Ask Umbra on ditching dirty things 6 Posted 2 days, 8 hours ago
Lomborg v. Monbiot: liveblogging the Munk debate on climate change 4 Posted 5 hours, 35 minutes ago
More power, less roadkill: How one professor’s landscape has shifted 3 Posted 2 days, 2 hours ago
Zero to sixty in less than one second ... and vice-versa
"I'm the owner, not the driver, so this is going to be interesting to say the least."
Indeed:
Note the woman straddling the Killacycle. Note, shortly thereafter, the Killacycle embedded in the side of the van.
Middle-aged men should not be driving Killacycles. May you have a full and speedy recovery, Bill.
As for my A123 batteries, they just crossed the 1500 mile mark with no detectable performance loss. I'm also getting pretty good at popping wheelies.
My real name is Russ Finley. I live in Seattle, married with children. Suffice it to say that although I am trained and educated as an engineer, my passion is nature. I very much want my grandchildren to live on a planet where lions, tigers, and bears have not joined the long and growing list of creatures that used to be. In an attempt to minimize the workload on Grist editors responsible for turning my submissions into intelligible articles, I will also be posting on a seperate blog called Biodiversivist, which will contain articles in addition to those submitted to Grist.
You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.
Home Economics of the JP Green House, Part 1
Top 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change
Comments
View as Flat
Colin Wright Posted 2:33 am
11 Nov 2007
On your own bike -- I think you could have a second career selling those things! I may have missed it but how far can one travel on Seattle streets before recharging? (I'm assuming you only use the electric-assist on hills?)
Permalink
David Roberts Posted 2:50 am
11 Nov 2007
grist.org
Permalink
Nucbuddy Posted 3:06 am
11 Nov 2007
Permalink
Biodiversivist Posted 3:10 am
11 Nov 2007
I am helping build a few for some people I know and I'm selling a holder for the batteries to people who can convince me that they are willing and able to build and most importantly, repair a home-made hybrid bike.
There are well established electric bike manufacturers across the planet who will soon enough capitalize on these batteries. An entrepreneur in the US would not stand a chance once the Chinese get rolling. On the other hand, I have found that part of the appeal of this bike is the use of power tool batteries and the fact that by replacing a single ten amp fuse with a 25 amp one, it becomes too powerful to legally ride in all fifty states. It appeals to people who don't have a healthy respect for (or fear of) authority figures. Existing regulations will have to change to make hybrid electric bikes more common. The current limits of 20 MPG and 750 watts are stereotypical examples of regulatory dumbshittery. Imagine car engines that shut off when you hit 55 or have a limit of 100 horsepower so you can't abuse them.
Actually, I use the throttle almost continuously to overcome the motor drag caused by the rare earth magnets in the stator (or rotor depending on what is moving). It only takes a few watts. I don't usually do much more than ten miles on a charge. Yesterday I drew 4 amp hours out of a theoretically possible 4.6 while pulling a hundred pounds in my trailer. That was the hardest I have ever pushed these four batteries (two of which are almost 1.5 years old) and they did fine. The trip was 10.7 miles. The range is entirely dependent on how much power you draw. A guy who weighs twice as much as me is going to get much less range unless he puts a lot more into the drive train with his legs.
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
Permalink
Biodiversivist Posted 3:22 am
11 Nov 2007
First off, I'm just a bit scraped up. Embarrassed of course. I had not intended the bike to move in the soapy water, just spin the tire.
Got it slowed down to about 20 mph. Front wheel is bent, as are front forks. Cowling is not nearly as pretty as it was.
Battery box took a hit from the front wheel. Almost certainly, some cells were shorted. No smoke. No fire. Ultra safe cells. Had these been anything but A123 Systems Nano-phosphate cells, shorts would have caused a serious fire.
No major damage. We will have it fixed in short order.
Important to note: Area in front of the bike was CLEARED of ALL PEOPLE. NO ONE was at risk but me. Concrete on both sides of area.
Yes, I am an idiot for not wearing a helmet. :-/
Indeed...
