About the Winter storage for your e-bike... again! :-)

   Hi, fellas! We all know - old man Winter is coming, and how hard is it sometimes to find a good warm cozy stable for our faithful and so handy little electric horses. After 5 years of e-biking in Canada I know that very well too, since I'm living in the apartment like most of you too, so this year I've decided to try and help my fellow e-biking Torontonians to cope with that problem in a most efficient, elegant, meaningful and affordable way offering the thoroughly put together unbeatable storage and service package for just mere $50 a months which at the end of the cold season will not even buy you a decent new lead-acid battery, but will keep your horse and his energy source in a good or even better shape than it was, so here's my ad I run currently on Toronto's Kijiji website:

 

  Store your e-bike securely indoor over the winter in a regular secure public storage facility for $50 per month and get your e-bike or scooter and battery maintained and ready for the next riding season for free during the entire cold season from November thru March or you can store only your battery in a heated climate controlled secure indoor storage for just $20 per months and still have it regularly charged and professionally maintained.

Free E- bike maintenance includes:

- Drum brake pads checked and properly adjusted or replaced
- Tires pumped and kept up to the specified pressure
- All bearings and gears lubricated
- Screws, bolts and nuts tightened
- Loose plastic parts reattached
- Loose wires and parts secured
- Power lines checked and their efficiency measured and  analyzed
- Small plastic cracks fixed
- Small dents on plastic repainted


Free SLA battery maintenance includes:

- Original condition and performance analyzed and recorded
- Capacity checked and accurately measured at multiple loads
- Every SLA cell capacity analyzed individually and labeled
- Overall battery performance balanced and battery trained
- Weak cells detected and reconditioned or replaced
- Battery training and reconditioning progress measured and recorded
- Battery wires checked and battery properly reassembled
- Battery case fixed if needed


Free pickup and delivery within GTA.
Free access to the storage by appointment.
Free consultation, advices, battery performance and capacity analysis.

Other free and paid repairs, fixes, services or arrangements are possible.

The labor and maintenance are free if e-bike is stored for at least three months. Parts are extra.

On the pictures above you can see me and my all terrain all season powerful horse :-)

Any questions by phone or e-mail are welcome.

Your fellow e-biker Lubo. 
 E b i k e r L u b o & B i k e R i d e r . c o m
( 6 4 7 ) 5 4 7 - 3 7 1 2 

If you do not want your e-bike battery look like this...

   If you do not want your batteries look like in the picture above, here's my personal humble piece of advice that works with any charger. Just to be on the safe side after one morning I've found my battery almost "red hot" (but luckily not melted, swollen and fused together) I've got the idea to use a regular cheap mechanical cyclic timer along with the chargers I plug in the timer. I set the timer to turn OFF and ON every 15 minutes, so the batteries and chargers have time to cool down and chargers detect the charging state of the battery better when just turned ON as I've noticed after dealing with about a dozen of  different chargers for the last 5 years of e-biking.

   This way chargers do not have a chance to get stuck in the ON state charging indefinitely until the battery melts. Besides, since the timer is 24 hours while only approximately 6 to 8 hours is needed for a complete charging of the battery, you can set up additional 3 or 4 zones or charging modes for your battery like extended charging periods or extend the cooling time. If that sounds too complicated or too "techie" to you, you can always order the right timer already setup for all these modes just by letting me know that you need one, pay by PayPal or e-mail and get it soon by a regular mail or UPS or you can purchase it thru E-bay if  it is more convenient or preferable way for you.

   You can find timers anywhere, even in dollar store these days, but make sure they are mechanical, cyclic and are able to switch as often as every 15 minutes to make sure your charger doesn't get too much rest during the night shift :-). Usually cheap timers are able to switch ON and OFF only every 30 minutes, so those with better 15 min timing resolution are a bit harder to find, but not too hard. I picked one from Walmart for 20 bucks or so which comes with the power bar, so you should find one like those easy as well.  So, that's just my two cents in preventing battery melting - the cheap and easiest way (at least until you're rich enough to afford a better charger that does not melt any batteries at all :-) Obviously aforementioned method is just a preventive measure, it is not a panacea to prevent overcharging. After all there are also just plain faulty batteries with shorted cells and so on, so keep an eye even with timer on your charger and battery as often as possible. But panacea or universal and foolproof method of preventing battery melting actually does exist. That would be a thermal shutdown protection, which turns off the charger as soon as the battery temperature reaches the certain temperature threshold like let's say 40C. I'm going to look for this sort of solution, so stay tuned and visit my blog or sign up for updates.  

   And if you find a better solution or even cheaper 15 minutes timers here in Toronto, let all the readers here know posting down bellow your findings in the comments. That would be your two cents :-) Thank you in advance!

Lubo Ebiker.

Magic powder can make electric bikes run on urine :)

