Solar electric bike?

[bikejock]

I'm thinking of rigging up some solar panels up to a 1000 watt electric hub motor. Anyone done this here? I would like to try this to get better range out of n E bike because let's face it, the range on E bikes sucks. Most I've ever gotten in a charge for an E bike is 8 miles or less. That's why people prefer gasoline over electric.

So does anyone have experience with this? I have experience with gas powered bikes but not electric bikes or solar panels for that mater. I found a few options for the motor I'm looking at. It's for my 26 bike so I got plenty of options for the motor because most E bike motors are for 26 bikes. I would like to be able to have a battery hooked up to the solar panels & motor that way I can drive at night to.

 

[butterbean]

Here's the thing. No battery can charge and discharge a full load at the same time. So the motor will still drain the batteries just as fast. Then you will have to wait for them to charge. And if you try to charge them faster than whatever load they are rated for, they will explode.

 

[butterbean]

Some solar panels can actually pump out massive amps, so make sure you get one that produces the amount of amps the battery can handle.

 

[bikejock]

Good to know. What are some good quality hub motors? I'm looking to get a front wheel hub.

 

[butterbean]

Only hub motors I know of are magic pie, hear they're pretty good but there is an ebike forum called endless sphere, you could also post questions there and they probably know a lot more than I do.

 

[wheelbender6]

I have seen a post about using solar panels without batteries on a bike with a hub motor. I think the power from the panels was regulated to 24 volts and around 100 watts.
-My biggest issue with using solar power "without batteries", is that the sun isn't very high in the sky during commuting hours. Using the solar-only powered bike during lunch hour would be cool.

 

[butterbean]

You can set it up to switch between battery and solar I think, maybe just a simple matter of adding quick disconnects to switch the connection from the batteries to the panels.

 

[wheelbender6]

It may be easier to attach a solar powered push trailer (see link). Its definitely more aero than mounting panels to the bicycle. Some have mounted the solar panels to their bicycle wheels. The solar wheels wouldn't survive well on the rough concrete roads that I travel.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/woman-completes-solar-powered-bike-ride-across-us/

 

[wheelbender6]

Here are some more links for a DIY solar bike.
http://www.solar-cross.thekpv.com/
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/a/11083/How-To-Make-A-Solar-Powered-Electric-Bike

 

[TomyJ]

My home made aluminum frame eBike with 350Watts and 36 Volts will get my 180 lbs. 20 miles down the road and at 25MPH, no pedals.