Rhoades Car

[skyl4rk]

*warning do this at your own risk*
Go to 36V or 48V. I don't think you will ever hit more than 40 miles a charge.

[Teri]

euormodder- they are 12volt and are parallel

[RobertSmalls]

It's more expensive and much harder to set up, but a lithium battery pack would either weigh a third as much or go three times as far as a lead-acid battery pack. You would also have less voltage dip under load.

How far do you figure you'll be able to make it in a day in the Rhoades Car?

[mort]

Hi Teri,
If the batteries (12V 75AH x 2) can supply 1800 WH and that is supposed to allow 25 miles at 10 mph, thats about 2.5 hours or about 720 Watts continuous.
Maybe that is for 500 lbs. total weight. That implies about 7% rolling resistance. A grade of 7% will double the load on the motor. And the batteries will drain in half the time. But that will require more power than the motor can deliver so you will slow down. 6% grade is a steep hill on the interstate. The steepest street in Los Angels is 33% grade (which takes a hero to pedal up). So between those maybe you can guess how steep of a grade you will need to climb.

If all this is close to the right numbers and you want to glide up 10% grades on battery power you will need 2.5 HP or 1760 Watts. If you want to extend your range you'll need more batteries. Both also add to the weight. Just to give you some idea of costs, motors cost between $500 and $1000 a controller around $500 and somebody to do the mechanical work.

-mort

[skyl4rk]

Originally Posted by Teri

euormodder- they are 12volt and are parallel

Switch to series for 24V

[Ryland]

What is the top speed under electric power only on flat roads? I ask to give us a better idea if everything is working correctly.
Also is there any way that you could take some photos of the whole electric drive train?

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

Switch to series for 24V

That's exactly what I was thinking, as Teri says the motor is 24V.

[Frank Lee]

The motor drives through a gearbox... it might even be a worm gear, which is the least efficient of gear meshes.

For a cross country trip, I'd spend the money for a hubmotor. The batteries will thank you.

Or, I'd pull the motor off, ditch the gearbox, and re-use the motor with a nice efficient flat rubber belt or chain drive.

[blade]

welcome to em

[billyjones]

Teri,
Here's some of the problems you're going to face.

Early in office, President GW Bush signed a bill that defines what a bicycle is: a human powered vehicle with no more than 3 wheels.

Also included was a definition for a motorized bicycle: A bicycle with a motor of no greater than 750 watts electric or 2 horsepower and 50cc with an Internal Combustion Engine. And not to exceed 20 MPH.

Laws vary a lot from state to state and while some states care very little, other states wrote the President's definition into law.

For example, my home state of North Carolina follows the Federal definition to the letter which means that the Roades Car is illegal in North Carolina.

Pennsylvania is an even bigger nightmare. Pennsylvania requires you tag, insure and register motorized bicycles as you would a motorcycle.

Laws vary all over the nation. In North Carolina, a motorized bicycle is limited to 20 MPH unless you add DOT approved lighting. Then it's considered a moped and can legally go 30MPH.

Some states consider the Roades Car to be a NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) and pretty much let you go anywhere except on freeways.

Other states don't allow NEVs and therefore do not allow Roades Cars to ne operated in their state.

As a motorized bicycle dealer here in NC. I looked seriously at the Rhodes Car and others like it but figured that since it is illegal here, I would have a very difficult time trying to sell them.

Laws vary a lot from state to state and in some states you'll have to haul your Roades car on a truck or risk having it impounded.