Easy DIY solar charging electric bike guide
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ส.ค. 2022
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Outro Music: BenSounds
We purchased this Vivi 27.5” electric bike and a Tentaquil 26” electric bike for our 13 and 14 year olds. th-cam.com/users/postUgkxUiL0GnyDjP32RJdd660sP8mZk4CRLTCJ The Vivi was much easier to put together. With the Vivi, there was a video link to assist with assembly which made the process easier to follow (we did put the handlebars on upside down, but it was a quick and easy fix). With the Tentaquil, the assembly was not as simple to follow, but after we messaged the company for an assembly video, it was easier and they did respond quickly. The other major differences were that the Vivi has a grip throttle on the right handle (like a motorcycle) and the Tentaquil has a push throttle that you use your thumb to activate. The monitors were also different, so if you’re looking for something specific in terms of changing the bikes functions, pay attention to what the monitor offers. We were really impressed with the overall quality and functionality of both bikes, but if you’re looking for more power and an easier assembly, definitely go with the Vivi!
This panel can put out close to 100 watts th-cam.com/users/postUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.
It also works for electric motorcycles. We fitted 300W panels like you might fit a surfboard and flip them up when parked. It makes 30-40km of range daily for free 😀👍
"Free"
Good solar ekrr r as cheap 18 miles to 24 mile0s rabgr
@@bob-ny6kn 30-40 kilometers a day is about half a gallon or more worth of gas $2.50x30 is $75a month (x12) $900 a year? Dats great show me something similar that saves that much money
Wow! My brain just exploded with excitement!
@@bob-ny6kn The sun sends you an electricity bill?
TOTALLY APPRECIATE getting through details quickly & to the point. Many Tubers try too hard with trying to be relatable. I find this video refreshing due to a perfect combination of clear details+quickly moving onto the next description with A+ pronunciation. I found those details relatable enough. I look forward to the next solar vehicle project.
Thanks, Vince!
In general I think this is a great idea! However, I think it would be better to have panels that could fold and fit into a pannier saddle on the bike .. then when you have reached a destination (as in camping) .. you could unfold your panels and have a larger array .. with more charging amps. This was a good demonstration tho.
Wonder where you can get small folding panels suitable for mobility scooter
You'll have to camp. You'll need a full day of good sun and at least 5 full sized panels to get a full charge.
Protip: leave the panels at home.
Get premium cells that can take a real fast charge and build your own fast portable charger.
There are some really lightweight 1300-1600w server power supplies out now, but they haven't hit the used market yet.
4 of those in series would charge my 48v pack at about 100amps.
That would cut my charge time to 25 minutes.
I already have an adapter to use public ev charging stations.
12 cents for a full charge.
@@aussielass5621I'm guessing from your name you're not in North America, but if you are try Quiet Kat's portable solar charging station. If you're not in US or Canada then have a look for Nice Solar's folding panels. They do a 200W and a 120W version.
If a e bike is 350w how many solar watts should the solar panel be ?
I would like to have a bat wing frame like the awnings with FAN folding system. So, the one in the back could fan out into a 360 degree panel, 4 or 5 of them, all under the existing one in a fan frame. when riding fold them up , parked fan them out, use MPPT charge controller that reads EACH CELL, not just rows...
I really like these videos cuz you're one of the more knowledgeable people on e-bikes that I've seen. And really care about what you do
With those baskets on the front and back, you could make a sort of convertible rain fly type roof and put more panels on the roof, and have extra batteries charging to swap out...
Just found your channel been riding a e-bike for 3 months and really like it I lost 60 lb so far and I pulled my service dog in a pet carrier and I'm got a flexible solar panel for the pet carrier so I can charge the battery thank you this is cool
Thanks, Micah! The story you did for Electrek in Sept of 2018 on the solar powered ebike trailer that went from France to China was awesome... an average of 124 miles a day from the panels (300w-max) and his legs. If one were to seriously want to power an ebike with panels, it seems either mounting the panels to a trailer or an overhead canopy would make the most sense... the trailer adds rolling resistance and the canopy places weight & center of gravity and a potential sail up higher. I'd go for the trailer, unless the canopy was on a trike or a quad.
Way cool!
Or recumbent with roof
Yeah they will both work .....
The trailer idea sounds better than the roof, b.c. it can be scaled, essentially, "indefinitely" (within reason :) ).
I saw a van with solar panels on top where the guy used it to charge a pair of electric bikes.
Look like a fun project. As you said, probably not practical, however it does bring up the possibility of having solar powered charging stations for e-bikes.
Why wouldn’t this be practical?
@@lehsu math
@@cameratool seem like a practical way to extend your range.
This is so cool. I was considering purchasing an electric bike from Lectric. Thanks for doing these videos. So cool!
