Just a few days ago Piaggio filed for a US Patent on an ElectriPed and Dudel was there to scoop it up. From what I’ve read it’s the perfect urban green machine! You can select between rear wheel or 2-wheel drive… with both engaged your battery drains a bit quicker BUT you’ll be able to hit about 25mph! You can expect about 15mph running single motor, pedal-assist.
Besides higher speeds in a small moped like vehicle, another benefit of having two hub mounted engines is a better weight balance between front and rear wheels.
No word right now on battery life or even when to expect this baby to land.
Click on the title link to read the PDF from the patent office… oh and if you ever run into Dudel and you dig his scoops, buy ‘em a drink… hell, give him a hug if he’ll let ‘cha!
30. July 2007 at 8:46 pm
SCHWEEET, now THATS what Ive been talkin about.
30. July 2007 at 9:04 pm
Faster than this 2WD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkKiplBKa7Q
Greener than this 2WD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrChLc7jjPY
31. July 2007 at 2:22 am
You need a front motor for efficient regenerative braking on a two wheel vehicle. Outstanding if they plan on using RB on an electric moped, but I suspect this may have something to do with Piaggio’s HyS concept.
31. July 2007 at 2:24 am
Not bad. Unfortunately, it would be kinda expensive to “kit” an electric moped. Good controllers cost hundreds of dollars, and nice-sized lithium batteries can cost thousands. Maybe we get lucky and Piaggio over-engineers this thing and provides an easily-defeated limiter.
It’s really not the technology’s fault; it’s the regulators’. When are state DOTs going to realize that 25mph isn’t worth spit in real traffic? Worse, maybe they do realize it and are writing the motor vehicle laws under the guidance of the moped-hating Illuminati of N.O.P.E.D. (the Nefarious Organization for the Prevention of Enjoyable Driving).
31. July 2007 at 3:51 pm
” about ” 25mph ?..sounds as exciting as melting ice cream.
my grandmother can pedal faster than that..
as for the stupid ” laws ” regulating the ebikes speed ?.. you’ve got to be kidding…It’s a feeble attempt to keep us hooked on petrol. Ignore them !
FalconEV
31. July 2007 at 7:49 pm
Everybody is working on electric scooter technology. Honda patented the technology for “a drum brake unit on a rear wheel rotated by drive force of an electric motor… fins act as a heat sink to dissipate heat generated by the drum brake unit, and to resist heat transfer from the drum brake unit to the electric motor, helping to more efficiently cool the electric motor.”
US Patent 7249644 issued July 31, 2007
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7249644.pdf
27. December 2007 at 2:16 am
Electric Bicycles and Electric Scooters
Elmo The Electric Bike and Electric Scooter Guy
This is an excellent blog for electric bicycles. There are not too many around like this. Thanks for making this such an interesting subject. Oh, by the way, Wired Magazine has a great article on hybrid cars this month. (Jan 2008 issue).
God Bless,
Elmo