Published: Thursday, Oct 7, 2010, 19:42 IST
Place: Washington, DC | Agency: ANI

Electric bikes may soon be able to go up to 60 miles without any pedalling, thanks to a new fuel cell system by the company SiGNa Chemistry, which uses a magic powder that nullifies the danger of having hydrogen stored next to your nether regions and can work even by urine. For a long time, that was one of the main reasons why electric bikes didn't all have fuel cells. But, the range extending system that SiGNa developed uses a sandy metal powder called sodium silicide, which creates hydrogen gas as soon as water hits it, reports Discovery News. According to the company, sodium silicide is "a safe, air-stable reactive metal powder" that produces hydrogen at about half the pressure of a soda can. While it’s not clear on precisely how it's made, but it looks like the powder can be formed by absorbing sodium in porous silicon dioxide, or reacting sodium directly with elemental silicon. After the powder in the cartridge creates hydrogen gas, the byproducts are sodium silicate, which is actually pretty useful stuff, and water vapour. Once all the powder is spent, the cartridge containing it can be reused. With SiGNa's fuel cell system, electric bikes should be able to go up to 60 miles without any pedalling, as opposed to the 20-mile limit for most existing e-bikes. A spent cartridge can be swapped out for a new one with no need for recharging. Unlike lithium-ion battery energy density, which is around 65 Watt-hours per kilogram, the cartridge has an energy density of more than 1,000 Watt-hours per kilogram, according to a press release published by Wired's Gadget Lab. The cartridge doesn't need special water, either -- even urine will be enough to make it work. You know, in case something goes horribly wrong on that ride. Recently the company worked with the electric bike manufacturer Pedego to demonstrate the range extender at the Interbike International Trade Expo in Las Vegas. SiGNa describes the £1.5 cartridges as "inexpensive," but didn't give a price. Currently the company is taking pre-orders for the fuel cells, so it will likely be a while yet before they make their way into any vehicle.

Electric Bike Runs (Almost) on Water

• from GIO BIKES TORONTO
  

• By Charlie Sorrel
• October 4, 2010  
• 7:32 am  
• 

SiGNa’s fuel-cell powered electric bike will run for 60 miles on a single charge. More impressive is that it runs on water.
The bike itself is really just a showcase for the fuel-cell tech from the energy company. The cells uses sodium silicide in the form of a sand-like powder. Add this to water and it “instantly creates hydrogen gas.” This hydrogen is then used to generate electricity. Because no hydrogen is stored, the cells are safe, and excess electricity is stored in batteries for an extra boost when you get to a hill. The cartridges are hot-swappable and are fully recyclable.
The main advantage (apart from the safety aspect) is that you can just swap-in a new cartridge when you need it, instead of having to stop to recharge (the units weigh around 1.5-pounds each, less than most batteries). You also get better range: a battery-powered bike typically gets 20 to 30-miles on a charge. The downside is infrastructure: you can find a power-outlet pretty much anywhere in the world. Try finding a compatible fuel-cell in a backwater general-store.
The current units can be designed to put out anything from 1-Watt to 1-Kilowatt. Their futire is probably not in electric bikes but in bigger transportation. Imagine driving your car into the gas-station, popping the hood and swapping in a fuel-cell, just Like Doc Brown drops a tube of plutonium into his time-traveling DeLorean.
Pre-orders for the cells are being taken by SiGNa. For a bike, you’ll probably have a long wait. Full, technical press release below.
 Produce High-Pressure Hydrogen From Water [SiGNa. Thanks, Mike!]

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Press Release:

SiGNa Unveils The Most Energy Dense Power Solution For Electric Bicycles
Power system produces clean, safe and portable hydrogen power – zero air pollution

NEW YORK – October 5, 2010 — The race to create a hydrogen-based portable power platform sped forward when SiGNa Chemistry, Inc. demonstrated its new ultra-high-performance range extender at the Interbike International Trade Expo. This ground-breaking power platform produces hydrogen gas instantaneously and then converts the hydrogen to electricity using a low-cost fuel cell. The extender creates up to 200W of continuous power; excess energy is stored in a lithium battery for use in more energy-intensive acceleration and hill climbing conditions. A unique attribute is the high level of inherent safety as demonstrated by 3 days of continuous operation at Interbike. The hydrogen is produced at low pressure (50% the pressure of a soda can) and the only emission is water vapor.
For the rider, the extender triples the range of their e-bike with minimal additional weight. Existing e-bikes have a range of up to 20 miles without pedaling; SiGNa’s system reaches up to 60 miles without pedaling for each carried fuel cartridge. The energy density of each SiGNa cartridge is more than 1,000 Watt-hours/kilogram compared to advanced Li-ion batteries at approximately 65 Watt-hours/kilogram. The fuel cartridges are hot-swappable, lightweight (< 1.5 pounds) and inexpensive, making this a realistic solution for any e-bike owner.
“The extender uses inherently-safe reactive metal powders to produce electric power. By integrating SiGNa’s hydrogen-generation technology with an e-bike, we have demonstrated an unprecedented power solution with no greenhouse gas emissions,” says Michael Lefenfeld, President and CEO of SiGNa Chemistry, Inc. SiGNa’s range extender was demonstrated on a Pedego® electric bicycle, but it is directly compatible with most electric bicycle models.
Sodium silicide makes this portable power system possible. Sodium silicide is a safe, air-stable reactive metal powder that instantly creates hydrogen gas when it comes into contact with water. Any type of water can be used including potable water, polluted water, sea water, or even urine. Once the fuel cartridge is depleted, the rider is left with an environmentally-safe byproduct (sodium silicate) that is fully contained in a disposable or reusable cartridge.
SiGNa has adapted its award-winning powders for use in many industrial applications including pharmaceuticals and oil refining. Since sodium silicide is safe, inexpensive and easily transportable, the portable power market is a natural fit. Says Lefenfeld, “SiGNa’s portable-power system overcomes two key challenges with using hydrogen for transportation applications – adequate hydrogen storage and safe transport. SiGNa has begun by developing a system that provides power to e-bikes; we envision this platform will become a primary or back up power source for many transportation applications.”
SiGNa’s portable power platform can be utilized in any standalone application that require from 1 W to 1 kW of power including generators, lawn mowers, golf carts, and consumer electronics.
Pre-orders are being taken now at sales@signachem.com.

Read More http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/10/electric-bike-runs-almost-on-water/#ixzz11RY2xQyq