36 volt genny sought

I know more now. I warm to the man - he's as mad as the rest of us. ;o))

His aging father has an electric bicycle but it only has a short range & he seeks to widen that range by towing a little trailer carrying a small generator. Apparently, British special forces use one & he is hoping to pick one up on WD surplus.

The motor peaks at 250 watts & normally draws 150 on the level. And by the square I make no doubt .......

Regards,

Kim Siddorn,

"Kim Siddorn" wrote

Very interesting - I have often wondered whether carrying an IC (or other) engine powered charger on an electric bicycle would make it a hybrid moped in the eyes of the law, and thus subject to very different requirements with regard to licensing, insurance etc.

Nick H

There were a few 32 volt light bulbs in the Internal Fire showcases in the entrance lobby when I was there last year, so they could know more.

seeks to widen that range by towing a little trailer

is hoping to pick one up on WD surplus.

square I make no doubt .......

engine powered charger on an electric bicycle would

different requirements with regard to licensing, insurance

Hi Nick, I also think it would make the cycle subject to moped regulations & also motorcycle licence & insurance regulations if the generator was greater than

"Dave Croft" wrote

Were we talking about straightforward electric transmission a la Tilling Stevens bus or Tiger tank, then I agree it would be an open and shut case. But carrying a battery chartger with you strikes me as subtly different.

Nick H.

wrote (snip):-

How much can one squeeze out of the standard UK 30v (for charging 24v batteries) job if you crank the control knob right up? Every sale seems to boast a selaction of them at various prices and there was on on ebay last week which drew not a single bid:

bid:

Take a standard 24V alternator, find the sense connection and put a suitable zenner into it to raise the output voltage.

John

i did an road legal electric motorcycle a few years ago and needed to do a similar thing... in pennsylvania (usa) a trailer would require another licensing problem. i made it into a sidecar that was was hinged to the frame of the bike. i called it my "lowbrid" system instead of a hybrid.. sam

"SAMMMM" wrote

Bit different in the 'States - aren't those 'Whizzer' bolt-on petrol engines for bicycles still legal over there? Like the idea of the heavy bits in a mini banking sidecar though - like a Wall (or Smiths/Briggs in USA) auto wheel.

Nick H.

Only if you use the charger whilst stationary.

The bike is supposed to be only electrically assisted to avoid motor vehicle status. I think that means you must pedal, the motor must be

Yes, I expect a 12V alternator windings would stand the voltage as long as the current rating was kept the same but wouldn't you need to replace the whole regulator?

AJH

The idea is that the sense line will 'see' the output voltage minus the drop across the zener and thus regulate at the higher voltage. Should work, but I think the guy is looking for a ready made compact 'jungle genny' type set rather than something nailed together from bits such as might appeal to the rest of us ;-)

Nick H

I suspect you're right, but it would probably nedd to be tested in court.

in some states that's legal. we tend to vary state-to-state quite a bit. sammm

"Nick H" wrote:-

My thanks to all who responded to this query & various ideas are being investigated. I suspect he doesn't realize just how much power it is going to take to drive the genny in order to maintain the battery at peak voltage/amps.

I have a 24 volt lorry alternator that will stop a Petter AA1 dead in its tracks if you attach it to a couple of flattish 12 volt batteries without a slide resistor to bring it on load gradually - and it sure does grunt to itself!

Regards,

J. Kim Siddorn, Regia Anglorum

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