01-31-2007, 04:35 PM
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#52 (permalink)
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| Guest | Re: electric bikes on centuries
Bill Bushnell wrote:
> In rec.bicycles.misc Bill Baka <bbaka@comcast.net> wrote:
>> I took a look and can say that the bike looks less than ideal. If it has
>> a motorized bottom bracket then there is no possibility for regenerative
>> braking, which is a big NO-NO in the electric world.
>
> Regenerative braking is overrated. The best implementations of regenerative
> braking occur on electric bikes with hub motors, and even then there are limits
> on the current that can be dumped into a battery. If one rides in hills, the
> overall efficiency is higher when running a smaller, lighter motor through the
> bicycle's gears.
>
> Below is a link to a white paper that discusses why regenerative braking is
> generally not practical on electric bikes.
>
> http://ecospeed.net/regenbraking.pdf
>
I can't get to that site since my firewall thinks it is bad, so.....
Anyway, I get the part about regenerative braking since there is nowhere
near the amount of mass/inertia like a car, so it would only be
effective on downhill runs. That, in itself, would take the fun out of
trying for the fastest possible speed on a downhill. Fast descents are
the reward for chugging up a hill in the first place.
Conclusion? It's a wash.
Bill Baka
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