When times get really tough, you are way ahead of most folks. E-Bikes and solar might eventually be the only mode of transportation (other than shoe leather) sooner than we realize.
@@solarcabin I have seen the prices of US products soar. A can of Campbell's tomato soup used to be $3, now $5. But a can of better Maggio Tomato Soup from Mexico twice the size remains at 55 cents. A GMC 2 WD 1.2 ton pickup is $93,400. But a 4WD 1/2 ton P/U with a more powerful turboed engine is $16,500 US Labor costs are $28 an hour. In the rest of the world more like $2.50 an hour. I rent a 7 bedroom/5 bath house with 4 car garage on 23 acres in Cosya Rica for $153 a month. Elextric is $12 to $15, Water/Sewer/ Trash $6, Internet $12, Cellphone $4. Both labor and living costs are much higher in the US. Plus here the maximum tax for workers is 13% that included 100% medical with National Health Care. There are no other taxes than National. And I am US Income Tax Exempt on $107,300 yearly. You have had run away inflation for more than 40 years. And no escape.
" WOW ", Very well done. Easily explained by you, Thanks for all you do. I wish the very Best for you & the Dog's :)) -from a Brother Veteran, 67' - 1973', - Blessings:))
That’s a great idea brother 😃 I was thinking of building a trailer about 5 feet long. Big enough to sleep in. But now I see your idea with just carrying a tent to save on weight
Get a tent big enough to put the trailer inside and use it for a bed. Keeps you off the ground for crawling varmits. Always think of the weight inless you are a flatlander.
I have a similar setup with a 30ah lifepo. Over here we are limited to 250w motors. My charger does 48v at 2A. This means that if I run my bike at any more than 30% power (I WILL flatten the battery because my 2A charger won't charge fast enough at approx 100w). Yes, I could get a higher power charger if I wanted to knacker the battery up in short order. I've not actually tested how far I could theoretically get but I would set out knowing I HAVE to stop to recharge at some point. That could be up to a 6 hour wait for a flat batt. Oh, one think I'd not be happy with is no ventilation around the charger. Mine gets hot even at 100w/2A.
Okay LaMar ... You got me thinking. Since I don't have any pets to transport and don't have the larger pet carrier, I have considered a possible way to use my bike's cargo trailer and affix a solar panel where it could be lifted from one side (using hinge) to access the cargo area. Due to space limitations it might be wiser for me to use a small solar generator that can be charged direct from the solar panel, as well as, being able to easily use it in the tent. Going to give this some more thought. :)
You are an awesome dude! I've got a fat bike and thinking of making a trailer that has the drive mechanism. The only thing on my bike would be the throttle. I'm out in Nevada and we have some vast distances between towns and little water along the way. The trailer would be the water mule.
Definitely a plus. I got a $400 ebike that rattled my bones. A $20 wrap around seat pad and premium road tire for the rear made a huge difference in ride comfort, and I haven't had a flat since I installed it. They were painfully often prior. Get your tubes from a bike shop which supplies a brand with metal valves. Sheering was my most common failure, punctures or seem separations on tubes I bought from Walmart (both Goodyear extra thick and Slime brands) that look like punctures were second.
Thank you for doing this video. I am currently planning a ling distance trip if roughly 600km over a week or so, and am thinking of something similar. To clarify a few things with your setup. Your 52V 18.5A E-bike battery = 962 Watt/hr Your auxiliary 12.8V 100A Battery = 1280 Watt/hr As you can see, your auxiliary battery in the trailer is roughly 25% larger in capacity than the stock E-Bike battery, despite its big 100Ah label. So this certainly will not charge the bikes battery twice, likely it would drain it entirely or close to it if the solar wasn't giving it bit of help. I would consider not using the DC to AC sinewave inverter, as this is a massive loss in energy. Basically costing you that extra 25% capacity you have in the auxiliary battery in trailer. Since thst battery weights 30lbs, your almost better to just have a second E-Bike battery that weights 10lbs and much smaller. This will give you essentially the same capacity as your not loosing energy converting DC to AC back to DC again. Another consideration that i would do, and plan on trying. Try running the bike on the auxiliary battery directly. So take a DC Step Up Converter (transformer) and step the voltage up from 12.8V (coming from aux battery) to 58.8V and feed that direct to the bike motor. It would give the bike a clean stable DC 58.8V rhe entire time until the cutoff voltage of the 100ah batteries BMS shuts iff safely, all while still charging from the solar panel. You can cycke between that and the E-Bike stock battery. A bonus to this design, you can also charge your stock ebike battery direct from the DC to DC step up converter (by bypassing the the 12.8V battery, and having it connected direct to pwm solar controller) 100W Solar Panel > PWM Charge Controller > DC to DC Step Up (12v to 58.8V, 2-3Amps) > E-Bike Battery = now your charging and riding without inverter, and can do this while resting for break. Food for thought. Im liking the idea if the dog carrier over standard utility trailer, its all enclosed nice and ready ti go product. Thanks again for great concept video! Cheers
I always wondered how I could restock food supplies without the trailer getting ransacked while I'm in the store. I think early in the morning might be pretty good method, where you can seni-safely leave it alone for a couple of minutes.
You should build small camp trailer to tow behind your bike. Big enough for you and the pups. That would be cool. I was thinking about building one for my bike
You can and I have a Generark power station that will also work for this project but I wanted t shoe the LIFPO4 set up for people that want to DIY and have that equipment.
@@solarcabin This is also cheaper. I have a kids trailer I took the top of and added a floor. It makes a great cargo trailer for my mountain bike but I have a similar ebike a Sondors Mad Mods. I just looked at a Expert Power brand 100 ah battery. It's like 140 more but it's also 8lbs lighter making me like this idea more. Thanks for the cool idea. Cheers
I appreciate you wanting to keep component prices on the down low but *any* modified sine wave inverter IMHO is j-u-n-k. Spend a little more to get a pure sine wave inverter and be able to plug in your sensitive electronics without a worry in the world. :)
Thanks for showing this set up. Best I have seen so far :) What about if it rains and it come in from the side of the dog trailer on the wires and battery?
I ride my Ebike less than 20 miles to go grocery shopping. I'm less than 8 miles from the store so only 20 miles if I decide to go out of my way somewhere else I get to town. I mainly got a ebike because I got sick of paying high prices at corner stores for milk or whatever I was out of. It's more enjoyable riding on a ebike than a car because I can take in the scenery a lot more having a wide open view. Plus I don't spend a dime on gas. I think the high price of gas now is the time to invest in electric bike because the price of gas will only go up in the near future.
Yep, I got mine when the gas was really high and almost $5 a gallon but I enjoy riding and looking at nature and just being on a bike makes me feel like a kid again.
While admirable to use solar, the panels have bulk and weight. I rather solve the problem bringing my charger ans 8 meter long extension cord. People are more than happy to let me plug in. And here in Costa Rica no one will accept payment for that. 100 watts at 12 vdc wouldn't do much on my e-scooters 72 vdc 40 AH battery demand. I built a cargo trailer of 3 inch PVC Plumbing. The trailer can serve as a bed inside the tent it carries. And the Cargo trailer itself can be extended in both length and width. as well as put up sides. My e-scooter is a RAM Mia 1200 watt. Will do 66 KPH on FOT and no peddling. Range is over 100 Kilometers fulling the trailer, though lots of 30 to 35% grades to reduce that to half. I am 75 and living in Costa Rica with year round weather supporting outdoor activities. City speed limits 20 to 40 KPH, Highway 40 to 60. And unlike the US most drivers here are 10 to 20 KPH under the speed limit. 10 KPH over will reward them with a fine equivalent to 5 months income and 1 year suspension of license. So speeding is uncommon.
@@solarcabin I was thinking just how fortunate I have been. Cars, trucks, motorcycles bikes I have not had a flat tire in over 64 years. Two exceptions. One living in an apartment where a druggie let the air out of all 4 tires on my truck, first night there, another at work where someone let the air out of both motorcycle tires. Both resolved in under 10 minutes. Carried a compressor in my truck and a spark plug pump on the motorcycle, which was a modified 1976 Honda 750F bored and stroked to 836. But never a flat by puncture. I took 2 identical back packs costing $9 each and use them for saddlebags/panniers Additionaly me e-scooter has a trunk. If needed I could mount 2 more back packs in front. That and a few bungee cords and good to go without a trailer. Though a trailer has its attractions as well. Made one of 3 inch PVC
An interesting idea. However, why not plug the solar panel into a small solar generator and plug your bike battery into the solar generator? Fewer wires and connections.
