Technology

Batteries

Let’s talk about batteries for a minute. There really is only one battery worth mentioning Lithium Ion. These batteries are one of the few space age technologies that make me feel positive about our future.

On the face of it they seem expensive, but charge for charge nothing is as cheap, reliable and powerful. The specifications are incredible. The particular cells we use have a minimum 2000 recycles without any appreciable loss. 3000 minimum usable cycles. However, if the battery is recharged earlier than minimum they have been recorded at up to 10000 cycles. Improbable, but true. Please Google and see. The cells we use are rated to 12C discharge. This means that they can discharge 12 times their rated power without damage continuously until  they are deemed fully discharged by the BMS (on-board Battery Management System).

In 2003 NASA sent two Mars rovers to Mars. They were called Spirit and Opportunity. They were powered by Lithium Ion batteries. The initial mission was for ninety days.They are still working now many years later. If a battery can do that well on Mars, I expect it is good enough for my bicycle.

Why did NASA choose advanced lithium technology? Because it has a fantastic power to weight ratio. (130Wh per kg for all you boffins out there….) The reliability is extremely high

The new Boeing 787 (dubbed by some,‘the electric aircraft’ has selected LiFePO4  for the main batteries. Boeing is seeking world beating performance and has chosen the safest and most reliable power source. If it is good enough for Boeing, it is good enough for me.

A company in Slovenia has built an electric aircraft, the Taurus Electro. I wager you can guess by now which batteries they use? LiFePO4 of course, and we know why.

Boeing’s ‘Phantom Works’ are the people who designed the Stealth Bomber (amongst other freakish aircraft) and they have recently designed a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery powered aircraft with what kind of batteries?

Volkswagon and Sanyo have gone into partnership to mass produce the best batteries on the planet for what they see as the future, electric vehicles. No prizes for guessing which battery…

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.To put this in perspective, if you get 3000 cycles out of this battery, and lets say you get 20 km out of each charge (you should get more if battery balanced and matched to motor) that’s 60,000km! My petrol powered two-stroke scooter uses 5litres of fuel for 200km, so in 60,000km it would use 1500 litres of fuel. If fuel is $1.50 per litre (I wish………) that means it would cost $2250 worth of fuel, not including the 30 litres of 50/1 oil that I would use at $16 per litre. I won’t even compare it to what it costs to run my car.These kits make a scooter look expensive to run. When you take into account the cost of registration, insurance and everything else,this is the cheapest, cleanest, easiest and most fun form of transport on the planet. Within 5 years electric vehicles of all kinds will be everywhere in common usage. We will use the current Lithium technology and the price of batteries will fall. I can’t wait.

Drive System

Let us talk about the drive system for a little bit… The system developed by Cyclone is by far the most efficient system I have seen.

It’s easy to install. It naturally aligns and runs true. It changes the ‘heart’ of the machine, and the power transfer is almost lossless. It uses the bikes gears. This means that as the rider skill improves over the 3000 cycles of the battery, the rider will learn to use the battery energy just as they do their own body. If I have energy and want to get somewhere fast I pedal hard. If I am a little tired or have a longer ride I would pedal slower. Ditto the bike.

The efficiency of this set-up is incredible. It has a free-wheeling front crank. It is an absolute stroke of genius. One can change gear without pedalling.

I will happily race any other electric bicycle with matching battery/motor combo. If not identical, we can convert into watt-hours and accurately compare. I will happily compete in speed, distance travelled or acceleration. The Cyclone will win. If it doesn’t, I will stop selling these and sell the one that beat me. But that seems very unlikely. Because we use the gears, this kit will win. Imagine driving your car with only one gear. Hardly likely to be efficient.

It all sounds a bit silly, but come and take one of the demo bikes for a spin and we will talk after that.

If I was going to say anything bad about these motors it would be that they make a small electric noise. But I love that noise, one ride and you will see why.

The hub drives look good but don’t yet perform. With an integrated planetary gear system I guess they could come close to the direct drive of a Cyclone, but would still be slightly less efficient. However if it was close it wouldn’t matter. The hub would be better. However, no-one has done that yet. So the Cyclone is King of the hill.

The feeling is that they always will be. They developed this against the tide and I expect they will continue to lead the way.

Performance and excellence will always reign.