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Abstract: The Belt Drive system for electric bicycle includes a plurality of mot

ors (N) disposed in face-to-face configuration having their shafts in confrontin


g axial alignment joined by a common spool cog. Furthermore, the system includes
means for securing the plurality of motors (N) to a motor rack (H). Furthermore
, the system includes a wheel cog (D), over which the cog belt (G) is placed so
that it spans, partially, the circumference of both the wheel cog (D) and the co
mmon spool cog (F) on the motor shafts (P). The belt drive system also includes
a plurality of batteries (L), a battery rack (K), switching means to control the
motors (N). The system provides a rider reliable, long range transportation in
any type of weather, and on pavement, gravel, dirt and chip trails. The system i
s adaptable so that it may be installed on any bicycle.

Construction - I had to weld a motor mount onto the rear frame behind the seat.
The chain just clears the wheel and frame and it was critical to get the motor
solidly mounted. With such a powerful motor, the motor mount must be strong, an
d it's really pretty important to have a ball-bearing motor. The motor mount is
removable from the frame with three allen head screws. I have a TIG welder and l
ots of metal working tools so it was not a big deal for me but I don't see why a
ll this couldn't be done on a steel bike frame with silver solder or brazing rod
and a gas torch.
The batteries also have a very solid welded-on mount with a screw-down top retai
ning rail. The batteries are heavy and need a good solid mount with shock paddin
g. These batteries are narrow and don't interfere at all with pedaling. In this
arrangement they are also low and keep the center of gravity down.
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS, VARIATIONS AND POSSIBILITIES
It's the batteries, stupid. This bike is great fun right now but I can see a lot
of room for improvement. Ah, batteries, ever the Achilles' heel of the electric
vehicle. Oh how I hate lead acid batteries but - still stuck with them. NiMH, L
ithium Ion, or Nickel Zinc batteries would improve the juice-to-weight ratio eno
rmously, and would probably double the range, which is the single least satisfac
tory thing about this and all electric bikes. The batteries now weigh over 25 po
unds and are the heaviest single component. There are some reasons for hope. The
increasing numbers of hybrid cars are generally using NiMH batteries which shou
ld trickle down eventually and be very suitable for electric bikes. Other batter
y chemistries as well have made it to market, though success always seems elusiv
e. The biggest promise right now is that GM and Toyota are really pushing to put
lithium batteries in the next generations of hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids. G
M's Chevy Volt, due out by 2010, will only work if they succeed in mass producin
g lithium ions, and getting the cost down. It's kind of a chicken and egg proble
m: huge mass production will bring the cost down, but until they're cheaper, the
re isn't enough demand to mass produce them. The soaring price of motor fuels an
d the resulting demand for more and better hybrid cars is probably what will con
vince manufacturers to bite the bullet and build the factories.
The promise of lithium ion. Certainly the lithium battery has the greatest pot
ential of all the next-generation chemistries. It has the most energy per pound
and is well proven in smaller applications like cell phones and laptops. A pract
ical battery with this capacity would almost instantly put battery vehicles on a
competitive footing with gasoline powered ones. Current conventional lithium io
ns have a serious weakness - they die completely after about 2 to 3 years, no ma
tter what. But again, if GM and Toyota succeed in getting lithium batteries into
hybrids, as they say they will within the next two years, it will mean that the
y have largely eliminated or minimized these drawbacks. Progress with this batte
ry seems to be steady. They are now being used in some cordless power tools, whi
ch use bigger cell sizes and draw heavier loads than electronic devices. They do
n't use any heavy metals. There are a number of new types of lithium cells that
don't burst into flames when overheated or pierced. A123 has some of the most su
ccessful new cells, and Toshiba has even demonstrated cells that can be recharge
d almost fully in just a few minutes. Chinese cells are now on the market especi
ally for bicycles called LiFePo4. These cells are available in a battery pack f
or small electric vehicles called the Eonyx, as well as from other packagers. Th
ey are still something of an unknown quantity. Once these get into more people's
hands, we will be able to get a reading on their longevity and performance. Rig
ht now they are still about ten or fifteen times as expensive as lead acid batte
ries.
