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Have you ever been bicycling and wished you had just a bit more power?
Idea:
The pedals could be hooked up to a generator, and then a pluggable battery would be installed in the middle of the cycle. It could be used to actually power the device quietly. Recharging the battery could be handled on
the bicycle by pedalling, a solar-cell containing jacket, and by just plugging it in to main. Done cycling? Lock the jacket into the bicycle and leave them out in the sun to recharge.
Problems: This bicycle might be faster than a regular bicycle, and would technically be a moped - a motor vehicle kids could not use without a license.
-Ben
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Annotation:
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The amount of power delivered by the jacket is going to be miniscule compared to what your legs are delivering. (Else you'd see plants and trees running down the highway.) |
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Curry, I think that you can recharge a bike battery with a square meter of solar power over time. Just leave it out in the sun. It's unlikely that you wouldn't have to pedal, but you could power electric radio/lights/ whatever. And when the battery is charged, it works like an electric bike. |
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//Cost of a 200W (peak capacity) panel: about $2,000. Cost of driving a car instead for 10 miles a week (bike-able distance trips only): $182 per year.//
Seeing an idiot on a bike with a solar panel on his head: Priceless |
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Nice calculations, fqhwgads, but this isn't complete. A fully charged battery could deliver whatever power was in it. Although your calculations are valid for an empty battery, the effect of having a full battery is only limmitted by the power that can be stored in the batter. That in turn is limmitted by the weight and size of the battery. |
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A 3.5 lb battery from here:
http://salestores1.com/
hicabunlaba1.html
Stores ~ 140 watt hours.
Thus, a fully charged battery can deliver an EXTRA 140 watts (another kick-up) for a whole hour in addition to the solar power boost. You would get a 15 mph run time without peddling for a whole hour, and could cruise at 20 mph with moderate pedalling. |
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//Else you'd see plants and trees running down the highway// |
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Is that why something along the lines of 'Day of the Triffids' will never happen? |
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