Have been trying to do the same thing, however not sure if people have had the same problem as I have: being in the UK am thinking that this is alittle more difficult, seeing as the chargers operate on 230v AC and hence any inverter would have to do the same thing would take far too much from the LiFePO4 battery (have purchased a 30Ah LiFePO4 battery and am concerned that my multimeter shows the voltage fluctuating below 10v when the 12v to 230v inverter is on the battery) - any suggestions on what I can do to improve this or should I just try to get a 110v inverter & charger?
You'll probably find your charger works with 110-240v anyway and doesn't actually need 240v, but if you want to use the same inverter you've already got, you should probably up the size of your LiFePo battery to between 150Ah and 200Ah, and use more panels to compensate. In the UK this setup is more commonly seen in the back of a camper van, as that size battery will be getting on for 40kg. HOWEVER, unless you're desperate to run a 3-pin plug for something else like a fridge, the amount of losses this bloke will experience converting the DC to AC with the inverter then converting it back to DC with the bike charger, compared to just connecting the solar panels directly to the bike battery with a boost MPPT, is probably not worth it - especially considering you're adding a lot of cost and weight with the inverter and extra battery. Lifting 10kg up 100m in altitude uses the same energy as lifting 1000kg up by 1m, so there's a good reason those long distance 'sun bike' folks generally don't do it this way. I'm in Northumberland though, so maybe the hills aren't as bad where you are, and you can afford to go for a heavier set up. After a few weeks of thinking about it, I've decided to go for 200W of folding panels and just charge when I stop rather than drag a trailer around.
@@banksarenotyourfriends Point well taken with doing DC-DC conversion (rather than using a 230v inverter), as the hills where I am in South Wales are very trying at times - especially between valleys. Think have got a system in mind which am going to try in the next few weeks which should work better for the conditions I'll be riding, along with allowing the trailer to be optional rather than essential *fingers crossed* 🤞
The ebike uses a 140 watt charger and takes approximately 5 hours to charge completely. If you are charging while you are riding the battery will only slowly go down in charge and then park it in the sun to charge back up. You can also use a power station instead of the battery and inverter.
IMA SUBSCRIBE TO U JUST TO MAKE U MONEY FOR VIEWS TO I DIDN'T THINK OF DOING THIS YOUR THE BEST IM MY OPINION EVEN THOUGH I DON'T RIDE A BIKE I DID THIS ON MY RIDING LAWNMOWER HOW DO U THINK ABOUT DOING THAT LOL I can charge my phone now thanks
I am 63 and love your set up. I used a Dakota LiPo 54ah battery, built the 30amp solar charge controller in a marine battery box with SAE connectors and a 450 watt modified sine inverter with a Renogy 100 watt flex solar panel. I bought a back up battery for my ebike and with starting out both batteries on full charge, running 1 empty, loading the second battery on the bike and putting the spent battery on the charger, I can get 120 miles on pedal assist 1 and that is a long day. I know a lot of cross country e bikers will love your video. I do enjoy my set up. Thanks for your great work.
@Solarcabin Off Grid Adventure Channel idk if it matters but it's pronounced Zing-puh-gwong and it means "new energy" Catching up on as many of your videos as I can being a newer subscriber.
This seems like a great idea...I just need to get myself a trailer LOL. Wonder if my bike would charge while I'm riding it, not sure if that's something all E-Bikes do or not.
When times get really tough, you are way ahead of most folks. E-Bikes and solar might eventually be the only mode of transportation (other than shoe leather) sooner than we realize.
I see a lot of people thinking they better have a backup plan after gas and food prices went crazy. A lot of interest in my ebike.