Well, what about fuel cells? Of course the concept and demonstrations of this
still-experimental technology is very compelling, but there has been so much hyp
e on the subject that it is still hard to say if this is all just incredibly suc
cessful marketing spin by the FC developers. I also think that in the early 2000
's there was an element of clever subterfuge by the auto industry to take the he
at off the fact that average fuel economy in this country was decreasing due to
ever more popular and larger SUVs. It is so much easier and cheaper for an auto
company like GM to run a relatively small early research project on fuel cells,
than it is to do serious engineering on real live production-ready hybrid develo
pment. Even in 2006 there are still basically no economically practical fuel cel
ls in actual use and even their promoters say that any commercially viable model
is at least 5 years off and maybe 10. It is the running joke that the day of wi
despread fuel cells and the hydrogen economy always seems to be 20 years off -
no matter when the question is asked. And then, where do we get all the hydrogen
? Seems to me hydrogen is and will remain way more expensive than any petro fuel
and I have never seen any realistic ideas to overcome this problem. And we stor
e it in 10,000 psi cylinders in the trunk? Uh, OK . . . Believe me I would love
to be proved wrong and initially was excited about this technology like everyone
else, but increasingly I am tBATTERIES
There is no question that the battery is the single thing, the one and only, ove
rriding thing, that is holding back the development and mass proliferation of el
ectric vehicles. At this point in time most of us are still stuck with using lea
d acid batteries. I am now using B&B 16 Ah batteries, made in China. Originally
I used Hawker Odyssey batteries model PC545, 12 lbs. each, which are basically t
he same as the Hawker Genesis G13EP. All of the batteries I have used are deep-c
ycling, AGM (Absorbed Glass Matt) sealed lead acid batteries (SLA) and are about
the best quality lead acid battery available. They can be mounted in any positi
on except upside down and they are sealed and maintenance free. They are much li
ke the Optima batteries used in many advanced electric vehicles like the EV-1 an
d the Sparrow but are available in a wider variety of smaller sizes. I got them
at Thunderstruck-EV.com. They now run about $50 each. It is nice that there is s
ome competition now in this type of battery and the prices are coming down by ab
out half from what I paid for my first set.
Of course lithium ion batteries of some kind would be the great enabler. Lithium
is just now entering the market, they are still quite expensive and something o
f a question mark. Conventional lithium cells, as used in laptops, have a therma
l runaway potential - meaning they tend to catch fire, in some cases like a Roma
n candle. New materials and chemistries based on lithium are attempting to addre
ss the safety problem. I have seen batteries called LiFePo4 - lithium iron phosp
hate - offered for sale at various websites selling electric bikes and accessori
es. They are claiming no fire problems, At this point, it looks like a decent ba
ttery pack for a bike like this would cost around $1000 or more. That is a lot o
f money to spend on a battery with a 1-year or 2-year warranty. In my opinion, t
hese batteries need to come down to the sub-$300 range before I would really be
interested.
A battery is rated in voltage and amp-hours. Voltage times amps times hours equa
ls watt-hours and this is the total energy available from the battery. So my bat
tery pack has 4 x 12V x 16Ah = 384 watt hours. In other words it will give 384 w
atts for an hour. But actually, it won't. The "16 Ah" is a rating to be taken wi
th a very large grain of salt. An essential thing to know about batteries is tha
t they give a lesser amount of total energy when discharged at a high rate. Read
that last sentence again and absorb it, it's important. A battery's electrical
power is not like a glass of water. If you drain that glass quickly or slowly, i
t contains the same amount of water. Batteries, not so. Draw high amperage, and
your total amount of energy is less! Because of this, batteries are often rated
nominally at a slow 10-hour discharge rate, in which case they will give more to
tal energy and thus seem like a better battery. Bikes and all electric vehicles
use energy at a very high rate. A bike can easily draw enough current to dischar
ge a battery pack fully in under half an hour, so batteries will not give their
rated output under these conditions.
