DRILL BIKE
 
Donor Bike;’81 Kawasaki 550 Motor: PMG 132, 19hp Batteries: 12 DeWalt 36V Drive: Belt and Chain Top Speed: 50MPH (limited) Mileage: 9 miles per KWH Range: 8-9 miles Weight: 220 lbs

SPECS

 
Why At All?... The key to energy independence and green technology is better batteries and/or Ultra Capacitors. We have countless ways to generate electricity and nothing but lousy options for storing it. The Nanophosphate Lithium™ cells - from A123 Systems used in these batteries are a step in the right direction. This bike is an experiment in seeing just what kind of real world performance you can expect out of these batteries. Car makers are starting to invest heavily in electric vehicles and A123 is one of the battery companies that will benefit. However, car companies take a lot of time to change direction and you will not start seeing vehicles with these batteries in them for another couple of years. So what can you expect? Click the links above to check out the construction of the bike and the results I am getting. Keep in mind that my goal was to see how few batteries it would take to get me to work and back while giving me good performance (I did not want to be a slouch on the road). For that reason (and for lack of money) I have very limited range compared to other electric vehicles. But the performance is surprising! After all, these are the batteries used on the KillaCycle, the worlds fastest electric motorcycle!http://www.a123systems.com/http://www.killacycle.com/shapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1
INTRO... Welcome to DRILL BIKE. Drill Bike is a converted 1981 Kawasaki KZ550 LTD. The heavy chunk of hot flailing steel, aluminum and oil that was hanging in its frame was replaced by a small but powerful state of the art permanent magnet motor. Energized by 12 Dewalt 36 volt drill batteries and controlled by an Alltrax 7234 AXE motor controller, the 220 pound Drill Bike has become a very sporty and nimble commuting bike. Why Drill Batteries? There are a lot of terrific electric conversions out there, and most rely on either traditional lead acid batteries or the newer LiFePO4 packs. I wanted to do something different and use the best battery chemistry available and that is the A123 Nanophosphate Lithium™ battery. The only commercial product using these batteries is the DeWalt DC9360 used on their 36 volt line of professional tools. Most people who use these batteries dismantle them and rebuild the cells into their own packs. I use these batteries as is, leveraging their built in BMS to control and balance the pack