Bike Generator Harnesses Power From Bumps on the Road

So while the effect might not be great, the energy created by that back wheel generator increases resistance and thus ups the calories you burn while pedaling.

This isn't so bad until you consider where you are getting your calories from. Most Americans get theirs from food that is produced using fossil fuels and the whole process from oil to fertilizer to food to plate is pretty inefficient.

Now if you mount that wheel on your roof and connect a propeller (or go vertical axis wind turbine... your choice), now we are thinking efficiently!

Amazing! With thebumpy roads in my town I could probably power my house!

JIff
www.privacy.es.tc

"So while the effect might not be great, the energy created by that back wheel generator increases resistance and thus ups the calories you burn while pedaling. "

Check the fine print in the diagram, he thought of that, which is why it says

"when generator is engaged for braking extra power is generated"

Leading to the conclusion that, no it does not make you work harder, it just recovers energy, and assists in gentle braking.

Amazing, what will they think of next?

Amazing. Pretty Cool...

My drive way to home from work is a bit bumpy which I can use it for the best

All fine and good, but is it beyond the design and prototype stage yet? Is it possible to purchase one?

Can't you create bumps for yourself by jumping on the seat, lol?

I am not sure if anyone claims efficiency increases here, but I would like the following test to be done:

* Disengage the electricity generating seat post and coast the bike down a bumpy road. Measure the distance it rolled.
* Now engage the electricity generating seat post and coast it down the same bumpy road. As identical as possible. Now measure this distance.

My hypothesis is that the bike without the electricity generating seat post coasts further since the energy to roll is not converted into electricity. If that is the case, you generate electricity but loose energy for forward motion. Add all the weight of the components plus all the loses of energy conversion, and the fact that you may not be able to turn it off, and you have a less efficient vehicle. Of course, you may have a suspended seat post and not use that energy to create electricity. That is different.

There are many quite efficient wheel-driven generators on the market already that work when you roll and can be disengaged easily. The rear wheel version seems to be better suited since you may run out of bumps in the road and find yourself doing some pretty weird moves on your bike if your battery runs dead. The rear wheel version shown here I have seen before. I had colleagues working on this when I was at the Polytechnic University of Munich 15 years ago. They had high hopes but never could get it to work due to the tight tolerances necessary to generate electricity. Maybe with the newer magnet technology it finally works.

BTW, if this prototype works how come there is still a decades-old generator mounted on the rear wheel? I had one of those 30 years ago as a kid.

Karsten
http://www.polluteless.com
Practical Advice to Pollute Less

"This isn't so bad until you consider where you are getting your calories from. Most Americans get theirs from food that is produced using fossil fuels and the whole process from oil to fertilizer to food to plate is pretty inefficient"

Tom, don't be silly. Americans eat way to much and need more exercise to stay healthy. By losing weight, they save energy when they are in cars or planes.

FYI, Springs(shocks) store energy too. The energy in the spring is released when the bike and rider rebound to their ride height. Using this system could result in a bumpier ride and adds unnecessary mass to your bike. I'm also not sure that you normally lose much energy in bumps, you slow down on the way up, and speed back up on the way down....(or vice versa)

Any device that takes energy out of a system will put a level of resistance on that system. In this case, it seems to be the vertical component of movement they are targeting, which should not put a damper on the horizontal movement (ie pedal effort). I'd like to hear from the designer on this, as the wheel is involved, it WILL put some damper on the wheel's movement. They should have strived for a simple coil & magnet system (like in those shake flashlights) to take the energy of the bumps & vertical movement without affecting the pedal effort.
For the person who said that mounting a turbine on the roof has less impact on the environment... I agree, but everything has a revenge effect. What happens if we put up so many turbines that we restrict ground-level air flow by 10% in a particular area?
Anyway, that is my bit. Cheers all.
by the way, ModernTradingPost.com has a variety of pedal generators on showcase.