Another tempting choice for cheap batteries might be Panasonic or Powersonic or
Sonnenschein gel-cell /lead acid batteries. Gel cells are the typical batteries
that come with most stock electric bicycles and kits. They are not AGM. Longevit
y is not as good, though the stated juice per weight ratio seems better, and the
y are available in a variety of smaller sizes if weight were more of an issue th
an range. Hawker makes slightly larger AGM batteries such as the G16EP like my B
&B which have a little more juice but are also heavier. The Hawkers are very wel
l made. Another great thing about AGM type batteries is that they can be charged
quickly at much higher amps than other kinds of lead acid batteries. Likewise t
hey have the ability to give high current with no problems. AGM batteries are al
so unique among almost all battery types in that they retain a full charge for m
onths with no 'charge leakage.' One of the big drawbacks of of NiMH batteries is
that they discharge about 1% to 2% per day. Regular lead acid batteries will ju
st go dead in a few months as well. Because of this, AGM batteries are also mark
eted to people with antique cars and snow plows - vehicles that aren't used very
often and are likely to have a dead battery when you finally want to start it u
p.
All lead acid batteries have two big drawbacks. They are quite heavy for the tot
al amount of power they deliver. And even these so called "deep cycle" batteries
really should not be deep-cycled too often, as repeated deep discharging dramat
ically shortens their useful lifespan. This is where NiCads have lead acid beat,
as they are more power dense and can be run down pretty much all the way withou
t much damage. Of course large NiCads are much more expensive and must be recycl
ed carefully due to the toxic cadmium. So until better batteries like NiMH or Li
thium Ion are more widely available in vehicle sizes and less expensive, Hawkers
and other AGM type lead acid are about the best we can do. More ruminations on
the Great Battery Quest below.
Why is Geared Belt Drive better than Friction or Chain Drive?
• No excessive tension, friction or vibration to cause bike parts to fatigue, engi
ne to wear out or burn tires up.
• The geared belt is a more efficient (and less expensive) method of transferring
power from engine to wheel - ever wonder why motorcycle manufactures now use the
geared belt?
• Better traction under any conditions: rain, puddles, muddy roads, snow, sand, tr
ail riding or on the road.
• No rollers to rub hole in tire, especially when wet - even 'morning dew' wet..
• Pressure is evenly distributed to the entire wheel not just the tire; Will not c
ause the rim to warp or excessive tire wear.
• Positive drive system allows for more efficient power transfer from engine to wh
eel.
• Simple, Easy to change drive gears for multiple riding conditions - No adjustmen
t or re-alignment required.
• Our smaller, Quieter, lighter engines yield much better gas mileage And performa
nce!
• Easy to engage belt tension lever for pedaling or engine use.
• No dangerous lever on handlebar to impale rider.
• No heavy gear boxes to add excessive weight and suck up the engine's power.
• Our Lightweight, Trim unit sits well within the pedal crank and below the seat.
• No limitation of tire selection: aggressive, trail or street.
• You can even keep your fender, you can't do That with a friction (scrubber) driv
e.
• GEBE's well balanced design allows use of kickstand that came with your bike.
Environmental effects
Most electric bicycles can be classified as zero-emissions vehicles, as they emi
t no combustion byproducts. The environmental effects of electricity generation
and power distribution and of manufacturing and disposing of (limited life) high
storage density batteries must be taken into account. Even with these issues co
nsidered, electric bicycles will have significantly lower environmental impact t
han conventional automobiles, and are generally seen as environmentally desirabl
e in an urban environment. The small size of the battery pack on an electric bic
ycle, relative to the larger pack used in an electric car, makes ebikes very goo
d candidates for charging via solar power or other renewable energy resources. S
anyo capitalized on this benefit when it set up "solar parking lots," in which e
bike riders can charge their vehicles while parked under photovoltaic panels.[31
]
The environmental credentials of electric bikes, and electric / human powered hy
brids generally, have led some municipal authorities to use them, such as Little
Rock, Arkansas with their Wavecrest electric power-assisted bicycles or Cloverd
ale, California police with Zap electric bicycles. China’s e-bike manufacturers, s
uch as Xinri, are now partnering with universities in a bid to improve their tec
hnology in line with international environmental standards, backed by the Chines
e government who is keen to improve the export potential of the Chinese manufact
ured e-bikes.[32]
A recent study on the environment impact of electric bicycles vs other forms of
transportation[33] found that electric bikes are about:
• 18 times more energy efficient than a SUV
• 13 times more energy efficient than a sedan
• 6 times more energy efficient than rail transit
• and, of about equal impact to the environment as a conventional bicycle.
