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Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

jacquesmattheij.com

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Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#81

Post by [deleted] »

davidw wrote: post #68
TacticalCoder wrote: post #27

We really need a terminology to differentiate better between pedal-assist only e-bikes ("pedelec") and electric motorbikes. A "bicycle" that can accelerate without the need to pedal at all is an electric motorcycle, no matter if you put pedal on it or not. I see the two as totally different things: I've tried pedal-assist e-bike and they're great. But... Although I have nothing against motorbikes I'm not cool at all…

> I'm not cool at all with basically motorbikes getting a free pass because they're disguised as bicycles. As long as they'r not causing problems for other cyclists, they're still a big win in terms of transportation: way less carbon usage and occupies less space.

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#82

Post by Havoc »

blunte wrote: post #12

This bike has the added benefit of being theft resistant - on the basis that it's too heavy for one person to lift. Seriously though, what does it weigh? With a typical sized Dutch man, stopping from full speed is going to be a real test of the brakes... For the same reason I don't like scooters on bike paths, I wouldn't want this sharing a bike path with me. When heavy fast vehicles and regular bikes collide, the re…

>stopping from full speed is going to be a real test of the brakes...

I'm sure it'll be fine if you stick some high end mountain biking disk brakes on there. I suspect you could also use the moter to bring it to a sharpish stop.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#83

Post by jacquesm »

deanc wrote: post #73

I have a specialized Vado sl. You can purchase a range extender and easily do over 100km with it, in reality closer to 200k. Any reason you didn’t consider this as it’s manufacturer supported?

I never even knew about the brand. The three that I looked at were Stromer, Bosch based systems and Klever. The Bosch based system won out because it doesn't use fancy one-off stuff, there is a fairly good source for spares (batteries, motors, controllers) and it seems to be the most reliable system on the market. The Stromers are a bit faster (higher powered motors), the Klever looks clunky and I've read a ton of stories about their reliability issues.

Will look at the Vado, thanks for the pointer.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#84

Post by foxfluff »

twic wrote: post #72
TacticalCoder wrote: post #27

We really need a terminology to differentiate better between pedal-assist only e-bikes ("pedelec") and electric motorbikes. A "bicycle" that can accelerate without the need to pedal at all is an electric motorcycle, no matter if you put pedal on it or not. I see the two as totally different things: I've tried pedal-assist e-bike and they're great. But... Although I have nothing against motorbikes I'm not cool at all…

The reality is that there is no useful bright-line rule to distinguish between bicycles and motorbikes. Historically, the two have been very distinct, so we haven't needed one. Now, we are starting to see more of the space between the extremes be explored. We do absolutely need good laws and conventions here, for safety and fairness. But i don't think basing them on a classification is the way to write them.

It used to be simple.. if it has a motor and pedals, it's a moped. But yeah, whatever you call it doesn't solve the regulation problem.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#85

Post by jacquesm »

Havoc wrote: post #82
blunte wrote: post #12

This bike has the added benefit of being theft resistant - on the basis that it's too heavy for one person to lift. Seriously though, what does it weigh? With a typical sized Dutch man, stopping from full speed is going to be a real test of the brakes... For the same reason I don't like scooters on bike paths, I wouldn't want this sharing a bike path with me. When heavy fast vehicles and regular bikes collide, the re…

>stopping from full speed is going to be a real test of the brakes... I'm sure it'll be fine if you stick some high end mountain biking disk brakes on there. I suspect you could also use the moter to bring it to a sharpish stop.

It's got large diameter hydraulic disc brakes, there clearly is a bit of a difference with the added battery weight but it stops just fine (still way faster than my 10 speed with rim brakes in spite of the much higher bike weight). The fat tires (2 1/4") also really help with that.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#86

Post by QuercusMax »

jacquesm wrote: post #28
TacticalCoder wrote: post #27

We really need a terminology to differentiate better between pedal-assist only e-bikes ("pedelec") and electric motorbikes. A "bicycle" that can accelerate without the need to pedal at all is an electric motorcycle, no matter if you put pedal on it or not. I see the two as totally different things: I've tried pedal-assist e-bike and they're great. But... Although I have nothing against motorbikes I'm not cool at all…

This is a pedal assist e-bike. There are people that cheat and that install throttles so they can move without pedaling but that's a great way to get your vehicle confiscated. A typical ride has me providing 40 to 60% of the Joules and the remainder comes out of the battery. If there is a very heavy wind up (not rare here) that might drop to 30/70 and if I have a tailwind it is the reverse. The bike has a nice stats…

My wife just bought an ebike (from RadPower) that has both pedal assist and a throttle that doesn't require pedaling. You can also adjust the amount of pedal assist so you can "feather pedal".

Who's going to confiscate this bike????

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#87

Post by thinkmassive »

jacquesm wrote: post #48
phreeza wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I am saying you could hack the power to torque factor to be so high you don't really have to exert very much force at all.

You can't. These bikes are DRM'd to the hilt and any attempt at hacking them will cause the bike to brick itself which you can only reset at the dealership. You can do that three times and then it's permanent. The penalties for having such a hack detected on your bike - assuming you would get away with it - is confiscation. I would strongly advise against such tricks. You can see how much work just changing out the b…

> The penalties for having such a hack detected on your bike … is confiscation

In what jurisdiction?

Edit: just realized it’s your article and you’re in NL. Confiscation might be an issue there but it’s not universal by any stretch.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#88

Post by anon776 »

The biggest issue I have with getting more than 20 miles out of my e-bike is the controller. The manufacturer of the controller set it to shut off when the battery pack hits 42v. (using a 52v pack) Sucks pushing a bike up a hill when you know you still have ~15% capacity remaining.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#89

Post by jacquesm »

YXNjaGVyZWdlbgo wrote: post #71
jacquesm wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's trespa, very strong stuff, weather proof, 6 mm thick.

Oh... I worked with something really similar but only for decoration purposes. I guess it's rigged enough to give the construction stability but it's still very prone to punctures. Do you think it would withstand a rock chip at higher speeds also do you prefer the high mechanical stability for a battery package? I don't really know if I would prefer it to warp at impact or break like hpl.

Rock chip no problem. Side impact by a car: big problem, but then I would have problems anyway, so my solution is to drive super defensively. Cities are the risky areas once outside of town it's safe to make some speed. The battery box is also protected by the frame triangle, which is fairly strong.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#90

Post by llampx »

jacquesm wrote: post #70
0des wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can't. These bikes are DRM'd to the hilt and any attempt at hacking them will cause the bike to brick itself This does not match reality at all. E-bikes are some of the most modify-able and hackable devices out there. Most of the parts are interchangeable, and a decent portion of these bikes are assembled piece by piece. I can change the acceleration profile of mine at will, via bluetooth. Amperage limits, batt…

Oh, sure, I'm making it all up. I just spent two months picking apart the Bosch e-bike system, I think by now I know what I'm talking about but feel free to prove me wrong and show me how you're able to get your battery to talk to a Bosch controller without using a Bosch BMS. Hint: you won't be able to, the key is embedded in an NXP processor that has it's fuses blown (both sides, controller and battery) and any kind…

I think you both can be correct. The more expensive e-bikes as sold in the EU are DRM'd to the hilt, whereas cheaper bikes sold elsewhere or assembled from kits won't have any restrictions. On reddit/r/ebikes you can see some crazy builds that would get you a hefty fine in most of Europe.
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