That was a success, looking forward to seeing you install this on your truck.
I guess there are TWO concepts to work on. 1). Is to charge and ride for long distance; & 2). Daily use where you use and charge in between trips.
I think the later is more to suit the masses where someone commutes to work and back or rides a bike to the shops, see friends or run errands. So with option 2, you could use one of those foldable blanket panels that unfolds and lays over the length of the bike when not in use. The blanket could be stored in a rack on the back and then opens up to lay over the bike & clipped into place.
So just like a RV camper van has batteries to get through the night, the bikes batteries get you through the next ride but charges every other moment in the sun.
I know some of the ranges these ebikes can do are amazing, so the odd 15 minute ride here and there should EASILY be recovered with the majority of your day not riding the bike.
Example, you ride 5km to your friends house to have lunch, coffee and a good old chit chat. 2hrs later you get back on your bike with an near (if not fully) recovered battery.
Love this! Just got a letric xp 2.0..it rips. Cant wait to see the solar truck💚
Great work. I'll wait for the truck work too
If you use 2 'flexible' panels ,that are mounted on aluminum,you can set them forward slightly over the windshield to shade it,and still the sunroof too, from the sun's heat,and have less drain by the air-conditioner.
This is great: this dude keeps having the same ideas I do, so he can do all my experiments for me, so I don't have to pay any money! ;-)
This is great setup for long ebike touring! thanks!
I've learned so much from your channel. Thanks so much Micah!
I'm playing around with the idea of having a trailer set up with solar and having a second battery that I'm charging while riding and camping.
That would be awesome!
Neat project. Ive been tossing the idea around since one of your old videos but im glad you did a video of it on a bike.
Very cool, ive been on a solar kick lately after getting an 80w panel thats been running my laptop for over a week now and a bunch of powre banks without having to plugin. Amazing the free clean(relatively) energy thats out there. And yeah its heavy , i wouldnt want to have to carry around anymore weight and thats only 80w. So for a mobile solution id definatley be getting the lighter flexiable ones, dont even care about the flex, you can carry twice as much pannel if not more for the same weight. Which i still think you need to do to power a vehicle succesfully, a lot of panel, more then the area of your vehicle allows, so stop and unfold and charge method seems to be the way to do that. Theres a channel here that did that with a van, totally electric, but slow and long to charge and had tonnes of pannel, But the weight was just massive so no wonder, you gotta be weight conciouse when using solar for mobile i think.
Anyway yeah i remmeber that truck, and the Mr. Lee that sold it, would be so cool if you could amphibinize the vehicle too, and solar power sail it to china, while mr lee awaits on the shores waving you in, and you guys hug and embrace and talk about the beautiful vehicle. Theres a channel that put solar panels on a catamorang boat in british columbia, pretty cool, but only moves around the bay i think and, i think it just too heavy again. Youd have to design with weight in mind from start when making a solar vehicle, or you'll always be getting unesecessary dead weight here and there.
That's a bright idea!
🤣
Love it, we’ve been thinking of doing a solar e-bike too!
Nice idea Micah. Makes me want to try this on my Lectric XP e-bike. 🙂 Good luck with your solar charging truck project.
Thanks for teaching us. I bought your book on lithium batteries and I've learned a lot. I just need the solar one to learn, thanks.
A copy of your “ bike manifesto “ book is in the mail to me right now. Looking forward to reading it. Love this video.
about time i been waiting for you to do something like this
Interesting project! Can’t wait for the next video!
This is a great SHTF, grid down solution. Thanks! 😃
I always get asked about my Surron when I park it in town. I give them the usual stats like range and speed but the best part is when I mention it is charged by the solar panels on my van!
I like how you did proof of concept on the bike, before you incorporated it on the truck.
Cool test. I’ve been thinking about trying something like this for a cool video but know that it’s really not very efficient for the shaded roads and bike trails in my area. Great video though!
Not silly. Great idea.
I was desperately in need of power in long range trip.
Have a reserved extra battery its better than having solar panel, the solar cannot charge quickly you need long hours of charging fluctuating
I did not think this would work so well. Wow!!! 🤓
Super cool Mikah !!! Charge all day ride all night!!!
folding setup would be cool!
nice accessory
Awesome video...thanks for sharing sir.
I'm planning to build a microcamper to use together with my PEDELEC electric bike. With your video I feel confident that I can fit a solar charger for the bike's 36V system in the camper. I should be able to fit at least a 100W, maybe more, panel on top of the camper, and two battery banks inside(if the system in my bike doesn't work while charging.) so that I have one connected to the bike and one being charged when travelling. Just need to learn to weld to build the frame of the camper, source a lot of materials... Fun!
