Electric bike - 145bhp

[chriscanning]

all areas of the technology over the next 15-20 years. 

It’ll be too late for me never mind all the other old duffers on here 

[Swindon Andy]

Yeah my K and F-type will probably do me for a long while. If I last a bit longer I'll be best served with a little electric to visit the Doc. At the national 20mph limit.

[armstrongracer]

Ah Grumpy, suspect I do similar stuff to you. Engineers are always grumpy 

In a previous life I built high volume robotic and assembly lines for a living, mainly in the automotive industry.  I actually did a proposal for a line to assemble hydrogen fuel cells for a UK company that Suzuki had some interest in. They had a fuel cell Burgeman in their workshop. Ultimately fuel cell cars (and the project) didnt take off because the infrastructure for delivering Hydrogen doesn't exist yet.  Personally I think the real future of EV's isn't batteries its Ultra-Caps using a graphene core. These would be much lighter than lithium and offer instantaneous charging. Power density of Ultra-caps are lagging behind Lithium at the moment but give it time. No surprise that Musk has recently snaffled an Utracap company for $200m, chump change..

[Matt]

Yeah my K and F-type will probably do me for a long while. If I last a bit longer I'll be best served with a little electric to visit the Doc. At the national 20mph limit.

If 20 is the limit I suggest a horse. They feel hella fast at 20!

Plus the manure will be useful when we're growing our way to victory/next winter .

[Phmode]

The big problem I see with a K vs electric cars on country roads is that they have the same accelerative power as the K so popping a quick overtake becomes very dodgy if they spot you and close the gap which used to be your landing site.

Not so much of a problem where I live as even the 24bhp Honda gets past almost everything on our wonderful roads, but that's because most drivers have a) not a clue about engine or tyre and supension ability and b) no desire nor incentive to travel faster than the horse.

[Matt]

The big problem I see with a K vs electric cars on country roads is that they have the same accelerative power as the K so popping a quick overtake becomes very dodgy if they spot you and close the gap which used to be your landing site.

Not so much of a problem where I live as even the 24bhp Honda gets past almost everything on our wonderful roads, but that's because most drivers have a) not a clue about engine or tyre and supension ability and b) no desire nor incentive to travel faster than the horse.

Yeah I have thought this too, and every time I overtake a Tesla I am planning for the 'what if they try to stop me overtaking', just like when I used to have to when driving my old 306 1.6 across Wales!

So far it hasn't happened though. I imagine that particular scenario is more likely in several years when such cars are less than 5 or 10 grand and a different demographic are buying them.

[richtea]

Only one way to beat an electric car - get an electric vehicle with better power-to-weight ratio. That would be a bike. Status quo vadis restored.

[Grumpy jase]

Ah Grumpy, suspect I do similar stuff to you. Engineers are always grumpy 

In a previous life I built high volume robotic and assembly lines for a living, mainly in the automotive industry.  I actually did a proposal for a line to assemble hydrogen fuel cells for a UK company that Suzuki had some interest in. They had a fuel cell Burgeman in their workshop. Ultimately fuel cell cars (and the project) didnt take off because the infrastructure for delivering Hydrogen doesn't exist yet.  Personally I think the real future of EV's isn't batteries its Ultra-Caps using a graphene core. These would be much lighter than lithium and offer instantaneous charging. Power density of Ultra-caps are lagging behind Lithium at the moment but give it time. No surprise that Musk has recently snaffled an Utracap company for $200m, chump change..

I suspect you might be right about Ultra-caps, I've seen a few interesting concepts around using graphene in the vehicle structure to make the core, and effectively you have a 4 wheeled battery (capacitor). 

[Matt]

OK can one of you chaps explain to me how I can make Nikolai Tesla's approach to electricity work so all my vehicles can work from taking a feed out of the earth please?

[Phmode]

Only one way to beat an electric car - get an electric vehicle with better power-to-weight ratio. That would be a bike. Status quo vadis restored.

But then I too have range anxiety whilst riding...

[Grumpy jase]

OK can one of you chaps explain to me how I can make Nikolai Tesla's approach to electricity work so all my vehicles can work from taking a feed out of the earth please?

I think this is referring to building induction loops into the road (like a big transformer).  Pass a current through a wire wrapped around an iron core, which generates a magnetic field.  The magnetic field then reacts to a similar set up in the vehicle driving along the road, but in reverse, so the magnetic field causes a current to be generated in the wires wrapped around another iron core, and this current can run your motors or charge your battery, on the move.  No stopping to recharge ever.  It is very similar, but more elegant, to Brian's suggested electrified chicken wire.  It is very well proven technology, as millions of AC motors run on exactly this principle.  It does require you to dig up all the roads though to install it, which is a bit of a drawback.  Plus they would need to come up with a way to charge for the energy you are taking out of the road, but I can't see that being a major obstacle if you can solve the installation bit.

[Matt]

OK can one of you chaps explain to me how I can make Nikolai Tesla's approach to electricity work so all my vehicles can work from taking a feed out of the earth please?

I think this is referring to building induction loops into the road (like a big transformer).  Pass a current through a wire wrapped around an iron core, which generates a magnetic field.  The magnetic field then reacts to a similar set up in the vehicle driving along the road, but in reverse, so the magnetic field causes a current to be generated in the wires wrapped around another iron core, and this current can run your motors or charge your battery, on the move.  No stopping to recharge ever.  It is very similar, but more elegant, to Brian's suggested electrified chicken wire.  It is very well proven technology, as millions of AC motors run on exactly this principle.  It does require you to dig up all the roads though to install it, which is a bit of a drawback.  Plus they would need to come up with a way to charge for the energy you are taking out of the road, but I can't see that being a major obstacle if you can solve the installation bit.

Ah yes, I think so, or maybe I was remembering his wireless lighting stuff. This bit!

After 1890, Tesla experimented with transmitting power by inductive and capacitive coupling using high AC voltages generated with his Tesla coil.[105] He attempted to develop a wireless lighting system based on near-field inductive and capacitive coupling and conducted a series of public demonstrations where he lit Geissler tubes and even incandescent light bulbs from across a stage.[106] He spent most of the decade working on variations of this new form of lighting with the help of various investors but none of the ventures succeeded in making a commercial product out of his findings.