Electric Bicycles: A Guide to Design and Use

Design or build a battery-powered electric bicycle

For much of the world, bicycles are a transportation mainstay.Electric bicycles–powered by a rechargeable battery pack–areproven to deliver the highest possible energy efficiency, evencompared to pedal bikes. A transportation alternative to fossilfuels, electric bicycles are fast catching on, in part because theydon’t require factory assembly. End-users can easily construct themwith available components.

The text reveals important techniques, data, and examples thatallow readers to judge various propulsion setups–used in bothhome- and factory-made bikes–and estimate speed and traveldistance for each. Numerous charts clearly present the costs,benefits, and trade-offs between both commercial and user-convertedmodels.

Key features include:

Estimating motor-performance for wind, hill, and cruising powerrequirementsEstimating battery capacity and a thorough description ofbattery chargingMotor and motor-control optionsEvaluating motor-to-wheel coupling optionsPlacement of propulsion componentsConfigurations and performanceHow systems-engineering techniques can produce electric-bicycledesigns that have long travel range and low life-cycle costTestingDevelopments to watch

A comprehensive resource for harnessing innovation, ElectricBicycles is the definitive practical guide to taking fulladvantage of this exciting alternative energy technology.