Hello, I’m doing a science fair project on an electric bike conversion, and I’m planning to convert it by myself. But I’m a relative beginner, so can anybody advise me on what battery/motor to use in order to produce the most efficiency? How many batteries? How much would the battery and motor cost?
Also, do I have anything else to buy?
Thank you for your time.
Asked by:ffww72
If you want to take the easy route, there are kits available to convert a regular bike to electric.
You can use sealed lead acid (SLA), nickel metal hydride (NiMh), or lithium ion batteries. SLA are cheapest and have the shortest lifespan, lithium ion are most expensive and last longest. They generally use something on the order of one 36V12ah battery.
Generally the motor is in the neighborhood of 400-500 Watts.
Depending mostly on what kind of battery you choose, the whole thing can cost anywhere from $300 to $2000.
Try looking at the following sites:
the easiest way to make an e-bike is with a hub motor, which directly drives the wheel.
the motor power comes from a controller which has some nifty electronics inside and gets its power from batteries, and gets gets its command from a human controlled electric throttle.
Crystalyte makes kits to go on your bike. Most people start with Sealed lead Acid (SLA) batteries, heavy but inexpensive.
I know a church in LA that might have a spare hub motor.
You probably want a brushed motor to start, they are cheaper than brush-less, and so is the controller.
You might get the entire thing for maybe $300 if you shop wisely.
Good luck
in my country there was electric bike for sale a while, and there was 150 watt 12 volt motor that gave 20 km h speed.
buy a stock electric engine of the same size, cost about 140 euros.
buy lawn mover battery for 30 euros
assemble 3-5 cm diameter rubber wheel to motors axle, an assemble motor with some do it yourself metal pieces so that the small wheel contacts the wheel of the bike directly from above. then assemble a svitch to control motor on and off between battery and motor.
its the cheapest way i know