The Yellow Velo - It's the greenest thing in town!

Mileage Update

2008-04-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

Current mileage: 6560km

I recently replaced the rear tires with Schwalbe Big Apples, 2.35" wide. The old ones were 2", which were also very nice. They wore out a bit quicker than normal since they were rubbing on the wheelwell a bit in the beginning. I decided to go with a bit wider ones to give some extra cushion to the ride. After taking the old ones off I realized there was likely still some life left in them, I think this next set I will run a bit longer.

Mileage Update

2007-10-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

Current Total Mileage: 4560km

I have put the roof back on, since the rain has returned. I have made a cover to seal the bottom ventilation holes to keep water out, and now it is very nice and dry no matter how much it rains!

Range Tests

2007-08-28T18:32:00.001-07:00

A few day ago, I finally got around to doing a battery range test on the velo. In addition to my standard battery pack (48V, 18Ah Nimh) I took two spare batteries, partly to add weight simulating a touring setup, and partly so I could bike most of the day without having to stop for a full charge. I added one 48V, 8Ah Nicd pack and one 48V, 8Ah Nimh pack.

I rode from White Rock, to Fort Langley, took the ferry across, to Aggasiz, through Chilliwack, Abbotsford and back to White Rock.

Total distance for the day: 210km
Total riding time: 6 hours
Average Speed: 36km/h

Range on Standard battery pack (48V, 18Ah): 80km at 37.6km/h average speed

I charged over lunch for an hour, and over a coffee stop for 40 mins.
I am guessing that if I was doing a tour with only the main battery, I would need to charge for about 4 hours and slow down a bit to do a similar distance (200km/day).

Total distance since new: 3540km

Mileage Update

2007-08-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

Total distance ridden to date: ~3300km

No breakdowns or additional maintenance required yet! *knock on wood*

Corrections and more data

2007-06-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

My speedometer was not set correctly, so the previously posted top speed of 94km/h is wrong.

Top speed is electronically limited to 32km/h to comply with electric bicycle regulations. Actual top speed when not regulated on the flat with light pedaling is about 50km/h. Up a hill like King George south of Highway 10 this drops to about 32km/h. Down this same hill the top speed is about 68km/h. At this speed the motor is actually re-charging the batteries somewhat, so if I was to turn off the controller I would cruise down the hill slightly faster, probably about 75km/h.

Average moving speed from South Surrey to 84th and 128th (about 17.5km) can be about 37km/h when not regulated.

Total distance ridden is now about 2300km.

Questions

2007-06-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

To answer some of the questions posted in the comments:
1) How are you able to measure the speed and distance?
It's measured using a bike computer.

2)Is it not possible to buy a recumbent bike and then get a "fiberglass raincoat" separately?
Yes, I believe this type of thing is available, but an all in one velomobile would most likely be a bit lighter.

3) Doesn't it get hot pedaling inside with no fresh air to hit your body?
Yes, if it's hot outside it's a bit warm. With the roof and windshield off it's not bad, especially when moving.

4) I saw the news youtube clip. Do you not lock your bike when you leave it to enter the mall?
Yes, I do usually lock it. I didn't in the newsclip for efficiency.

5a) On a rainy day, do you use an umbrella to get to your parked velo?
No, I don't get too wet while walking there :)
b) Does it matter if the insides get wet? How will the motor react?
The motor is waterproof. It doesn't matter if the insides get a bit wet, but there is a cover for use while parked to keep water out, or you can put the roof on.

c) Are there holes to let the water out?
Not enough water gets in to worry about that.

Ride Data

2007-05-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Total distance ridden so far: 1700km
Top speed (down hill): up to about 80km/h (see more details above)

The velomobile is very stable at high speeds. I had to replace my first set of brake pads on the disc brakes at 1300km. This is most likely due to the higher speeds with the motor assist and extra weight of the batteries.

Yellow velo in the news...

2007-05-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

Local TV Story:

Local Newspaper story:
Peach Arch News

A distant cousin of the Yellow Velo?

2007-05-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

This is slightly unrelated to the Yellow Velo - but I recently met a distanct cousin of my velo:
The two guys below have built a tandem velomobile out of cedar strips, and are touring across Canada, giving presentations at Elementary schools along the way about global warming. Since I recently also took my velomobile to an elementary school to discuss global warming and alternative transportation, we had an interesting conversation.

I would just like to say - amazing project and good luck to you both!

Have a look at their websites at http://econauts.blogspot.com and http://kidscan2007.ca

Is it the end of March already?

2007-03-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably it's been almost two months since the last post. It's been a very busy time, but I did get some time to ride the velo in between. Every ride is an adventure, with people hanging out car windows with their cell phone cameras to get a picture, or even bringing out their fancy SLR cameras as they drive by. Many comments, and lots of interesting conversations.

I have over 500km on the velo now, and I haven't really had any problems, which is a very good sign. I haven't ridden nearly as much as I would have liked, but in the spring I will be riding to work a lot more often. I have added a few little things, a car horn, and some driving lights (35W and 20W) shown below. Originally I had been using a DC-DC converter to supply the 12V for the lights from the 48V main battery, but it was not powerful enough to run the lights and the horn, so I switched back to a separate 12V battery.

I have ridden a few times in pouring rain, and kept quite dry. I originally had a bit of water come in through the footwells, but those have now been covered when it rains hard.

Lights - these are the original 20W driving lights, I have since changed one to a 35W bulb.

Front wheel showing motor and lights.
Inside view
View under the seat showing batteries and chargers on either side, the controller in the far back and the 12V battery between the foam supports.

Short video clip

2007-01-28T22:46:00.001-08:00

Here is a short video of one of the first outings. Enjoy!

And an article I wrote explaining a few of the details of the velomobile:
http://www.velomobiles.ca/varticle.pdf

A few more pictures

2007-01-13T01:11:00.000-08:00

Car roof rack for the velo:In the last few days we have has about 5 inches of snow here, so I haven't had much of a chance to really try the velomobile, hopefully by next week I will be able to do some more testing and longer runs with it once most of the snow is gone. I now have the motor (400 series Crystalyte model in the front wheel) and the two batteries installed, hopefully giving me a range of about 80km per charge. I still need to install the headlights and the DrainBrain (speedometer).

Don't be Shy

2007-01-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Well, if you are a shy person, you should definitely not be riding around in a yellow velomobile. So far in the roughly 20km I have ridden around the neighborhood, I have had people follow me in cars to ask what I am driving, small children point and laugh out loud, people stop and talk to me as I pull into the driveway, and many many people smiling and pointing. Some people think it's a great idea, some people probably think it's ridiculous, but at least it gives everyone something to look at, smile, and think about.

Delivery of The Yellow Velo!

2007-01-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

I received my yellow Aurora velomobile on Jan 7, 2007. I spent the day installing the electric assist motor (Crystalyte) and the batteries (48V, 16Ah) and controller(35A). The next few days will be spent testing and tweaking. I will post updates here periodically.