For fun you can see a bike of this type in action in this video ; ))))
Udate 10.12.2016 : E-bike, e-scooter... Which two-wheeler to choose for zero-emission travel?
When he made his first electric bike in 2007, Stéphane Melançon got hooked. The sting of speed. Since then, he has continued to increase the power of his superbikes. Result: with his most recent toy, a mountain bike equipped with a wheel motor, he reached 113 km/h.
Stéphane Melançon made a name for himself three years ago for having smashed the world electric bike speed record in Quebec City, in front of the media. At 94,3 km/h, he thus became the fastest "assisted" cyclist in the world. But that was not enough. It recently increased its mark to 113 km/h. But not in front of the cameras this time. “I could have pushed even more, but I arrived at the end of the street”, he says, candidly.
How on earth does this technologist from the National Optical Institute (INO) in Quebec go about transforming a simple bicycle into a car that only costs a few cents to run? “It's the same principle as the motor-wheel of Pierre Couture, this Quebecer who developed a motor-wheel ten years ago in collaboration with the Hydro-Québec research institute (IREQ). It is therefore a stator with magnets that rotate around it. The engine, which comes from China, weighs 25 pounds. But it has so much torque that its weight doesn't bother me,” explains Stéphane Melançon, 36.
The young man, who assembles his parts in the garage of his residence in Sainte-Foy, therefore equipped his bike with a 125-volt motor providing 280 amps. For physics enthusiasts, his bike develops 245 newton/meter. In short, it's "a lot of juice," he says.
“I had the privilege of trying Stéphane Melançon's latest machine.
Mind blowing! I had to put all my weight on the handlebars when accelerating, otherwise I would have done a “wheely” because the machine is so powerful.”
Besides, a bicycle frame cannot resist such a force. Stéphane Melançon therefore made a “torque plate” in order to solidify the part of the bike where the engine is fixed. This piece of reinforcement, the magician of the electric bike has sold it on a small scale to the four corners of the world. The aficionados with whom the Quebecois shares his secrets order them regularly.
Since he has built an excellent reputation on the discussion forum www.endless-sphere.com - known under the pseudonym Doctor Bass -, he is very active there and does not hesitate to share his findings on this English-speaking site which has 13 members from all over the world.
By creating six electric bikes, four of which still work regularly, we can say that Stéphane Melançon has a little green side. And twice rather than once. Because the lithium-ion batteries used to power its in-wheel motor are made from old tool batteries (drills, saws, etc.) that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill. “I take the cells that are still good and build very powerful batteries. It's like Christmas lights; it is not because there is one burnt that the whole garland should be thrown away”, he illustrates.
Next step: the young scientist wants to develop a cooling system for his engine. Wanting to go ever faster is good. But by overheating the engine, it is much less so.
Even if his prototypes are impressive, they seem to work perfectly and they would surely find takers if they were marketed, the optical specialist does not want to go into business. "I like my current job," he says. But we never know. Maybe I would like to work on creating a 100% Quebec electric car.”
Motivating people to take an interest in and build electric vehicles is what drives this emulator of “Doc,” the eccentric scientist from the movie Back to the Future.
“My biggest reward is getting accolades and turning heads when I ride one of my bikes. You should see the reaction of people when I climb Mont Sainte-Anne,” he laughs.
Stéphane Melançon is currently putting all his energy into breaking the 140 km/h barrier. To do this, he will certainly have to obtain permission from the police (with whom he has good relations, he says) to execute himself on the public highway. Otherwise, he could turn to the Quebec airport, whose take-off runway has made him fantasize for ages.
source: Real Info
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