Post by papaof2 on Jul 6, 2021 19:26:29 GMT -6
Just thinking about the price of gas and other things, I'm wondering how an adult tricycle would work for short distance suburban/rural transport over paved (or at least smoothed) roads in a grid down or no-gas-being-pumped situation (Colonial Pipeline shutdown) - definitely traveling with firearms visible if you have ANY type of working transportation in those circumstances and the trike is stable when you stop - you could also be shooting and pedaling. Other than the motor (need a spare), the wheels are relatively common items and the battery could be adapted from available pieces - 3 car batteries for 36 volts would add weight but they're more readily available than a made-to-fit lithium battery pack. Some of us could build a new pack from used laptop or power tool batteries but not everyone has a battery terminal welder and the proper nickel strips.
We have solar power to recharge the battery of a trike with "power assist" - might mount one or two 100 watt solar panels as a "roof" for sun/rain protection - even have some thin and lightweight plexiglas for the "windshield" ;-) If you pedal on the way out, you could almost always have some power for the trip back, even on a partly cloudy day. At low speed on level ground, solar power alone might be enough to move the trike in full sun. I should set up a spreadsheet comparing the most readily available adult trikes and what their power assist options are - that might even appear in a future story: moving food, water, firewood by trike.
I have the motors and wheels from a power wheelchair. Those are usually efficient in using the battery power so I should see whether they could be adapted to a vehicle with larger wheels and do some load versus power draw testing. 180lb of me, 60-80lb of trike, 40lb of solar panels, how much cargo capacity is left?
We have solar power to recharge the battery of a trike with "power assist" - might mount one or two 100 watt solar panels as a "roof" for sun/rain protection - even have some thin and lightweight plexiglas for the "windshield" ;-) If you pedal on the way out, you could almost always have some power for the trip back, even on a partly cloudy day. At low speed on level ground, solar power alone might be enough to move the trike in full sun. I should set up a spreadsheet comparing the most readily available adult trikes and what their power assist options are - that might even appear in a future story: moving food, water, firewood by trike.
I have the motors and wheels from a power wheelchair. Those are usually efficient in using the battery power so I should see whether they could be adapted to a vehicle with larger wheels and do some load versus power draw testing. 180lb of me, 60-80lb of trike, 40lb of solar panels, how much cargo capacity is left?