Hi Electrom fans, here’s a quick time lapse video of my commute home. I’ve been consulting at an e-bike and battery store up in Duncan, All Battery. The extra income has been great, but a fringe benefit is the chance to put some serious testing miles on the Electrom. I’m doing almost 100 KM per trip. The Electrom has performed beautifully.
We are pleased to announce that the Electrom Beta Sample has completed over 2000 Kilometres of road testing and is ready for consumer test rides. The Electrom does not yet have its final final fibreglass body panels and tailbox but all of the lights, signals and other components are as they will be on the final bike so is a fair representation of what riders will experience on a finished Electrom.
Please contact info@electrom.ca to arrange your test ride.
Test Ride Parameters:
I hope to see a few of you soon
Fabrizio
I’ve been putting as many test miles onto the new Electrom 1 frame as I can lately. My goal is to get the first frame up to at least 5000 KM of testing in time to make the next set of frames for our Beta backers.
Here’s a quick bit of video I shot while doing early morning speed runs. There’s even a short bit of off-road at the end–It must be pointed out that a long-wheelbase-recumbent-position vehicle like the Electrom is not ideal for off-roading–but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it handled. The 2.75 inch tires and 4 inches of front and rear suspension definitely help a lot.
I should also point out that I shot most of this footage at 5:30 AM when there were very few people about and pre-rode the narrow sections to make sure they were clear before running at higher speeds.
Fabrizio
As we work toward the completion of the Electrom1 bodywork we thought backers would like to see some of the details of the inovative aircraft cable steering system that gives the operator incredibly smooth and precise steering while piloting the Electrom.
Hi Electrom fans,
Well, we have some progress to report:
The Tailbox plug is fully carved and sealed. It is now ready for filler and final shaping. We’ve gone with a semi-rounded style with creases in an attempt to give the Electrom a current feel (but of course we are hoping to create a classic).
Also we’ve been experimenting with dashboard shapes and have come up with a very lightweight but serviceable Carbon Fiber Dash design that both sheds water nicely and doesn’t block too much of the rider’s frontal view. The portion of the fairing on the Electrom that is above the rider’s legs needs to meet a few criteria:
-It needs to be light, as any weight above the rider’s center of gravity has a greater impact on speed of handling and stability;
-The fairing should do a good job of protecting the rider’s legs and lap from rain;
-It must also be easy to open and step out of;
-It has to place the rear view mirrors and the controller display in the right locations with respect to the rider.
The new dashboard meets these criteria quite nicely.
The next step is to carve the front fairing/footwell components and side panels and continue testing the new chassis. We’re at about 1500 km road testing so far and the frame and running gear has performed beautifully.
Thanks for following the Electrom,
Fabrizio
Hi Electrom fans,
We’ve received the new generator drive and the long-awaited Edge Engineering seat.
After a lot of searching for the right generator the solution was found in a low-RPM wind generator. This is a very efficient 3 phase A.C. generator, and perfect for use on the Elelctrom.
The Generator works beautifully. At a gentle pedaling cadence of 80 rpm at the cranks, the rider generates 150 watts. If one is looking for more exercise, one just has to pedal a little bit faster. I topped out at 89 RPM and 460 Watts. I could only keep that pace up for 30 seconds.
The seat for the Electrom is a very important choice. It has to fit a variety of body sizes and types. The Edge Engineering seat is perfect for our application, it has a breathable mesh back, very comfortable seat pan, and has 5 tension adjustment points that allow the user to fine-tune the seat position and feel to their preference.
Right now the Electrom sample frame is undergoing road testing, so far we’ve put over 700 km on the new vehicle and it has responded beautifully. Of note: I took it over to Vancouver last weekend. To make the trip I installed the 2nd battery and was able to make the whole journey on one charge. I was running in fast mode, which compromises efficiency but I still achieved over 170 km on a single charge. I believe that if one was running in the most efficient setting, up to 220 KM range would be possible on one charge with two batteries.
We are still working on carving the Styrofoam plugs to make the molds for the body parts. It is a slow process but the result should be worth the wait.
Till next time,
Fabrizio
I have put the new Electrom1 frame into service with a basic seat and cargo rack while I work on the bodywork molds, lighting systems, and many other aspects of the new bike.
In order to free up some space in my cramped shop I decided to take the old prototype up to Hornby Island, where I have some storage space.