@@solarcabin I have seen the prices of US products soar. A can of Campbell's tomato soup used to be $3, now $5. But a can of better Maggio Tomato Soup from Mexico twice the size remains at 55 cents. A GMC 2 WD 1.2 ton pickup is $93,400. But a 4WD 1/2 ton P/U with a more powerful turboed engine is $16,500 US Labor costs are $28 an hour. In the rest of the world more like $2.50 an hour. I rent a 7 bedroom/5 bath house with 4 car garage on 23 acres in Cosya Rica for $153 a month. Elextric is $12 to $15, Water/Sewer/ Trash $6, Internet $12, Cellphone $4. Both labor and living costs are much higher in the US. Plus here the maximum tax for workers is 13% that included 100% medical with National Health Care. There are no other taxes than National. And I am US Income Tax Exempt on $107,300 yearly. You have had run away inflation for more than 40 years. And no escape.
Absolutely agree
" WOW ", Very well done. Easily explained by you, Thanks for all you do.
I wish the very Best for you & the Dog's :))
-from a Brother Veteran, 67' - 1973',
- Blessings:))
Oh my gosh! I found you from permies! You do all the things I love. So glad to find your channel.
Right on friend!
That’s a great idea brother 😃 I was thinking of building a trailer about 5 feet long. Big enough to sleep in. But now I see your idea with just carrying a tent to save on weight
Lol, can you emagine k-sell? I mean really people where looking for nice places to have fun! Nota non orangeh!!^
Get a tent big enough to put the trailer inside and use it for a bed. Keeps you off the ground for crawling varmits. Always think of the weight inless you are a flatlander.
I have a similar setup with a 30ah lifepo. Over here we are limited to 250w motors. My charger does 48v at 2A. This means that if I run my bike at any more than 30% power (I WILL flatten the battery because my 2A charger won't charge fast enough at approx 100w). Yes, I could get a higher power charger if I wanted to knacker the battery up in short order. I've not actually tested how far I could theoretically get but I would set out knowing I HAVE to stop to recharge at some point. That could be up to a 6 hour wait for a flat batt. Oh, one think I'd not be happy with is no ventilation around the charger. Mine gets hot even at 100w/2A.
Okay LaMar ... You got me thinking. Since I don't have any pets to transport and don't have the larger pet carrier, I have considered a possible way to use my bike's cargo trailer and affix a solar panel where it could be lifted from one side (using hinge) to access the cargo area. Due to space limitations it might be wiser for me to use a small solar generator that can be charged direct from the solar panel, as well as, being able to easily use it in the tent. Going to give this some more thought. :)
Very good recharge idea it really is economical way to go for grocery shopping.
You are an awesome dude! I've got a fat bike and thinking of making a trailer that has the drive mechanism. The only thing on my bike would be the throttle. I'm out in Nevada and we have some vast distances between towns and little water along the way. The trailer would be the water mule.
Right on!
30 miles at 30 miles an hour for one battery on a bicycle is amazing, I also like the full suspension and larger tires
Definitely a plus. I got a $400 ebike that rattled my bones. A $20 wrap around seat pad and premium road tire for the rear made a huge difference in ride comfort, and I haven't had a flat since I installed it. They were painfully often prior. Get your tubes from a bike shop which supplies a brand with metal valves. Sheering was my most common failure, punctures or seem separations on tubes I bought from Walmart (both Goodyear extra thick and Slime brands) that look like punctures were second.
This is an awesome and helpful presentation. However, your doggos steal the show whenever they're on camera. 😄
Thanks for explaining solar setup in real life performance
Lamar I found this video very interesting, I'll be lookin forward to the camping trip.
Thank you for doing this video. I am currently planning a ling distance trip if roughly 600km over a week or so, and am thinking of something similar.
To clarify a few things with your setup.
Your 52V 18.5A E-bike battery = 962 Watt/hr
Your auxiliary 12.8V 100A Battery = 1280 Watt/hr
As you can see, your auxiliary battery in the trailer is roughly 25% larger in capacity than the stock E-Bike battery, despite its big 100Ah label. So this certainly will not charge the bikes battery twice, likely it would drain it entirely or close to it if the solar wasn't giving it bit of help.
I would consider not using the DC to AC sinewave inverter, as this is a massive loss in energy. Basically costing you that extra 25% capacity you have in the auxiliary battery in trailer. Since thst battery weights 30lbs, your almost better to just have a second E-Bike battery that weights 10lbs and much smaller. This will give you essentially the same capacity as your not loosing energy converting DC to AC back to DC again.
Another consideration that i would do, and plan on trying.
