Invention help charging system

Stebails

Just Joined
Dec 20, 2020
1
0
New member directed to this forum , being a retired engineer I have been reading with interest about range fear and come up with what I think is a very good working idea that needs putting in production , I have emailed a few bike manufactures in the uk and abroad but got nowhere ,oh and one in China , I do not want to give this idea away , I have done that in the past , I am also realistic and know this will sell but under no impression that it’s worth billions , looking for some help from someone to take it to market , of course under a non disclosure agreement , or even licence it so I get something out of it , any help given advice will be greatly received , contact me please ste1bails@yahoo.co.uk
 
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vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,993
Basildon
I solved my range anxiety by fitting a motor to the front wheel, which I use as a generator, so when the back motor pushes the bike along, the front one charges up the battery. It increases my range by 64% when using the rear motor, or it simply recharges when I'm not using power from the rear one, so I never run out of battery.

If I have to go a long way and use a lot of power. I have an additional propeller-driven generator that fits on my handlebars, so when I go along with any speed, the propeller turns the generator and charges the battery. Conveniently, I get the most power from it when cycling into a head-wind, which is when I need it most.
 

jimriley

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 17, 2020
595
398
Well that's s certainly a clearer pitch to the land of cycling dragons.
 

RoadieRoger

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2010
726
200
I have been thinking along the same lines Stebails . My Fat Tyre Folder`s battery gave out 4 miles from home and and the subsequent hard pedalling for this 82 year old set me thinking . I looked at my normal Chinese Website and noticed two battery boxes to hold 10 of the 18650 Cells . They are for making up Power Banks to charge Smart Phones . They would have to be modified with different contact layouts to get up to 40 Volt outputs . Then I saw 18650 Battery Boxes to hold 4 Cells and 2 Cells on the same Site , they are complete with wires . I ordered 2x4 and 2x2 but the first lot went astray and I have just the received replacements . Meanwhile I ordered a Cannon Plug to suit the Fat tyre`s system . Prior to this I was thinking of 2 lengths of plastic Conduit 20 mm id to contain the 18650 Cells .
At present I have enough parts to experiment with but don`t wish to blow myself up or set the House on fire before Christmas .
 

WheezyRider

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 20, 2020
1,690
938
Solved, I reckon. It's simply a second battery.

For a considerable price, it has to be said, but available for ebikemotion bikes (Orbea, Ribble, Lapierre, etc), and Fazua-based bikes too (Boardman, Cairn, Canyon, some Cube models, etc).
This is the thing, a decent battery can give you 40 miles or more. With a second battery on board you could double that. If you have range anxiety in cycling 80 miles or more, and don't have an issue with spending 6 hours plus in the saddle, you are going to be in a relatively small group of people.
 

richtea99

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 8, 2020
441
285
If the invention is directed toward a universal solution that is considerably less than, say, £250, then it may have legs.
But I can't see how you get to that universal solution without expensive cabling, control systems and awkward modifications.
And that's probably the reason I'm not an inventor... :(
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
20,918
8,533
61
West Sx RH
Pedal a bit more in low power or unassisted more often, a larger or second battery is all that is needed. My longest day rides are 160 -170km no range anxiety for me with more then 1000wh.
 
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Jimod

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 9, 2010
1,065
634
Polmont
I solved my range anxiety by fitting a motor to the front wheel, which I use as a generator, so when the back motor pushes the bike along, the front one charges up the battery. It increases my range by 64% when using the rear motor, or it simply recharges when I'm not using power from the rear one, so I never run out of battery.

If I have to go a long way and use a lot of power. I have an additional propeller-driven generator that fits on my handlebars, so when I go along with any speed, the propeller turns the generator and charges the battery. Conveniently, I get the most power from it when cycling into a head-wind, which is when I need it most.
Instead of your front propeller charging your battery, you could get it to power a propeller on the rear carrier which would push you along. So, the wind against you will also be pushing you along. So the more the wind blows against you, the more push you get from your rear propeller, which will make you go faster against the wind which will give you even more power pushing you.

I think I'll take this idea to some electric type company and sell it to them. Or maybe I'll just turn on the telly and watch some old black & white films.
 
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sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,832
2,756
Winchester
Instead of your front propeller charging your battery, you could get it to power a propeller on the rear carrier which would push you along. So, the wind against you will also be pushing you along. So the more the wind blows against you, the more push you get from your rear propeller, which will make you go faster against the wind which will give you even more power pushing you.

I think I'll take this idea to some electric type company and sell it to them. Or maybe I'll just turn on the telly and watch some old black & white films.
Why not just stick to tacking? All the details have been known for many years now. You might need a dual carriageway at least to get room for a long enough tack.
 

mike killay

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 17, 2011
3,012
1,629
My great idea is to fit large soft coil springs to the saddle with piezo electric crystals, so every time you go over a bump the saddle charges the battery.
Of course, I could patent this, but all that I need is one investor to put half a million into my idea and I will share the huge profits 50/50
 

Edward Elizabeth

Pedelecer
Aug 10, 2020
136
191
Buckinghamshire
I don't have any range anxiety because my ebike is fitted with these weird things called "pedals", and in exchange for a little effort I can ride far further and faster than any (legal) ebike.

I can understand range anxiety in electric cars, but on an e bicycle where the primary power supply is your legs anyway there's really no issue.
 
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DBye

Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2016
166
78
I feel a bit sad reading the above replies and hope the OP isn't put off this forum (nor the person recommending the OP post here). I see a lot of new inventions in my day job and am amazed by how successful some inventions are which I think of as totally useless to begin with (like the electric toothbrush I use everyday which I thought was "totally pointless").

To the OP - I applaud you for trying something new. I can't help you get it to market but I can help you determine if it is new and protectable. If you need any help pm me.

To inject some festive cheer this post from the IPO is a good read: