Hello from Solarcabin and Sharing Ideas for Off Grid Solar Ebikes and Sustainable Transportation!

[Solarcabin]

Hi guys, I am a long time off grid homesteader that has been teaching people how to build cabins, install solar and wind power and live a sustainable life for over 20 years on my YT channel: www.youtube.com/solarcabin and website www.simplesolarhomesteading.com

As part pf my own move to being more sustainable I wanted an Electric Vehicle but because my power system is just 400 watts solar I can't recharge an EV car but I can recharge an Ebke so this year I invested in a cheap Chinese Cybertrack 350 watt ebike to get my feet wet.

I rode that all summer long and with an extra battery I was able to make some supply runs up tp 30 miles and it would pull my AOSOM trailer with my 60 pound dog around for local adventuring.

Now I am in the process of upgrading and I have a Rattan LM 750 watt fat tire coming that has a longer range and higher speed and is foldable so it will hopefully handle more off road and snow conditions and get me where I need to go even faster.

I will be doing a series of reviews of that ebike and I also do reviews of portable power stations like the Generark and camping power stations like the RAV and Hulkman battery banks. Eventually I would like to build my own custom fat tire taco ebike and I will be picking your brains for how to do that.

I am still a newbie to ebikes but the technology of batteries and using them for sustainable living is right in my lane so hopefully I can bring that to the forum and share ideas for recharging Ebikes off grid and using them for sustainable transportation.

 

[PedalUma]

Welcome.

 

[Solarcabin]

Thanks!

 

[Bubba zanetti]

Welcome. Interested in your experiences charging your ebike.

 

[PedalUma]

Thanks!

So, from the panel, the power goes into an inverter, then the bike's charger? Or is there a capacitor or battery in the middle? I like the idea of pumping water into a tower while the sun shines.
I am in NorCal and do lightweight conversions of existing bikes. The one today is a cargo bike. It is getting a small mid-drive.

 

[Solarcabin]

Welcome. Interested in your experiences charging your ebike.

Thanks!

My off grid cabin system is 400 watts and I recharge the ebike batts any time my cabin batts are full. I use a 500 watt inverter and can recharge the 350 watt cybertrack batts in about 3 hours. That system also powers everything in my cabin including water pump, lights, 2 laptops, fans, AC unit and lots of gadgets.

I also have a 200 watt portable recharging station with a 200Ah LIFPO4 in my camper and a 1000 watt Generark portable power station for recharging when I am camping.

I use that Vardo in the picture for my adventures and do a lot of rock hounding, treasure hunting and fishing trips and the ebike gets me back in to trails where a truck can't go. I just need some way to recharge them when I am away from the cabin and solar works great for that. It helps to have an extra battery so one is on charging while I am riding.

 

[Solarcabin]

So, from the panel, the power goes into an inverter, then the bike's charger? Or is there a capacitor or battery in the middle? I like the idea of pumping water into a tower while the sun shines.
I am in NorCal and do lightweight conversions of existing bikes. The one today is a cargo bike. It is getting a small mid-drive.

My system is set up to use for power in my cabin so I have four 100 watt panels, a 30 amp power controller, 200Ah LIFPO4 battery and a 500 watt inverter.

My cabin battery is usually fully charged by 10AM and then I have lots of excess power to recharge the ebike batteries or other gadgets and I just plug the transformer in to the inverter and the Ebike batts charge in about 3 hours of good sunshine.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Looking forward to adding solar charging to our camping options.

Welcome Solarcabin.

 

[Art Deco]

Welcome to EBR. Many of us are looking at backup power ... everything from "just carry an extra battery" to a whole trailer full of panels and equipment.
I want to beef up my van for charging my bikes right now, but have a switchable grid tied or off grid solar on the house. I mentioned it in the Green Room thread.

 

[Bubba zanetti]

I’ve got a teardrop trailer. Have 2 x 230 ah 6 volt batteries running in series, fed by a 120 watt solar panel and that pushes 12 volt DC house power for lights and charging and AC via a Renogy 1000 watt inverter. And a very nice Renogy WiFi controller. The batteries charge when driving via the 7 pin connector In addition to the solar panel.
Plan is to take our ebikes and charge via the Inverter. I will running my charger this afternoon through my watt meter to see the full draw to full charge. That will let me know how the ebike charging will fit into our overall power needs. Enjoyed learning about all this and it’s be fun putting it together. Also, it’s been much cheaper than I thought.
Much more to learn!

 

[Solarcabin]

I’ve got a teardrop trailer. Have 2 x 230 ah 6 volt batteries running in series, fed by a 120 watt solar panel and that pushes 12 volt DC house power for lights and charging and AC via a Renogy 1000 watt inverter. And a very nice Renogy WiFi controller. The batteries charge when driving via the 7 pin connector.
Plan is to take our ebikes and charge via the Inverter. I will running my charger this afternoon through my watt meter to see the full draw to full charge. That will let me know how the ebike charging will fit into our overall power needs. Enjoyed learning about all this and it’s be fun putting it together. Also, it’s been much cheaper than I thought.
Much more to learn!

Right on!

It is a nice feeling when you can produce your own power for living and for your transportation.

Everyone should consider getting at least a small emergency solar charging system and 200-400 watts is a good size.

Build Your Own Expandable Solar Power Station Under $500

 

[Art Deco]

Right on!

It is a nice feeling when you can produce your own power for living and for your transportation.

Everyone should consider getting at least a small emergency solar charging system and 200-400 watts is a good size.

Build Your Own Expandable Solar Power Station Under $500

Does anyone have any experience with the "solar generators" that are really just a battery/inverter/suitcase solar panels in a kit? There is no solar on my van yet, a propane generator and only a 100 amp hour agm battery, so I need shore power to charge the bikes.

 

[Solarcabin]

Does anyone have any experience with the "solar generators" that are really just a battery/inverter/suitcase solar panels in a kit? There is no solar on my van yet, a propane generator and only a 100 amp hour agm battery, so I need shore power to charge the bikes.

I have the Generark Home Power One and it is 1200Wh and 1000 watt inverter with 2000 peak.

That would charge up an ebike battery a few times and you can add solar panels to charge up the Generark or charge it from shore power;

I use it all the time as backup for my main system at night and it will run lots of small appliances and tools.

 

[Art Deco]

Thanks.The generark models look pretty good ... and from $1000 to $2500 seems like a workable price range. Will look at them a bit more indepth.

 

[indianajo]

I need refrigeration, which means IMHO 30 amps @ 120 vac for 11 seconds. That is about a $10000 battery pack. Out at my summer camp that would be stolen in the winter by the same family that ripped the walls out of the community center to sell the wire. Solar won't pay here, it rains 220 days a year. There is a lot of wind out at my summer camp, but wind turbine makers insist on putting a lot of copyrighted $$$ electronics on top of a 50' tower. We have enough trouble with lightning taking out $600 control boards on $900 gas furnaces indoors in the basement. I'm getting too old to start a business, but somebody should sell a 400 w wind turbine with nothing but gears & shafts at the top of a tower. Old Aeromotor pushes and pulls a pump shaft, not a electrifiable motion I'm afraid. I've seen plasma from lightning jump out the control door of a television in my den, that's how powerful it is. Everybody trendsetting lives in California, the market is telling me. I'm not paying those taxes or sitting through those traffic jams nor breathing yellow air. I'm not putting up with the fires or the next earthquake. Tribe of wealthy *****s sitting in a disaster zone.