Build Your Own Solar-Powered Scooter

An anonymous reader writes "CBC is reporting that the Biomod company in Montreal has released plans for building your own solar scooter for only $1600 (in Canadian funds, no less!) Hopefully the engineering community will take an interest, and add brakes to the blueprints..."

Add chicks

[EtherAlchemist]

Everything is better with hot chicks, but somethings are just cool on their own [wheelman.com.au].

What I want

[Profane MuthaFucka]

I would like to have a little power module that attaches to my regular mountain bike. It would store energy when I'm pedalling, and when I tell it to it would release energy to help me get up a hill. I live in a hilly area, and most of the time I can ride without assistance. When I hit a hill, I could use some help.

As an alternative, the device could be charged at home all night. It wouldn't need too much capacity, since it would be just used to assist me on hills. I can pedal normally on flat road.

neon case lights

[zogger]

You may be able to replace oil with hydrogen for energy (a big maybe), but it's still used extensively in various manufactured products. That's a seriously overlooked part of the "peakoil" controversy.

With that said, and as a solar proponent and owner, and in the alpha design stages (that means I'm committed in me pea brane to do it) of my own little solar powered buggy*, this thing is ridiculous looking, and I agree, a normal human pedaled bike is a better idea. But... I'm not one to rain on any hardware geeks parade either, I hope they develop it further and make it more practical. There's a niche market for everything. Does anyone here remember the Armys "Land train"?

Niche markets

If anyone wants just an electric motor add on gizmo that fits most bikes, there's several on the market now, google is your friend there, much cheaper than 1600 clams, too. The one I saw a buddy had used a triangular flat battery pack that mounted in the frame of the bike, hung from the top tube really, it cleared your pedaling legs just fine being so slim, and the motor mounted over the real wheel and used a rubber wheel for a friction assist, and had a push button on switch on the handle bars. 15 minute or so installation, charge it, go. Had around a 5-10 mile range, but you still pedaled with it, it was more for hill climbing assist, hauling your groceries back, laundry, etc. If I could remember the name of the company I'd post it, but I know there's a variety out there, I looked before.

*nothing all that ambitious, merely an electric cart made from an old riding lawn mower frame I can use around the ole homestead here to haul a small work wagon with. Planning on using one of my panels as the vehicles roof so the majority of the time when it's just sitting it can keep the batts trickle charged. The goal is to do it with all scrounged parts, not spend anything except what I already have in my spare panel and some gear to go with it. Probably use a large truck starter motor as the main motive part as soon as I find one. This is the "no dollars" approach method.

Ya, I know, they make electric golf carts, the point is to recycle junk and make something practical out of it that I would actually use.

373 miles on a charge

[Moderation abuser]

30 mile range vehicles usually use Lead Acid battery technology.

Good electric cars have had 200+ mile ranges for a few years now. The car called the Solectria Sunrise did 373 miles on a single charge using NiMH batteries in 1997, well batteries have improved substantially since then and existing LiON batteries should be able to approximately double that, and coming Li-S batteries promise to double that again.

Home builds and conversions often use obsolete lead acid batteries and heavy steel shelled vehicles.

There are good designs but they'll never happen. The question you have to ask is... In the future, how are the existing oil companies going to make you pay them thousands of dollars per year for fuel? They can't do that if your vehicle is purely battery powered, you can charge it at home or work. They can if it's hydrogen fuel cell powered.

This guy is fairly on the ball with the various solar and battery technologies around for cars:

http://www.benerridge.freeserve.co.uk/ecot.htm

$1600?

[Shotgun]

So it is only $1600 if you use surplus parts.

Surplus parts are priced low due to the seller wanting to get something instead of have to pay to have the junk hauled off. Furthermore, once the supply runs out, there won't be anymore since people tend to get smarter the second time around. Not to take anything away from the guy (who is not an entrepeneur as the article suggest, but is an awesome geek), but saying that you can throw something together for cheap from junk parts does not mean you have an economically viable product. What would the real cost be if all the parts have to be purchased new?

He does DESERVE an honored position on the next Junkyard Wars episode, however.