how can i build a solar bicycle?

Question

i want to build a good bicycle with a solar power by my self

Answer 1

You would probably be better off buying an electric bicycle or scooter. Those are available for purchase from a manufacturer and charge from a household outlet. You can then have solar panels installed on your house to offset the electric energy used by your scooter.

This would be far more efficient than installing solar panels on a bike. Any way you look at it, the air drag will be pretty bad and the solar panels won't always be facing the sun. With panels installed on your house, you can optimize their location and offset your household electric power usage along with that of your scooter. So, I say you should ditch the solar idea and just build an electric bike (which will certainly be a task in itself).

First you will need to find an appropriate electric motor. The selection of your motor will dictate what motor control circuit (motor drive) you will use. You will also have to interface some sort of throttle with the motor control circuit such that you can control your speed. Also, you will need a battery pack and some way to charge it. Finally, an on/off disconnect switch along with various mechanical components would likely be needed in order to retrofit the bike. And if you have time, a gauge that indicates how much juice is left in the batteries would be nice.

So, there you go. That is one general solution to try. Have fun.

Answer 2

I'm going to be honest with you, this is not practical.

A lot of solar cells would be needed to get even a little power. To give you an idea..

A local electronics store here sells 20W panels for about $200. The panels are about 3 feet long by about 2 feet wide. 20W corresponds to about 1/40th of a horsepower. A normal human puts out about 0.5 hp when riding a bike.

There will be losses when driving a motor, or charging batteries, etc. So you would need a lot of solar panels. Its not impossible, but it is impractical. If you decided to use batteries too, it would add a lot of weight to the vehicle (as if the cells and motor wasn't bad enough), which would require even more power to get anywhere.

The end result would probably be a rather wide looking thing with a bicycle in the middle. It probably would not be legal to drive on the road since its now much wider than a bike, and is a powered vehicle.

A better bet is to take the suggestion of one of the earlier people here. Buy a regular electric bike. You could charge it at a solar station, or from a plug-in setup. The motor acts as assistance to your pedaling, and power comes from onboard batteries. Various manufacturers exist:

Answer 3

It's already powered by your legs. What do you need the solar power for?

You'd need large batteries to store the electricity generated by the sun and that would weigh so much you'd have to pedal 10 times as much to keep it going.

Answer 4

good idea. There are several hub-motors available that run on a battery and the battery can be charged using a small solar panel. It's definitely doable. You won't even have to invent anything. It's already being done. And you can even change the bike you have to electric.

Answer 5

That would require you to add solar panels, fuel cells... and a motor... which would make it a solar-powered motor-cycle not a bicycle...

Answer 6

Bicycle no goot, need rocket get to solar. In mi cuntery we this lern school at.

Answer 7

i do not favor to be detrimental; in spite of the undeniable fact that, i'm lifelike. construction a generator is a significant project, and not in any respect some thing undergraduate student can do. merely construction an DC to AC converter with an output of 220 VAC can be a needed project. you're waiting to attempt this, yet you want someone with a sturdy EE history.

Answer 8

go to a solar bicycle shop , give them money and they will give you a solar bicycle

Answer 9

Why? Sounds pointless

Answer 10

Go to the Sun and buy one.