[edit] Road traffic safety
China s experience, as the leading e-bike world market, has raised concerns abou
t road traffic safety and several cities have considered banning them from bicyc
le lanes.[1] As the number of e-bikes increased and more powerful motors are use
d, capable of reaching up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), the number of traffic
accidents have risen significantly in China. E-bike riders are more likely than
a car driver to be killed or injured in a collision, and because e-bikers use co
nventional bicycle lanes they mix with slower-moving bicycles and pedestrians, i
ncreasing the risk of traffic accidents.[1]
References
1. ^ a b c d e f g h J. David Goodman (2010-01-31). "An Electric Boost for
Bicyclists". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/business/global/0
1ebike.html. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
2. ^ a b c Kathy Chu (2010-02-12). "Electric bikes face long road in U.S.".
USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2010-02-11-elec
tricbikes11_ST_N.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
3. ^ "Pedelec Electric Bikes". NYCeWheels /Japan Cycle Press. 2010. http://
www.nycewheels.com/bike-info.html. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
4. ^ a b Jamerson, Frank E.; Ed Benjamin (2010) Electric Bikes Worldwide Re
ports – 2010 Update. EBWR. (Report).
5. ^ http://www.google.com/patents?id=DIVIAAAAEBAJ&dq=552,271
6. ^ http://www.google.com/patents?id=ZiZEAAAAEBAJ&dq=596272
7. ^ http://www.google.com/patents?id=F2JHAAAAEBAJ&dq=627,066
8. ^ http://www.google.com/patents?id=BFhrAAAAEBAJ&dq=3,431,994
9. ^ "Electric Bikes - Zike Bike Spares & Sales". Zikebike.com. http://www.
zikebike.com/about.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
10. ^ a b "China s Cyclists Take Charge", By Peter Fairley. IEEE Spectrum, J
une 2005
Benefits
• Belts do not rust.
o Lubrication is not required.
o Cleanliness due to lack of lubrication.
o Little to no maintenance.
• Smoother operation. A belt s teeth completely engage into the system for decreas
ed friction
• Longer life than metal bicycle chains.[1][2]
• Quieter than chain.
• Some belt systems are more lightweight than conventional chains.[1][2]
[edit] Disadvantages
• Derailleurs can not be used, so an internal-gear hub is used if multiple gear ra
tios are required.
• The belt cannot be taken apart, as a chain can, so a frame must be able to accom
modate the belt by having an opening in the rear triangle or an elevated chain s
tay.
• Belts come in limited length selection which the frame must accommodate.
• Belt-driven bicycles and their repair or replacement parts are scarcer at shops
than bicycles with conventional chain.
• Belt-driven bicycles often incorporate proprietary plastic gears, which wear out
more quickly than metal. Specially designed lightweight metal sprockets are ava
ilable on some models and in kits.[citation needed]
• Front and rear pulleys or sprockets must be well aligned to avoid excessive fric
tion and wear. A chain is more flexible in this respect
DC motors
Main article: DC motor
A DC motor is designed to run on DC electric power. Two examples of pure DC desi
gns are Michael Faraday s homopolar motor (which is uncommon), and the ball bear
ing motor, which is (so far) a novelty. By far the most common DC motor types ar
e the brushed and brushless types, which use internal and external commutation r
espectively to periodically reverse the current in the rotor windings.
Power
The power output of a rotary electric motor is:
Where P is in horsepower, rpm is the shaft speed in revolutions per minute and T
is the torque in foot pounds.