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
Permalink
Nucbuddy Posted 4:38 am
11 Nov 2007
Done.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_car
Kei car [...] literally "light automobile", is a Japanese category of small automobiles, including passenger cars, vans ("microvans") and pickup trucks. They are designed to exploit local tax and insurance relaxations, and are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the vehicle.
[...]
the regulations [...] restrict physical size, engine displacement and power
[...]
Maximum power 63 hp
Permalink
Biodiversivist Posted 6:25 am
11 Nov 2007
I'm suggesting they need to revisit the electric bike rules to make these machines more popular. The best way to do that would probably be to get the legislators to ride my bike to work one day. They would be smiling like the Cheshire cat. Of course they need a way to differentiate a bike from a scooter/motorcycle but the numbers they have picked and the way they regulate them could use some tweaking.
Being limited to 750 watts leaves you with no way to get up really steep hills and make the bikes less useful for heavy people or when pulling loads. I've also found that extra power makes it safer when I'm forced to mix it up in traffic. They should limit the speed with a posted speed limit, like they do for cars, not with a cutoff switch and a power limitation. I would suggest a 1500 watt limit on power and posted speed limits (15 on trails, 25 on streets). Here in Washington State they are not even legal on trails, but almost no electric bike rider is aware of that.
It takes a lot of effort to push my bike over thirty because that speed limit is inherent in their natural design due to gearing, the human leg, and wind resistance. It is good to be able to exceed 20 MPH when it makes sense to do so.
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
Permalink
Delay And Deny Posted 1:49 am
12 Nov 2007
Wow...for a publication that is so High and Mighty about what people say in its comments, that sounds like a very Ageist comment to me.
Why shouldn't "middle aged" men drive Killacycles?
Because one had an accident?
If the driver were (a) a woman, (b) Chinese, (c) Deaf or Hard of Hearing would you make a similar comment?
Pot.
Kettle.
John Bailo
Sutext:
Permalink
bigbadsteve Posted 3:25 am
12 Nov 2007
This is also of course sexist anti-male, (btw the word for this is 'misandry', adj. 'misandrous').
Yes, all us males should feel guilty for being born with penises (those evil symbols of oppression) and keeping females down for all eternity (like the ones on the Titanic <lol>). We already die younger than women, but that isn't enough, we should perhaps suicide for the greater good of the Sistahood before we reach middle age?
A nice reminder to politically correct parrots to restrain their male-bashing; to be effective environmental activists we need to use reason, fact and logic to gain converts amongst people of all political persuasions.
Crying "discrimination against poor women!" in this age of more than equal opportunity' for them is garbage. Our societies' minority of rich and powerful men (and some women) of course got there by being more brutal than the likes of most of us. Any woman greedy and bitchy enough also has the opportunity.
Spouting PC crap merely invites us to be labeled 'hippie idiots' and everything we say ignored.
Misandrous females are correctly looked at as horrid though laughable anachronisms by most, whereas our environmental messages are absolutely necessary for the survival of any quality of life at all for us, and any life at all for a large number of species. This is far more important than a handful of stupid man-haters (and the odd male feminist, or 'eunuch') wanting to diss half the population because e.g. their father spanked them too hard.
Feminist man-haters kindly save your abuse for the Women's Rooms at university where it is welcome, while you have them (which won't be long).
Steven Stevenson
Permalink
Biodiversivist Posted 4:07 am
12 Nov 2007
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
Permalink
Colin Wright Posted 4:13 am
12 Nov 2007
Permalink
danielbell Posted 7:09 am
12 Nov 2007
wiserearth.org/user/danielbell
Permalink
Nucbuddy Posted 7:22 am
12 Nov 2007
visforvoltage.org
Permalink
Delay And Deny Posted 8:49 am
12 Nov 2007
You prove once again the hypocrisy of the Liberals.
You can speak out in such horrifying words as these to one group,and then disparage mild, or humorous words about another.
John Bailo
Sutext:
Permalink
kmp Posted 3:22 am
13 Nov 2007
Glad to hear that he is, and also glad (but not more glad, really!) to hear that so is the bike.
Permalink