E-bikes & Electric
Cars
After seeing Who Killed The Electric Car we attended an electric vehicle (EV) conference in May in Washington state. It was nice to show up in a Mercedes with a 1400-mile range on vegetable oil and being the oldest technology in the parking lot (not even worth showing off, in fact). This crowd is way beyond internal combustion!
With the efficiency of EVs compared to any internal combustion vehicle, coupled with the simplicity in construction and maintenance, we were won over by noon on the first day. As advised by the veterans we met there, we jumped into electric assisted bikes as a learning avenue for the real deal. After 800 miles during a summer of riding 2 models of pedal-assisted bikes around Bozeman, I am still surprised at how much fun they are. They are more practical than a car in many ways, especially with the permanent state of road construction! Instead of getting less exercise by having the electric assist, we found we just rode 2-3 times further in any given day and still burned off plenty of homefries. The EV is still on the horizon, and the good news is that the EV kit manufacturers are so backlogged with orders that you'd wait a year or so to receive the parts you'd need for converting a gas car to and EV.
For info on EVs and electric scooters, we are fortunate to have Eco Auto where you can just go down and by and EV or scooter (looks like a moped but makes no noise and costs much less to drive). Entrepreneurs Ron Gompertz & Wiley Davis have done a tremendous job of raising awareness here in the Gallatin Valley and providing products for those who can see the dead end in petroleum cars.
Another great resource is this little quarterly newspaper called The Practical Pedal http://practicalpedal.com/ It's on-line or in print, and it's all about using the bike for things in addition to sport, so you can learn about trailers, fenders, lights, and such and it's really fun to read.
So what is an E-bike?
An ebike is a regular looking bicycle that has an electric motor in the hub
of one of its wheels. Here is one of my bikes:
The motor on this one is in the back wheel, the battery is the while column
behind the seat tube, and there's a twist grip on the right handlebar to
send juice to the motor. It tops out at 20 mph, takes 2.5 cents to
charge up and has a range of 10-15 miles depending on how hard you pedal.
The motor and the rider share the work load, and it doesn't matter to the
bike who or what is doing the work.
There are a dizzying number of e-bikes out there and kits for mountain bikes as well, so here is an overview and some good web sites to start with. With battery technology changing so fast the kits are changing, too. Basically everything is becoming lithium-ion battery driven since they're light and powerful. The bike above is lithium-ion and cost $800 (order 10 and get 25% off, click here to get on the list). The web site for this bike is http://rmartinbikes.com/L1.html
Other ebike web sites:
Kits
http://www.electricrider.com/accessories/index.htm
Overview
http://www.electric-bikes.com/
Fastest kit available 36mph
http://www.electricrider.com/crystalyte/phoenix.htm
Slickest kit and only one with regenerative braking
http://www.bionx.ca/
Electric Vehicle webs:
http://www.eaaev.org/ Electric
Auto Assc, let's put MT on the map! Check out their EVs For Sale page
for a great list of electric cars, bikes, and lawn equipment, plug-in EVs,
etc. From this site, you can access all you want to know about EVs,
from where to buy new EVs, used EVs, EV conversion kits, facts on emissions,
battery recycling, and much more.
What to do:
- subscribe to the
email
list to be receive updates on electric bikes & cars
- help build an electric bike or car, either from a complete kit or
individual components (email
here)
Are you an aficionado of BICYCLES? bike touring, photography and/or true life adventures?
If yes to any of the above, then join the Emerson in an upcoming bicycle extravaganza this spring!
The Emerson's Jessie Wilber Gallery will be hosting a traveling photography exhibit, "Bicycle Eclectic" from February 15-April 1, 2008.
The exhibit is composed of photographs of cyclists & their rigs by Greg Siple of the Missoula-based "Adventure Cycling Association" that caters to the growing number of American touring cyclists. Old and young, men and women, strait-laced and bizarre, tragic and triumphant: the images are a striking cross-section of who we are. The photos are accompanied by written wall text: compelling stories of "on the road" experiences.
Along with the photos, the gallery will display several local & homegrown bicycles in a show entitled "Bicycle Eccentric" Actual bicycles will be chosen through a competition and will be judged on the basis of aesthetics, mechanical magnificence and/or eccentricity. Entry to the competition is free and prizes may include gift certificates to local bike shops. On opening night Friday, February 15th participants will share their creative adventures of both touring & glorifying their bicycles.
We are looking for additional community outreach through collaboration with YOU: bicycle enthusiasts and organizations. For further information or to get involved with this project, please contact Ellen Ornitz @ the Emerson, 587.9797
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Bozeman, Montana