It would be a 210 km trip door-to-door with 3 breaks in order to take ferries and I estimated that I had enough battery capacity to just make it. But to be safe–batteries are expensive, and they hate being run all the way down–I
stopped for lunch in Parksville and charged for 45 min. I made a short film of the trip using time laps and film.
A short video of the Electrom exercising the right of a bicycle to roll up onto the sidewalk and park. It’s very handy to be able to park right in front of your destination.
Great news, the Electrom1 Production Sample frame is complete. The machining and welding was completed this week and the results look fantastic. The assembly took place in Vancouver, with the welding services of Toby Schillinger at Toby’s Cycle Works. The laser cut frame parts came together perfectly thanks to the fantastic CAD work of Robin Coope, who also handled the bulk of the other fabrication work, which ranged from water-jet cutting, milling, and lathe work.
Robin working on the rear swing-arm.
Toby welding the main frame
Hi Electrom Backers,
I’m happy to report that the Electrom frame design is complete. We have sent the schematics out to several aluminum fabrication outfits in Vancouver for quotes on the cost to produce the first sample frame. Here’s a rendering of the stripped down frame.
A number of sample parts are in and waiting to go on the Electrom. Especially exciting is the Zzipper fairing from Zzip Designs. This heat-formed poly-carbonate bubble will make up part of the front fairing system on the complete Electrom kit.
Hello Electrom Backers,
It has been busy month, parts for the production sample continue to be ordered and arrive. So for we have:
…and many more small parts such as signals, headlight, throttle, etc.
It has taken a little longer than expected to work out the CAD plans for the Aluminum fuselage. We are still finalizing the steering details. At this time the plan is to use hydraulic actuators for steering control. The hope is that this will allow for a sealed, maintenance free steering system.
Thanks for your support,
Fabrizio Cross
Electrom Update October 17, 2018
I have engaged the help of a Professional Engineer based in Vancouver to help design the aluminum frame for the Electrom 1. It has been an extremely rewarding process. One of the highlights has been learning about the manufacturing processes that are available to us in Vancouver. The main frame (we’re calling at a fuselage now) will be constructed from a combination of bent 6061 aluminum sheet and extruded 6061 rectangular tubing. The completed fuselage will be heat treated and either painted or powder-coated.
Progress is also being made on the steering assembly, wheels, seat and other elements of the completed vehicle.
We have been work-shopping the design via email and SolidWorks CAD files. These are exports of the working drawings so some elements have not been drawn in their final positions.
Fabrizio Cross
Things are moving with the Electrom. A number of the parts for the production sample have arrived, The Golden Motors hub motors are here, as are the Heidenau moped tires.
I’m really exited to try these tires, they’re 16 X 2.75 (16 inch moped is the same size as 20 inch bicycle) They have a good all-condition tread pattern and are DOT rated to 90 KPH so should easily handle the Electrom’s top speeds. I’ve mounted them to the Golden wheels and they go on easily and look perfect. I believe that these tires will provide a nice balance between weight, handling and durability. The outer diameter of the complete wheel is 21.75 inches, so will meet the California minimum wheel-size requirements for a bicycle.
We are also working to produce CAD drawings of the Electrom1 frame, it will be an aluminum monocoque main frame with some square tubing at the front end. I have been working with a highly skilled engineer and fabrication specialist in order to craft a design that will be both robust and easily manufactured. Stay tuned for some renderings.
Fabrizio
Electrom Update August 23rd 2018
Hi Electrom Supporters
As most of you probably know, we’ve surpassed our funding target and then some. This will allow the Electrom project to move forward and soon we will be able to present the Electrom 1 Production Sample.
There’s a lot to do in the creation of a new vehicle type, but we are well on our way. Over the past two weeks we’ve been busy researching and placing orders for component samples.
One of the selections made recently was the choice of hub motor. A sample set of Golden Motor Compny Magic Pie II 20 inch wheel-motors (front and rear) has been ordered and will arrive shortly. The Magic Pie II motors met the criteria for weight, torque per Watt, and dependability. One of the best reasons for picking this motor is that the supplier is Canadian based, and has a great track record. Check them out here. The Magic Pie uses a 273 mm stator motor, designed to offer a high torque-per-Watt ration in a direct drive motor.
Over the next few weeks we’ll bolt these motors onto the test bike and thoroughly explore their performance and reliability.
Stay tuned for many updates to follow.
Fabrizio Cross
Electrom LEV
A Trimble X140 set up as a test bike for the proposed Electrom LEV Motor, a Golden Motors Magic Pie II external controller, 20″ wheel with high quality moped tire.
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