My Solar Ebike

Рет қаралды 9,588

9 ай бұрын

Here I give you a look at my solar ebike. I took an e-bike and custom built what I needed to make it work for my needs.
#TennesseeCyclepath

Пікірлер: 60

@williamsouthwick6117 9 ай бұрын

I have been using solar to charge my bike now for a little more than 3 years and rarely need to use the wall charger. That being said, where I live and travel many of the roads are under the canopy of trees or in the shade of a mountain so a trailer is just extra weight and a danger on narrow country roads. My solution is a folding 100w solar panel I carry in one of my panniers with my wall charger as well. I'm able to travel 70 miles on a fully charged 52v 21ah battery without any charging. Taking a long lunch in a sunny spot with the panel deployed, or a place with power extends my range considerably.

@SolarizeYourLife 7 ай бұрын

True enough, and the lightest solar panel should be cigs panel..., I hate these so called 'flexible' panels, first that is false not bendable, and second they are still solid silicon that cracks way too easily...

@williamsouthwick6117 7 ай бұрын

@@SolarizeYourLife Yeah, doesn't take all that much bumpy back roads to render those silicon cell panels useless! The folding panel I use is a cigs.

@sinisterpuppet2272 4 ай бұрын

This was very informative. Thanks so much Mike!

@friarrodneyburnap8680 Ай бұрын

Thank you Mike, I want to build one of these...

@TennesseeCyclepath Ай бұрын

I want to go on an overnight trip with this setup. Every time I plan something either work or weather gets in the way. I promise soon.

@ryan0557 6 ай бұрын

Thanks man! This vid helped a lot w/ my own project, not that many people offering good info on solar set ups.

@TennesseeCyclepath 6 ай бұрын

Glad it helped!

@kenastl 9 ай бұрын

That's a nice set-up.

@mikemiller3303 9 ай бұрын

Pretty awesome talk about thinking outside the box

@happmonkeyballs 7 ай бұрын

Great work, I've been so curious about this type of set up. I'm ordering my first electric bike soon (Engwe L20) for travel and wild camping. Would love to do somthing like this! Thanks for the info and ideas. From Cornwall, England 👍

@TennesseeCyclepath 7 ай бұрын

You’re welcome. If I can help just message me.

@utubeape Ай бұрын

Great setup, you must have a good panel to get so much power. I have heard it is better to either charge or discharge the battery but not both at the same time, in some way it is not good for the battery life, better to have a seperate battery charging and another one in use, then swap them over. If you are ever going to upgrade your tongsheng motor like I did get the new company Toseven, its a cross between a bafang and a tongsheng, it has more power and has torque sensing, so you use less battery power because it factors in what power your legs are doing. Also you can customise it via the creen much more than any other motor. Easy install just like the tongsheng

@TennesseeCyclepath Ай бұрын

Thanks for the info. I didn’t know about the battery or the new company. I am definitely going to be looking for a new kit soon. The Tongsheng has worked very well for me though.

@utubeape Ай бұрын

@@TennesseeCyclepath I only got about 2000 miles before it stopped turning the chainring, I found out this is a bearing called 'sprag clutch ' a one way bearing. I think it is beyond ne to change it

@pdxRoberge 5 ай бұрын

Thank you Sir for your simple and effective explanation.

@TennesseeCyclepath 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for your kind words.

@chrisbarker270 3 ай бұрын

Rigid is heavy but it blows away the flex ones. I use a 170 watt and it charges everything I need. Wish I could show you a picture of my rig.

@TennesseeCyclepath 3 ай бұрын

I have a 100 watt folding panel that I can also set up when I stop for the day. Depending on the terrain and wind it could supply all I need.

@MichaNordOst 3 ай бұрын

Hi Mike! Its a good solution for more range! I do it also! We're are from ? I have Family in Detroit... Greetings from Germany near Berlin Michael

@TennesseeCyclepath 3 ай бұрын

I grew up in Indiana. We’ve lived in Tennessee 40 years.

@Bontelabo555 8 ай бұрын

This is absolutely best set up 👌

@TennesseeCyclepath 8 ай бұрын

Thank you. If it has a negative side it would be the weight. I’m looking of ways to shed some weight.

@tylerd947 3 ай бұрын

cool

@rogerli9379 3 ай бұрын

You are so smart and did good job for your solar E- bike with only 100 Watts the panel. It’s looking beautiful 🎉. Being 200 watts of panel on my E- bike without a trailer, but its effective is lower than yours manybe the controller is a problem.😢

@TennesseeCyclepath 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for your kind words. I really like the controller I have now. I had one before that wasn’t a true MPPT controller. I don’t remember the brand but it was lime green.

@Thomas-yr9ln 6 ай бұрын

Nice setup.

@TennesseeCyclepath 6 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@normanwray1341 4 ай бұрын

Hello dear friend you has a berley solar power ,so you can't last now 😅😊

@keithalc07 9 ай бұрын

Mr Progressive/ Thank you/ Good work on the video

@billrichardson-dk6ko 9 ай бұрын

i really enjoyed that mike. are you fully retired now? 14:29

@TennesseeCyclepath 9 ай бұрын

You are welcome!

