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Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

jacquesmattheij.com

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Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#491

Post by gh123man »

leeoniya wrote: post #451

> I hope this article will inspire people to look at e-bikes as potentially commuter car replacement, to send Bosch and other e-bike technology manufacturers a message that if they won’t supply what people need that they are going to have to live with people hacking their stuff and to get people to comment on the way the thing works, what they would do with it and how it could be improved or how I could work better/s…

It's pretty insane how locked down their software is. I was looking into building a battery status app for the Garmin Fenix watches that connected directly to the board over bluetooth, but you need to fetch a key from their api with a carefully crafted request that is used to re-authenticate with the board every few seconds. If you mess up the API call they IP ban you and warn you of API abuse.

Crazy: https://github.com/ponewheel/android-ponewheel/issues/109#is...

I love my Onewheel - but why can't they just open up a read only API for stats so people can build 3rd party apps around them.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#492

Post by throwaway984393 »

> and besides a lot better for our precious climate, which is the main reason I wanted to cut down on the use of my car.

I'm sure building an e-bike is a lot of fun. But there must be plenty of other ways to help the climate if you'd like to use your car occasionally.

For example, people who bike a lot might still order a ton of goods online (say, from Alibaba?) to save money, which then has the double effect of encouraging the global trade + transportation routes that are not climate friendly, and encouraging the "emerging market" businesses which don't necessarily produce products in the most sustainable ways in order to lower cost.

I know somebody who refuses to turn on their central air conditioning lower than 77F "because that wastes energy so it is irresponsible", and another person who turns off their hot water heater in between daily showers. Really I'd just like some sort of website that compares people's ideas about what helps the climate, to what actually helps, and how to balance things out in one's life.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#493

Post by iamtheworstdev »

throwaway984393 wrote: post #492

> and besides a lot better for our precious climate, which is the main reason I wanted to cut down on the use of my car. I'm sure building an e-bike is a lot of fun. But there must be plenty of other ways to help the climate if you'd like to use your car occasionally. For example, people who bike a lot might still order a ton of goods online (say, from Alibaba?) to save money, which then has the double effect of enco…

that seems unfair.. OP is a nerd doing nerd things with the side effect of a feel good environmental story/reward.. vs turning off a hot water heater between daily showers is more like a misunderstanding of thermodynamics(?) or some part of physics. or not running an A/C which, hey, if they're happy, who gives a shit?

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#494

Post by throwaway984393 »

908B64B197 wrote: post #372
DonHopkins wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the day that daylight saving time changes so it's dark an hour early, the Dutch police sneak out all around the city, hide behind bushes, and jump out to surprise unsuspecting bike riders who don't have their lights on yet, and write them traffic tickets.

This has to be a joke right?

Dutch people don't joke; they insult you and then laugh

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#495

Post by unethical_ban »

vineyardmike wrote: post #468

I love the idea of e-bikes and would love to be able to use them and not need a car (which i don't own), but i just don't feel safe using them in US cities... NYC has too much traffic, SF has too many hills, Seattle is too wet. I wish there was more alt-transit for commuter scale transportation to get around without a car, but the autonomy of not using a bus. Scooters seem promising but they're a pain on the roads (w…

Hills are the reason to get an e-bike! I live in the Texas hill country and that's why I've thought of one.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#496

Post by R0b0t1 »

Fogest wrote: post #485
billylindeman wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LOL I built the first version of their android app back in the day. Can't speak to why they've been going after modders, but it's likely from a liability / legal standpoint. At the end of the day I still love their products and currently own an XR (may upgrade to a GT next spring!). At least for the earlier versions all the info was published as standard BLE descriptors, so building a third party lightweight app for…

Is it really liability? Because I really doubt that. People modify vehicles all the time and it causes unsafe driving that can lead to collisions. The car manufacturer doesn't get sued because somebody made a stupid change. Maybe it could be a super minor thing they use as an excuse to prevent modding, but I think the actual answer is what the other commenter mentioned. They don't want their own product competing wit…

Safety and liability actually mean lack of revenue from data collection and service contracts. It's nothing to do with safety or liability.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#497

Post by efraim »

chli wrote: post #385
jacquesm wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the USA the situation is much more risky than here. I don't like riding in traffic mostly because drivers tend to have a short fuse for anything that isn't exactly at the limit, but on bike paths everything works just fine. The problem is that s-pedelecs are technically lumped in with the scooters, even though there is no throttle and there is absolutely no way you are going to sustain 40 Kph+ for anything but a v…

Very cool project. I'm currently evaluating whether I could commute 75km per day on a pedelec. In Switzerland there is a small bike manufacturer that makes long range pedelec : https://www.speedped.com/ (German only). It's very expensive though but the battery pack can be updated to something quite impressive.

Since they are registered and used as mopeds, why not get an electric moped instead? Then you don't have to pedal and can sit more comfortable, maybe even with a windscreen.

I don't really see the point of pedelecs, unless you disregard the law and just pretend they are less powerful e-bikes. But then you'll lose it if the police notice.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#498

Post by antisthenes »

sokoloff wrote: post #489
antisthenes wrote: post #434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm curious - what ebike do you have that can easily cruise at 48-53 kph for extended periods? Those speeds sound like bogus. I can maintain about 40kph on my ebike on a flat surface, but that requires pedaling in addition to the motor and is a fairly energetic exercise. Also, pushing beyond 45kph, you really start to feel the air resistance and it becomes exponentially harder to go beyond 45kph for any long period…

> you really start to feel the air resistance and it becomes exponentially harder to go beyond 45kph Nitpick: it becomes cubically harder. ;)

Nitpick to nitpick: cubically is a subset of exponentially.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#499

Post by newaccount74 »

leeoniya wrote: post #458
billylindeman wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LOL I built the first version of their android app back in the day. Can't speak to why they've been going after modders, but it's likely from a liability / legal standpoint. At the end of the day I still love their products and currently own an XR (may upgrade to a GT next spring!). At least for the earlier versions all the info was published as standard BLE descriptors, so building a third party lightweight app for…

> but it's likely from a liability / legal standpoint sure. but also the same reason mfgs dont want their modded/refurbished/re-sold prev-gen products competing with their new products.

Which is stupid, since people who look for a cheap used option aren't going to buy a new product at full price anyway. They are going to buy a cheaper product from another company, and then you have lost them as a potential future customer.

People who buy your companies used products are much more likely to buy your companies new products at some point in the future.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#500

Post by acomjean »

Fogest wrote: post #486
NikolaNovak wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If something has that average speed capability, why is not licensed, registered, insured and held accountable as any vehicle would be? My 50cc scooter appears to have comparable speeds (maybe 10kph higher), and I wear proper armour & helmet, took the classes passed the test, am registered, licenses & insured. That's my massive pet peeve & safety concern: I WANT to love e-Bikes, and all those sorts of things; and like…

I know here in Ontario, Canada we do have regulations for ebikes. They are not allowed to exceed 32km/h (or ~20 mph). This seems like a somewhat reasonable limit. They also impose other requirements like minimum wheel widths, having two independent braking systems with stopping distance requirements. You can't even ride them if you got a criminal conviction that prohibits driving (such as a DUI). Reference: http://ww…

In the US my ebike stops giving assist at 20mph. (Class 1 I think) I can go faster just pedaling but not for very long.

My average speed on the ebike only increased by 3-5 mph over my regular bike, but my distance and usage has gone up.

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