you a gym-grade workout while actually saving time in traffic and parking. A hand throttle on a motorcycle with a 50MPH top speed, OTOH, feels like it is never enough.

stevet47 · 09-24-2009, 08:27 PM

Yea, I like the concept, it is just a weird niche market thing.
I know I'd take one. Or even better, I say cross the velocycle with the e-rocket thing and end up with a high speed, all weather commuter.

NiHaoMike · 09-24-2009, 10:13 PM

I once joked about installing a pedal generator in front of the passenger seat of a Prius so my friend Lauren Stanhouse could recharge the battery with her fat. She stores about 100 Prius batteries of energy as excess fat. (And Jean Ma over 1000, but she's really mean.)

The main problem is the slow rate of conversion of maybe 200w continuous maximum with a pedal generator. With nanotechnology fuel cells that can run from fat (Texas A&M is doing research on it), maybe a purely obesity-powered Prius can maintain a reasonable speed on the highway.

Obesity is responsible for three days of fuel usage every year. (I found that out through research for ENGL 104 class.) So the real irony is that in theory, the problem is the solution!

bigdude101 · 09-25-2009, 12:54 AM

So I'm starting to like the idea of the hybrid, (human/electric) how much money should I set aside to do this? I've seen a "cheap EV project" on this site, and am thinking of using those parts, connected to the pedals of a cheap exercise bike, together with a resistance dial so I can choose the intensity of the workout (this is also a moving exercise machine), and maybe also using broomstick controls for the accelerator and brakes. Maybe these points are far too ambitious, but I could easily scale the whole thing back.

While I haven't found the right donor car yet, I am thinking about using a Suzuki Mighty Boy (a tiny pick-up/ute/bakkie based on the '80s Suzuki Alto)

Thank you

PS, Could someone please help me find EV parts in Australia (particularly Canberra)

Frank Lee · 09-25-2009, 01:45 AM

OK, I gave a bogus answer the first time because really, are you going to pedal around something that weighs in excess of 1000 lbs (instead of a 40 lb bike) just because of dust and weather?

In addition, it all depends on how resourceful you are. If the donor car and donor bicycle are rotting in your back yard already and you have a welder and other tools and can fab then the price could be close to zero; and if you have to buy and hire everything out the price could exceed $20,000.

And in addition to that, who's to say if I compiled a comprehensive list of what would likely be needed, that the prices I have access to are anywhere near the prices you have access to?

Is $0-$20,000 a helpful answer?

P.S. Just found pics of Mighty Boys- cute! Would you even fit in one? I probably wouldn't.

However a Tempo hacked into a ute would look similar...

NiHaoMike · 09-25-2009, 02:27 AM

If you use batteries to accelerate, it won't feel that slow. And you'll be driving a car that can get infinite MPG and not use any electricity - isn't that a hypermiler's dream?

The main problem, of course, is getting a useful speed from pedal power alone. If it's possible to build a car using only pedal power that can keep up with a highly hypermiled (>120MPG) original Insight, it could be interesting to follow that hypermiled Insight and then claim infinite MPG at the same speed as the hypermiled Insight. Actually, if recharge times are excluded, it would be very easy. Just take an EV, drive it as usual, then recharge the batteries with pedal generators. Not sure if that'll count as "no electricity used" but it does count as "no grid electricity used".

Bicycle Bob · 09-25-2009, 05:44 AM

Before we discuss money, do you have any performance goals in mind? If you just want to tinker, that can be quite cheap. If you want something that anyone else would buy, and have to learn as you go, you can burn through millions.

bigdude101 · 09-25-2009, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

Before we discuss money, do you have any performance goals in mind? If you just want to tinker, that can be quite cheap. If you want something that anyone else would buy, and have to learn as you go, you can burn through millions.

My main goal is to tinker, but I would need to learn how to use all the tools, I could just go to my local TAFE (community college) and do some courses there, they have courses on everything I would need to do (electrics, car restoration, welding, etc)
For performance, it would just be used for a 5-minute (each way) commute to work/the gym, therefore it wouldn't need to go too fast, but the reason I thought about the pedal/electric path afterwards, was that I would need to get to about 60-70km/h. (37-47mph)

By the way, when talking about the dust storms and weather, I was talking about climate change being a big issue, the weather is not the reason to build the car, the small difference that I make to the environment is one of the reasons.

Bicycle Bob · 09-25-2009, 10:04 AM

First, search this site for "power Required" to pop up the thread with a handy calculator. You will probably find that you would have to spend an hour or so on a pedal generator to provide the power for the trip. If you can't do the math, that's the course to start with.

bigdude101 · 09-25-2009, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

First, search this site for "power Required" to pop up the thread with a handy calculator. You will probably find that you would have to spend an hour or so on a pedal generator to provide the power for the trip. If you can't do the math, that's the course to start with.

Yes, now I realise, if I could instantaneously make 4000 watts for the whole distance of the trip, it would be fine, but it probably wouldn't work. Another idea I thought of, was to use the electric motor like one of those motorised bicycles, as in, using the motor to assist the pedalling, maybe with a powerful motor, it would be fine, but I would still have to use grid energy.

By the way, another update, one of my colleagues is trying to sell one of her cars. She has a Ford Laser (Mazda 323) and a 1992 Daihatsu Charade. She's selling both for AU$300, (US$260) so the Charade would be a great alternative to the MB.