Hi Daniel,
A track that wide would make it impossible to get the velomobile into most bike sheds or cellars. I run a bike taxi service in Gothenburg, and our vehicle is exactly 100 cm wide. We've had a small hell in finding somewhere to park it, except in garages made for cars. Even a rare but standard 105 cm wide door could cause troubles, because you can't always open it more than 90 degrees. For a 110 cm width, you need at least a 125 cm door, and those are extremely rare. So if you live in the somewhat cramped innards of a city, you're left with hiring a garage space originally made for a car, or parking it outside in a bike rack. The first is very expensive, the second will cause you grief when the kids in the 'hood will sabotage your vehicle.
I'd say an electric system should either be used the whole time, or not be aboard at all. I see it as two different kinds of vehicles, but I may be wrong.
A hydraulic steering system sounds very interesting in my ears! Hopefully it will reduce both the weight and the complexity of the steering system as a whole. - What standard part(s) will you use as the last connection between the hydraulics and the 'real' steering? Where will you connect them?
30 mar 2010 kl. 23.17 skrev Daniel Short:
Thanks Bruno, useful stuff.
I'm aiming for 1 to 1.1 m track width so far, and i think the cycle paths are fine with that dimension. The slightly wider width gives me some freedom to increase centre of gravity a bit more for a higher profile.
Also, it won't be on a car scale, or anything like a moped such as the Aerorider. Electric assist will be integrated into the drivetrain but not required to make a journey. I intend to illustrate some sort of service infrastructure where batteries are widely available, at grocery shops for example so a user may leave their empty battery and pick up a fresh one after the vela has been loaded with their shopping.
worth pointing out - I'm using a different steering system than usual, I know this may be controversial but I'm using a very lightweight hydraulic system. Similar at the wheel to any rack and pinion / tiller combination but no structure required across the body and also it allows for allot of nice design freedom for the controls. Basically sticking the steering for each side on the sides of the shell, integrating them, I think this is an obvious choice for a design aimed at mass production. It helps the interior to be cleaner, simpler and affords more storage space up front.
All hydraulic fittings from the steering are off the shelf fittings for brakes, such as compression fittings, hydraulic hose and so on. This off the bike shop shelf spares principle is something I'm applying at every mechanical area so it can utilise existing service infrastructure
ok opinions about any of the above would be greatly appreciated, and thanks Bruno for your extensive info
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