The Slipstream®
Electric Bicycle Plans
- Fully electric, powered by
rechargeable batteries
- 30 miles per hour top speed
- 0 to 30 miles per hour in 4
seconds
- 20 mile range between charges
NOW ON SALE! - Order your own Slipstream Plans
and receive by Priority Mail or instantly via email
People
who ride the Slipstream or see it pass are amazed at the pickup and
top speed. The Slipstream uses a 1 horsepower motor. This is the
rated capacity. The electric motor can easily produce short
bursts of 2 to 3 horsepower for passing and hill climbing. While the
Slipstream moves along nicely with 1/2 horsepower from the motor,
there are times when additional power is required. Electric motors are
much better at providing this power instantaneously than their gas
powered counterparts. The Slipstream consistently beats cars off the
line at traffic lights. Riding around town on a Slipstream catches
lots of eyes, prompts many questions and is just plain fun. The extra
power not only enhances the rider's satisfaction in using the
Slipstream as a dependable mode of transportation, but also aids in
illustrating just how powerful and practical today's electric vehicles
are. Get ready to clear your mind of all your preconceived notions
regarding electric powered transport because the Slipstream is part of
a new era of electric vehicles.
The
Slipstream concept is a very simple one. A motor, a set of batteries
and a throttle are mated to a mountain bike frame. The pedals, all
original gears and derailleurs need to be stripped from the mountain
bike. The motor is added and linked to the rear wheel using a heavy
duty chain and a large gear on the rear wheel to reduce the motor's
speed. The motor is hooked to a throttling mechanism, which controls
the amount of power flowing to the motor. The throttling mechanism is
then hooked to the batteries. The gearing from the motor to the rear
wheel is a balance between top speed and low end torque. One of the
great aspects of electric motors is their very wide torque range.
Hence, multiple gears are not needed and the Slipstream performs
extremely well with a fixed gear ratio. You can make a Slipstream that
will go 75 mph, but will be very slow to start. It would be like
trying to pedal your 10 speed from a standstill in the hardest gear.
Not very easy. And best of all, if you already have a bike a
Slipstream will cost about $750 (for those in the US) to build. Some
folks have even built scaled down versions for around $550.
Click here to see more
detailed technical specifications.
Our plans enable builders of all skill levels to construct a
Slipstream using a bicycle they already have. Constructing a
Slipstream is straightforward and all major components are available
through mail order from component suppliers. These components can be
shipped to almost anywhere in the world. All other materials can be
picked up from your local hardware store. If you aren't sure whether
you can obtain all the needed components in your area, feel free to
email me. I'll let you know if we have customers in your part of the
world and whether they were able to procure the components from all
suppliers. Construction requires about 10 hours.
If you have any questions, feel free to
email us at Support@econvergence.net
|