Punchers & solar panels/regen breaking

[Tim Goffin]

So I have had 2 punchers in one week covering about 200 miles...
so got myself a tire from Halfords today, conntinetal e-bike tire...

Also bought a kevlar insert for the rim and cut an old inner tube to go in tire aswell.

The punchers seemed more of a split than a pin hole hope it goes away, I would hate a flat half way on a ride.

Also I'm liking peddling on flats and downhill atm and watching my volts slowly go up from regain breaking, anyone know if regen "gain" can be turned up or down ECT?...
Any one tried solar panels?...
Maybe they would only be Any good somewhere like California!

 

[peter.c]

If it is a split are you sure you are not pinching the tube or spinning the tyre on the rim
The size of a solar panel to charge a bike quickly would be to big think sail boat sized a new thing a wind powered bike the regen is just the cells bounce [sag] recovery from your 1500 watt mod

 

[Tim Goffin]

So this regen thing don't work at all?... seems a shame, it does seem to me if I go down a very steep hill fast the volts push up abit....maybe 0.2-0.3 on huge hills...as much as I do have a 1500w set up on my ride this morning my lcd3 never went over 380w....when my eggrider arrives I will be setting 400w as limit...

 

[peter.c]

Yes but no current drain allows cell recovery will go up some times more than that

 

[Tim Goffin]

Yes but no current drain allows cell recovery will go up some times more than that

Yet I get that...be nice if there was a real way of seeing how much regen we could get from a ride....maybe it is something the boys at egg bikes could do....

 

[peter.c]

Its a very complex thing stop drive and reverse the process to regen they cannot make it work in formula e efficiently yet so a tiny bike I doubt it will be worth it

 

[danielrlee]

Its a very complex thing stop drive and reverse the process to regen they cannot make it work in formula e efficiently yet so a tiny bike I doubt it will be worth it

It's not that energy recapture through regenerative braking is inefficient (the actual DC-DC conversion efficiency will likely be somewhere in the region of 90-95%), just that most of the energy used to make the vehicle move in the first place is lost to overcome air resistance. In reality, there is very little uncaptured energy left to reclaim.

I'm personally of the opinion that regenerative braking is worth the hassle if you regularly reach speeds of 30mph+, not so much for the energy recapture, more the buttery smooth braking it provides and the physical brake wear it prevents. Variable (progressive) regen is great if your controller supports it.

 

[mark_44]

Any one tried solar panels?...
Maybe they would only be Any good somewhere like California!

Hi Tim

I assume you are talking about for a domestic install and not some new bike mounted setup???

I put a 4Kw array on my house at the beginning of the summer. Have been staggered by the amount of power generated (more than we use daily)- though this summer may be a bit of an exception.

If you can afford the upfront cost, IMO its an absolute no-brainer though I hadn't considered the install without a battery backup system. I've got a system from Moxia which while considerably smaller in capacity than the Tesla powerwall - it's a lot more cost effective, and probably more appropriate for our less sunny climate.

If your considering one, you need to get a move on as the Feed-in-Tarriff ends in March 2019, and I hear they fitters are getting extremely busy (probably for that reason). The Return on investment duration is generally regarded as 5-7 years with the FIT and govt subsidy, during which period you will enjoy significantly lower electricity bills and regular payments from your nominated energy provider.

I cant imagine UK energy costs will be going down anytime soon - particularly post brexit as we import a lot in...

Regards

Mark

 

[Tim Goffin]

It's not that energy recapture through regenerative braking is inefficient (the actual DC-DC conversion efficiency will likely be somewhere in the region of 90-95%), just that most of the energy used to make the vehicle move in the first place is lost to overcome air resistance. In reality, there is very little uncaptured energy left to reclaim.

I'm personally of the opinion that regenerative braking is worth the hassle if you regularly reach speeds of 30mph+, not so much for the energy recapture, more the buttery smooth braking it provides and the physical brake wear it prevents. Variable (progressive) regen is great if your controller supports it.

So, let me get this straight! Does regen take effect when I'm not peddling or throttling automatically? As you said about it braking buttery smooth, it don't slow my bike down, it just flys down hills....

 

[Tim Goffin]

Hi Tim

I assume you are talking about for a domestic install and not some new bike mounted setup???

I put a 4Kw array on my house at the beginning of the summer. Have been staggered by the amount of power generated (more than we use daily)- though this summer may be a bit of an exception.

If you can afford the upfront cost, IMO its an absolute no-brainer though I hadn't considered the install without a battery backup system. I've got a system from Moxia which while considerably smaller in capacity than the Tesla powerwall - it's a lot more cost effective, and probably more appropriate for our less sunny climate.

If your considering one, you need to get a move on as the Feed-in-Tarriff ends in March 2019, and I hear they fitters are getting extremely busy (probably for that reason). The Return on investment duration is generally regarded as 5-7 years with the FIT and govt subsidy, during which period you will enjoy significantly lower electricity bills and regular payments from your nominated energy provider.

I cant imagine UK energy costs will be going down anytime soon - particularly post brexit as we import a lot in...

Regards

Mark

Also I think it's just a nice idea, producing your own electricity. It's the way the world is going.. . My next car Will be electric...

 

[danielrlee]

So, let me get this straight! Does regen take effect when I'm not peddling or throttling automatically? As you said about it braking buttery smooth, it don't slow my bike down, it just flys down hills....

It depends on your specific controller, but usually you have to engage brake cutouts for regenerative braking to occur. If you have a controller from Grin, Sabvoton, Adapto, Sevcon or Kelly, or have a Cycle Analyst, it would be possible to engage regen automatically on a 'throttle-off' event.

You should be able to feel the effects of regenerative braking, although the amount of braking force is a function of speed, motor winding and controller regen current. If you cannot feel any braking force, regen is likely not engaging.

Are you sure that your controller supports regenerative braking?

 

[Tim Goffin]

It depends on your specific controller, but usually you have to engage brake cutouts for regenerative braking to occur. If you have a controller from Grin, Sabvoton, Adapto, Sevcon or Kelly, or have a Cycle Analyst, it would be possible to automatically engage regen automatically on a 'throttle-off' event.

You should be able to feel the effects of regenerative braking, although the amount of braking force is a function of speed, motor winding and controller regen current. If you cannot feel any braking force, regen is likely not engaging.

Are you sure that your controller supports regenerative braking?

Oh...I will look into that then....there I was thinking I was gaining a few volts, but probs didn't even have it engaged lol....classic me...