Try running the bike on the auxiliary battery directly. So take a DC Step Up Converter (transformer) and step the voltage up from 12.8V (coming from aux battery) to 58.8V and feed that direct to the bike motor.
It would give the bike a clean stable DC 58.8V rhe entire time until the cutoff voltage of the 100ah batteries BMS shuts iff safely, all while still charging from the solar panel. You can cycke between that and the E-Bike stock battery. A bonus to this design, you can also charge your stock ebike battery direct from the DC to DC step up converter (by bypassing the the 12.8V battery, and having it connected direct to pwm solar controller)
100W Solar Panel > PWM Charge Controller > DC to DC Step Up (12v to 58.8V, 2-3Amps) > E-Bike Battery = now your charging and riding without inverter, and can do this while resting for break.
Food for thought. Im liking the idea if the dog carrier over standard utility trailer, its all enclosed nice and ready ti go product.
Thanks again for great concept video!
Cheers
You are putting in almost 100 watts from solar on top of the charge coming from the battery. Direct charging the ebike from solar is not recommended.
Very good idea for just getting around town or on the farm.
We appreciate you brother.
I always wondered how I could restock food supplies without the trailer getting ransacked while I'm in the store. I think early in the morning might be pretty good method, where you can seni-safely leave it alone for a couple of minutes.
You should build small camp trailer to tow behind your bike. Big enough for you and the pups. That would be cool. I was thinking about building one for my bike
There is a video I seen of a bicycle camper a guy built and I thought of several improvements while watching it and this one
Found this video and your channel today. Great content bro.
Appreciate it!
Honestly, I never thought that I would see a solar powered moped. My moped used to run on gasoline.😂
That Ariel X will go faster than most mopeds at 35mph. I ride it everywhere and just did a 20 mile run to the store.
@@solarcabin lol. Ok.
I d love to do this slot to learn do I bike and trailer too with my dog
You can also use a Jackery or Bluetti solar charger to charge the E-bike.
You can and I have a Generark power station that will also work for this project but I wanted t shoe the LIFPO4 set up for people that want to DIY and have that equipment.
@@solarcabin This is also cheaper. I have a kids trailer I took the top of and added a floor. It makes a great cargo trailer for my mountain bike but I have a similar ebike a Sondors Mad Mods. I just looked at a Expert Power brand 100 ah battery. It's like 140 more but it's also 8lbs lighter making me like this idea more. Thanks for the cool idea. Cheers
Lovely idea, used to pull my kids with a similar cart. Subbed. I need to learn more about solar. Thank you old boy.
I have one of those 300 dollar folding e bikes from Costco. I’m going to upgrade the electrical system to a higher wattage motor
Very well explained, even I can get it, thanks.
Glad it helped
Ain't nothing better than cruising by gas stations.
Exactly!
I appreciate you wanting to keep component prices on the down low but *any* modified sine wave inverter IMHO is j-u-n-k. Spend a little more to get a pure sine wave inverter and be able to plug in your sensitive electronics without a worry in the world. :)
Yeah! Cool
This is fantastic! I have daschunds and they and my camping gear would for sure fit thank you so much for sharing!!! How much was your ebike?
The Ariel X 52 volt is around $2k. They just released a Kepler that has same speed and range but is mt bike style with a rack for $1800.
@@solarcabin thank you for the info I will check it out!
Thanks for showing this set up. Best I have seen so far :) What about if it rains and it come in from the side of the dog trailer on the wires and battery?
This one has a front weather screen but not side panels. I would take a tarp along if you expect rain.
Freaking awesome!
Wao🎉🎉🎉 Together we can improve🎉🎉🎉
Pretty nice set up bro")
Thanks!
Genius!
I ride my Ebike less than 20 miles to go grocery shopping. I'm less than 8 miles from the store so only 20 miles if I decide to go out of my way somewhere else I get to town. I mainly got a ebike because I got sick of paying high prices at corner stores for milk or whatever I was out of. It's more enjoyable riding on a ebike than a car because I can take in the scenery a lot more having a wide open view. Plus I don't spend a dime on gas. I think the high price of gas now is the time to invest in electric bike because the price of gas will only go up in the near future.
Yep, I got mine when the gas was really high and almost $5 a gallon but I enjoy riding and looking at nature and just being on a bike makes me feel like a kid again.