Hi Micah, thanks for sharing your quick implementation of a solar bike! One key point is to avoid shadows on your solar panels: in your case the handlebar is right above the front one, while your seat is hanging over the rear one. Unfortunately we couldn't see how you connected your solar panels to your battery. This could be quite tricky.
With just 100 watts nominal power, assuming your battery is 500wh, you will be lucky to be able to recharge it completely in 10 hours (assuming 50w of solar panel output on average...)
For your project on the electric van you will have to significantly increase your solar panel power if you want to actually improve its range 😉
He said trickle charge, not improve the range. Also you don't need a full charge if you don't use the full battery every day
so if the battery is 500wh, and electricity from the grid is 20 cents per kwh, then charging the battery with solar panels saves 10 cents. If you do it every day for a year you save $36. How much did the panels and that fancy controller cost? If you need a spare battery so that you can use one while the other one charges, then the payback may be a long long time, and that's if you drive the battery from full to empty each day, on my bike that is over 25 miles. If you drive less per day or don't drive some days, the time to break even will stretch way out.
Great idea and inspiration
Still fun project on my favorite and only ebike channel
loved the video i want to put a solar setup on my mobility scooter. ive seen a couple that need the canopy on it to work, but dont want a canopy.
Can't wait to see the truck video
Just found out your channel and it's super interesting! Thank you :D
Nicely done. looking a building a small trailer to drag behind my e-trike. Now, I'll have to add solar to it.
Cool experiment!
that's awesome great idel
Nice Video....great experiments...and very good surrounding
I bet someday it'll be incorporated into the top of every surface on the bikes, from fenders to handlebars. And also on the backs of shirts/jackets & maybe even the tops of helmets... LoL... Thanks for another of your very interesting vids, they're so enjoyable!
Cool concept
Been thinking about this for my own bike
Your videos are making me want to attempt to convert one of my old bikes to electric
Nope buy new bike or n g tea n ge
Your awesome. Solar bikes are the future! Can you build one with the panels mounted above the rider so it provides shade also?
Great video
Mark Havran did a solar ebike. It's a really cool design and very light. If you had a small trailer, more panels could work well, but it's bigger is better versus paying more for lighter.
Crazy for the idea of solar powered biking!
Like this a lot . Thanks
great test its interesting
Thats a cool programmable solar controller.
Very nice
Nicely done! The big game changer is going to be when you can attach the flexible solar hood over your helmet and body that protects you from rain and still charges and is sturdy enough to attach to front rack and rear that is wind resistant and still keeps its shape wrapping around your back and body game changer!
Lol sounds almost like an Aptera car at that point
Done already! Check out Micah’s Electrek article.
With maybe a trike type electric bike with a canopy overhead aka the solar panels, that might just be practical. Good exercise on what is possible though. I look forward to your application on the truck.
I was wondering if you have heard of the Aptera solar vehicle and what is your take on it?
🟠Great project! could also make a detachable sun-shade/awning that goes over the rider for the flexible panels to attach to. Keeps the panels out of the way, kind of like a golf-cart overhead sunshade.
From Colombia. You just opened a new line of bussiness for entrepreneurs in the golf cart field. Solar paneled golf carts .lol
@@carlosberrio2206 yes, they exist! endless battery charging, do a search here on youtube and you will find some cool examples. :)
Good idea, and would probably work really well on a bike that size. You could make a door-hinge system so that you can still keep the use of your cargo racks. My bike is much smaller and the only panel that really fits without hindering my air resistance is a small 5w panel… into a 550-600wh battery. I’ve done that maths, and it’s not good! 😂
Fun project. I wonder how that would do on the Lectric Xpremium? Send the wattage to each battery individually, or still link them in series? Interesting project.
Great idea! This may be a very stupid question but that's never stopped me before. Would it be possible to charge the battery from the turning of the wheel/wheels while riding?
Good video
Nice... Thanks
I also have an older Kei truck and my plan for the solar panels is to create a rack that it hinged at the cab, this will allow for 2 full size panels and they can be adjusted to the best angle for the sun, and it wont get in the way of using the bed.
Way to go Micah. Living the dream.
Hey
Like the video
Do you know if they make a boost mppt for 1200 watts solar set up
To charge a 48v battery
I have 3 375w panels in parallel which is only 44v
To charge a 50v battery bank
back to the future franchise, did not see this coming
I like it because it's so simple but it works.
Exactly !! Well said and true
The angle of incidence to the sun may also make a considerable difference in solar cell output power. At "midday in Florida" you're OK with the panels lying flat like that, but either side of midday and you start losing solar output power.
It would be interesting to see how much you can improve things during the mornings and afternoons by providing a means to rotate the panel to an angle that more directly faces the sun as it travels toward or away from midday.
Plus or minus X hours (I'd start with +/- 1 hour) from local midday, I'd just lay the panel flat as you have done.