And for a linear motor:
Where P is the power in watts, and F is in Newtons and v is the speed in metres
per second.
[edit] Efficiency
To calculate a motor s efficiency, the mechanical output power is divided by the
electrical input power:
,
where
 η is energy conversion efficiency, Pe is electrical input power, and Pm is m
ec anical output power.
In simplest case Pe = VI, and Pm = Tω, here V is input voltage, I is input curren
t, T is output torque, and ω is output angular velocity. It is possible to derive
analytically the point of maximum efficiency. It is typically at less than 1/2 t
he stall torque.
A DC motor is an electric motor that runs on direct current (DC) electricity.
Brushed
Main article: Brushed DC electric motor
The brushed DC electric motor generates torque directly from DC poer supplied t
o the motor by using internal commutation, stationary permanent magnets, and rot
ating electrical magnets. Like all electric motors or generators, torque is prod
uced by the principle of Lorentz force, hich states that any current-carrying c
onductor placed ithin an external magnetic field experiences a torque or force
knon as Lorentz force. Advantages of a brushed DC motor include lo initial cos
t, high reliability, and simple control of motor speed. Disadvantages are high m
aintenance and lo life-span for high intensity uses. Maintenance involves regul
arly replacing the brushes and springs hich carry the electric current, as ell
as cleaning or replacing the commutator. These components are necessary for tra
nsferring electrical poer from outside the motor to the spinning ire indings
of the rotor inside the motor.
Synchronous
Main articles: Brushless DC electric motor, Stepper motor, and Sitched reluctan
ce motor
Synchronous DC motors, such as the brushless DC motor and the stepper motor, req
uire external commutation to generate torque. They lock up if driven directly by
DC poer. Hoever, BLDC motors are more similar to a synchronous ac motor.
Brushless
Main articles: Brushless DC electric motor and Sitched reluctance motor
Brushless DC motors use a rotating permanent magnet in the rotor, and stationary
electrical magnets on the motor housing. A motor controller converts DC to AC.
This design is simpler than that of brushed motors because it eliminates the com
plication of transferring poer from outside the motor to the spinning rotor. Ad
vantages of brushless motors include long life span, little or no maintenance, a
nd high efficiency. Disadvantages include high initial cost, and more complicate
d motor speed controllers.
An electronic speed control or ESC is an electronic circuit ith the purpose to
vary an electric motor's speed, its direction and possibly also to act as a dyna
mic brake. ESCs are often used on electrically-poered radio controlled models.
An ESC can be a stand-alone unit hich plugs into the receiver's throttle contro
l channel or incorporated into the receiver itself, as is the case in most toy-g
rade R/C vehicles. Some R/C manufacturers that install proprietary hobby-grade e
lectronics in their entry-level vehicles, vessels or aircraft use onboard electr
onics that combine the to on a single circuit board.

[edit] Function
Regardless of the type used, an ESC interprets control information not as mechan
ical motion as ould be the case of a servo, but rather in a ay that varies the
sitching rate of a netork of field effect transistors, or FETs.[1] The rapid
s itching of the transistors is hat causes the motor itself to emit its charact

eristic high-pitched hine, especially noticeable at loer speeds. It also allo
s much smoother and more precise variation of motor speed in a far more efficien
t manner than the mechanical type ith a resistive coil and moving arm once in c
ommon use.
Most modern ESCs incorporate a battery eliminator circuit (or BEC) to regulate v
oltage for the receiver, removing the need for receiver batteries. BECs are usua
lly either linear or sitched mode voltage regulators.
DC ESCs in the broader sense are PWM controllers for electric motors. The ESC ge
nerally accepts a nominal 50 Hz PWM servo input signal hose pulse idth varies
from 1 ms to 2 ms. When supplied ith a 1 ms idth pulse at 50 Hz, the ESC respo
nds by turning off the DC motor attached to its output. A 1.5 ms pulse-idth inp
ut signal results in a 50% duty cycle output signal that drives the motor at app
roximately half-speed. When presented ith 2.0 ms input signal, the motor runs a
t full speed due to the 100% duty cycle (on constantly) output.

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