Thank you for your video. I will try this setup. Great positive energy in this video. All the best to you on your adventures.
Thanks, if you have a power station you can use that instead of the battery and inverter and is lighter.
Awesome saucceeeeeeee thanks 😊 🙏 😀 👍🏾 🙌 ❤️
Did kinda the same thing got a jackery 1000 and 2 100 watt solar panels and a aosome trailer gone camping a few times has no problem with a pace 500
You could use a power station and reduce the clutter and I have a Generark but this was to show how it can be done with a battery.
try adding some double helix vawts to the trailer just for fun
Im taking my dogs 1550 miles in a similar setup. Wikes trailer kit though.
Starting in a week ish
Sounds fun! Take along extra tubes and repair tools.
Super
Hey great videp
Thanks friend!
Only thing I would do is support that panel that constant bouncing will destroy that panel eventually
It is a little wobbly. You could put a piece of 1/4" plywood under it.
Good video!
Huh neat
I have thought of doing this for ages, but was worried that charging while riding would damage my batteries.
That is why this uses the ebikes own charger. No messing around stepping up voltage.
While admirable to use solar, the panels have bulk and weight. I rather solve the problem bringing my charger ans 8 meter long extension cord. People are more than happy to let me plug in. And here in Costa Rica no one will accept payment for that. 100 watts at 12 vdc wouldn't do much on my e-scooters 72 vdc 40 AH battery demand.
I built a cargo trailer of 3 inch PVC Plumbing. The trailer can serve as a bed inside the tent it carries. And the Cargo trailer itself can be extended in both length and width. as well as put up sides.
My e-scooter is a RAM Mia 1200 watt. Will do 66 KPH on FOT and no peddling. Range is over 100 Kilometers fulling the trailer, though lots of 30 to 35% grades to reduce that to half.
I am 75 and living in Costa Rica with year round weather supporting outdoor activities. City speed limits 20 to 40 KPH, Highway 40 to 60. And unlike the US most drivers here are 10 to 20 KPH under the speed limit. 10 KPH over will reward them with a fine equivalent to 5 months income and 1 year suspension of license. So speeding is uncommon.
You can do that if you can find a plug but this is more for camping and travel where there are no plugs.
@@solarcabin
I was thinking just how fortunate I have been. Cars, trucks, motorcycles bikes I have not had a flat tire in over 64 years. Two exceptions. One living in an apartment where a druggie let the air out of all 4 tires on my truck, first night there, another at work where someone let the air out of both motorcycle tires. Both resolved in under 10 minutes. Carried a compressor in my truck and a spark plug pump on the motorcycle, which was a modified 1976 Honda 750F bored and stroked to 836. But never a flat by puncture.
I took 2 identical back packs costing $9 each and use them for saddlebags/panniers Additionaly me e-scooter has a trunk. If needed I could mount 2 more back packs in front. That and a few bungee cords and good to go without a trailer. Though a trailer has its attractions as well. Made one of 3 inch PVC
If you can recharge the lifepo battery off the solar power why are we not using lifepo batteries as the main source to power the bike?
That battery is 52 volts. Solar panel is 12 volt and you need steady current to charge.
An interesting idea. However, why not plug the solar panel into a small solar generator and plug your bike battery into the solar generator? Fewer wires and connections.
Solar generators are more expensive than a battery but if you have one you can use that.
When you ride to Walmart on your ebike are you afraid of it getting stolen while inside shopping?
I have a lock but I rarely ride it to the big city. Just the country store near me.
What differnet between your système and the solar regulator to battery direct
Charging direct to the ebike battery from solar is not recommended.
@@solarcabin but the systeme to heavy
Have been trying to do the same thing, however not sure if people have had the same problem as I have: being in the UK am thinking that this is alittle more difficult, seeing as the chargers operate on 230v AC and hence any inverter would have to do the same thing would take far too much from the LiFePO4 battery (have purchased a 30Ah LiFePO4 battery and am concerned that my multimeter shows the voltage fluctuating below 10v when the 12v to 230v inverter is on the battery) - any suggestions on what I can do to improve this or should I just try to get a 110v inverter & charger?