I would envision simple hinges about which a panel can be rotated and locked in place using a simple stick or peg system. Then, if you're riding on a road traveling East/West you pivot the panel toward the east in the morning, and toward the west in the afternoon.
The generally optimized angle depends on your latitude. For example, at my latitude (for a single static postition) the "ideal" angle to tilt the panel is about 40deg.
So far I've not found any, but I'm going to keep searching around and see if I can find an ebike riding innovator that's done some experimenting along the lines of dynamically adjusting the panels for optimum output.
Oooh i can almost feel that refreshing Solar Powered Breeze in my hair. i wonder how long you will be able to drive the small truck you have with the solar panel charging it at the same time. Question, Micah, will the solar panel charge the battery and keep it charged while you drive in the sun, will the truck suck more juice that the solar panel can feed the battery or will the solar panel be powerful that it can keep up with the batter draining
cool stuff
Good info
CIGS panels still work when partially shaded and they're easy to install with VRB tape.
My design places a solar panel above the rider which also serves as a sun shield, an additional smaller panel could still be placed behind the bike. Plus no one is utilizing the energy from the wheels, add small wind turbines on the front and back to pick up a continual flow of electricity as long as the wheels are in motion.
Some sort of frame to use the solar panels as a canopy would not only provide shade to the rider, but cut down on shadows being cast on the panels while freeing up the racks.
This concept does look fun. I agree with some of the others; a rooftop model would be ideal. You could tell in some of your shots that your shadow would inhibit performance during use. Like you said, it's not infinite range anyways but maybe a rooftop model could fit 4 panels is a square. Perhaps with increased power and more efficient panel placement the bike could tear up a Florida boardwalk for an entire day. Thanks for the content!
This was a cool exercise and I would imagine that with some innovative engineering, one could develop a solar array to power a bike...if anyone can come up with that, I bet it would be you!
Micah, thank you for all your videos. I want to use solar to charge my 52v 20ah battery using solar. I have a plug charge port and the hot and ground wires to my controller, can I use the wires to the controller to charge from a boost controller that is connected to solar panels? No place for info and thanks for any help, Ed
It's so nice that Keanu Reeves himself joined the e-bike community!
Lol
That was a very cool video!
Hi Micah, I would suggest to check the efficiency of the mppt controller because the losses will eat into your output quite significantly (the aluminum heat sink is not an encouraging sign). If your pickup is higher in voltage than the ebike, what voltage will you try to get from the panel(s)?
97% The MPPT inverter can be set for 24v to 85v
Very cool how much you pay por everything to make you bike solar
I like that white flexi solar panel
Cool ! Off topic ....what are the tall birds in the shade under the trees. Looks like sandhill cranes.?
I thought they would more effective. Is it the best you can get these days?
I’m interested in DIYing a project similar to this but with more solar panels.
When the battery is fully charged, what components and mechanism would be necessary to switch over to solar-ONLY assist, to preserve the battery’s charge for low light conditions. A charge controller of course, but what else?
In the setup above, does the solar power get delivered to the same motor that the battery powers, or a separate motor?
I have a question if you put a solar panel in your ebike and the electricity generated from solar panel goes directly in the batteries wouldn't it'd be bad? As long as i remember you cant use battery while you're using the ebike? Correct me if I'm wrong
I’m going to set the world record electric skateboard ride from Boston to San Diego next year. I’m going to do this for my skateboard. Thanks!
My new skateboard will have 33,000 mAh battery. Any suggestions on a great charge controller. I want the smallest and best made. 12S 8P
excellent idea, i believe almost everything with an electric motor should have solar panels, i would put two over head and three around the front wheel covering the sides of the front wheel too, and similarly three around the back tire, i know vertically the panels will not produce much power but if they are hinged then once parked you can fold them horizontally
Now all we have to do is make sure this has enough juice to charge good lights too so we can charge during the day and ride at night :-D Great vid though, really looking forward to seeing how it works on bigger project (the truck) and over extended period. Would love vids more detailed on how to do this, hopefully it wouldn't cannibalize your book sales. Btw, will there be a new edition of your books with updated info on new products and technologies?
Nice👍
You should consider a full length bed cover frame to install a 275w panel on the truck 👍
Thanks for the great video !
@TelegraMe@EbikeSchool Are you going to mail me a new car from Nigeria ? Lemme guess, I have to pay shipping.... LoL
Micah, if you can run your bike with solar attached, can you run a power station directly as well while riding?
It would be cool to see how many panels it would take to power the bike enough to keep going.
I apologize if this was covered in the video, but how will this system know when the battery is fully charged? Does the bike battery BMS cut charging safely? Or is this done by the charger itself (in this case the MPPT controller)?