@TennesseeCyclepath 9 ай бұрын

@@billrichardson-dk6ko. No.

@soul6782 4 ай бұрын

I like this idea can it also be used the same way for electric scooter?

@TennesseeCyclepath 4 ай бұрын

Probably. You wouldn’t have as much range with a scooter because you wouldn’t be pedaling.

@soul6782 4 ай бұрын

I mean the solar part like if I wanted to just put a somewhat big battery pack to recharge from the sun to store the energy to recharge a scooter just to get the extra miles.

@DiabloManiacz 3 ай бұрын

I've been cycling 4 years with solar power. I would not recommend to never use panels below 150W, and I suggest always measuring the exact power & production. A lot of the smaller panels are just complete junk, since most don't care about stats like temperature coefficients or quality of the protective glass/plastic.

@TennesseeCyclepath 3 ай бұрын

It’s a learning curve for me. I wanted more watts but a 100 watt panel was as big as I felt safe with pulling on a trailer.

@vasey69 4 ай бұрын

Thank you! Where are the links?

@TennesseeCyclepath 4 ай бұрын

In the comments about 5 months ago Richie8214 asks a question. The links are in my reply to him.

@SolarizeYourLife 7 ай бұрын

For the most part, the solar should/will mostly be used while stationary... While on the run/road, there are just too many trees/buildings that are constantly shading the panel... Believe me, I tried...

@TennesseeCyclepath 7 ай бұрын

You have a point. On the rail-trails for example there’s lots of shade.

@malcolmlyon8871 7 ай бұрын

Have you assessed typical Wh input versus output when riding your bike. I can ride at about 5Wh /mile and wonder if your system would sustain that on a summer's day.

@TennesseeCyclepath 7 ай бұрын

Unfortunately I don’t have a watt meter to measure the power my e-bike is consuming. I will say I depend on pedal power as much as possible. On a “typical” day my solar panel doesn’t keep up. I notice the battery voltage slowly dropping during the day. When I stop for lunch etc. there is some recovery. My e-bike console doesn’t show battery percentage either so there’s a lot of guessing on how my system is performing. It’s a Tongsheng TSDZ2 and has gone 3,000 miles without a problem but the console is one of its negatives. I am going to do an overnight trip very soon weather permitting and will post a video. I will pay attention and take notes about the solar performance.

@malcolmlyon8871 7 ай бұрын

@@TennesseeCyclepath Thanks for your rapid reply. I have a Tongsheng that was on my wife's bike. I have transferred it to a Dawes Kingpin with 20 wheels and it's a great performer. I hope to do an off grid tour in Wales in Spring with a solar trailer as a back up to other opportunities (ie cafes etc) - if I ride for 4 or 5 hours (30-40 miles) - should get enough solar...but cloudy weather is always a risk! All my ebikes are charged by a static panel on my shed using same mppt charger as yours - has worked well for two years - and charged my lawnmower too!

@Thomas-yr9ln 4 ай бұрын

Solar takes a long time. If you were off somewhere and depended on it to charge you to get back home you would need a lot of time to kill.

@TennesseeCyclepath 4 ай бұрын

When I was putting this together, what I envisioned was a setup that would lengthen my range. I didn’t think a 100 watt Solar panel would supply all my power needs. I am going to take it on a short trip soon and see just what it is capable of. I’ll put out a video of my results.

@roop298 2 ай бұрын

What are those pipe clamps called?

@TennesseeCyclepath 2 ай бұрын

Lowe’s calls them Sigma ProConnex. It’s a 1/2” EMT clamp that allows the conduit to standoff from what you’re mounting it to.

@roop298 2 ай бұрын

@@TennesseeCyclepath TVM

@richie8214 9 ай бұрын

How much are them mppt mate

@TennesseeCyclepath 9 ай бұрын

4 LEDs MPPT Boost Solar Charge Controller Panel 300W Regulator Solar Panel Battery Regulator Charge Controller 24V-72V a.co/d/1aGlD2V

@TennesseeCyclepath 9 ай бұрын

I finally found the right button for the links.

@TennesseeCyclepath 9 ай бұрын

Solar panel: ACOPOWER 100w 12v Monocrystalline Solar Panel Module with Connector (Panel Only, Compact Design) a.co/d/14p7GD6

@TennesseeCyclepath 9 ай бұрын

Watt meter: KETOTEK Amp Volt Watt Kwh Meter Tester Panel Digital 4 in 1 Ammeter Voltmeter Multimeter 12V DC 6.5-100V 20A, Voltage Current Power Energy Usage Monitor LCD Display Car Motorbike Solar a.co/d/2GxwHuS

@TennesseeCyclepath 9 ай бұрын

Rack for Burley Trailer: Burley Nomad Cargo Rack a.co/d/gOBDx3G

@brianbassett4379 9 ай бұрын

LOL

@markifi 6 ай бұрын

not bad but with roadie stuff you could easily save 70 watts just on aerodynamics. smaller tent, smaller pack, maybe under 40 litres, the close fitting clothes everybody likes to hate. it really adds up. given an average power output of 200 watts from your legs, you can probably cruise at 17-19 miles an hour if you have the right equipment. if you do that 4-5 hours a day you already cover as much as you do with this setup