You'll probably find your charger works with 110-240v anyway and doesn't actually need 240v, but if you want to use the same inverter you've already got, you should probably up the size of your LiFePo battery to between 150Ah and 200Ah, and use more panels to compensate. In the UK this setup is more commonly seen in the back of a camper van, as that size battery will be getting on for 40kg.
HOWEVER, unless you're desperate to run a 3-pin plug for something else like a fridge, the amount of losses this bloke will experience converting the DC to AC with the inverter then converting it back to DC with the bike charger, compared to just connecting the solar panels directly to the bike battery with a boost MPPT, is probably not worth it - especially considering you're adding a lot of cost and weight with the inverter and extra battery. Lifting 10kg up 100m in altitude uses the same energy as lifting 1000kg up by 1m, so there's a good reason those long distance 'sun bike' folks generally don't do it this way.
I'm in Northumberland though, so maybe the hills aren't as bad where you are, and you can afford to go for a heavier set up. After a few weeks of thinking about it, I've decided to go for 200W of folding panels and just charge when I stop rather than drag a trailer around.
@@banksarenotyourfriends Point well taken with doing DC-DC conversion (rather than using a 230v inverter), as the hills where I am in South Wales are very trying at times - especially between valleys. Think have got a system in mind which am going to try in the next few weeks which should work better for the conditions I'll be riding, along with allowing the trailer to be optional rather than essential *fingers crossed* 🤞
Does your bike let you power up while charging? Most things want operate during charging
The Ariel X can be charged while riding but not all ebikes can.
I’m confused- if this is a 2kW bike, how can a 100W panel charge it? I still trying to get my head around the possibilities here!
The ebike uses a 140 watt charger and takes approximately 5 hours to charge completely. If you are charging while you are riding the battery will only slowly go down in charge and then park it in the sun to charge back up.
You can also use a power station instead of the battery and inverter.
Even if the solar panel is flexible it'd bug me with that flapping around like that
Cut a piece of 1/4inch plywood to go under it.
but when all of that camping stuff is in the trailer, there's no room for your dogs anymore 😵💫
Actually that is a big trailer and still room for my dogs. I put stuff on top of the trailer to make room. Have to take the adventure dogs!
IMA SUBSCRIBE TO U
JUST TO MAKE U MONEY FOR VIEWS TO
I DIDN'T THINK OF DOING THIS YOUR THE BEST IM MY OPINION EVEN THOUGH I DON'T RIDE A BIKE I DID THIS ON MY RIDING LAWNMOWER HOW DO U THINK ABOUT DOING THAT
LOL
I can charge my phone now thanks
Thank you, friend!
awesome vid.. you messaged me on fb. i released my drawings for guys like you.
Keep inventing friend!
Nice 👍
I am 63 and love your set up. I used a Dakota LiPo 54ah battery, built the 30amp solar charge controller in a marine battery box with SAE connectors and a 450 watt modified sine inverter with a Renogy 100 watt flex solar panel. I bought a back up battery for my ebike and with starting out both batteries on full charge, running 1 empty, loading the second battery on the bike and putting the spent battery on the charger, I can get 120 miles on pedal assist 1 and that is a long day. I know a lot of cross country e bikers will love your video. I do enjoy my set up. Thanks for your great work.
Right on friend!
Flexible solar panels constantly flapping around will get ruined, should be mounted securely.
Lamar, I bought your plans years go. Glad YT recommended your channel, subbed of course.
Right on friend!
@Solarcabin Off Grid Adventure Channel idk if it matters but it's pronounced
Zing-puh-gwong and it means "new energy"
Catching up on as many of your videos as I can being a newer subscriber.
Well thanks!
Hey Lamar glad to hear tazz is doing better 😃
How did you attach the trailer to the Ariel Xclass? Did you have to modify anything?
I used one of the bolt holes for the rear passenger pegs for the mount.
@@solarcabin that's brilliant! Thanks
Such a wonderful demonstration sir. Happy trails.
This seems like a great idea...I just need to get myself a trailer LOL. Wonder if my bike would charge while I'm riding it, not sure if that's something all E-Bikes do or not.
Yes you get a MPPT boost charge controller like the one I posted under Jeff Hollis. The cheap ones you can adjust the voltage for 36v 48v etc.