My new electric vehicle kit

It might not be what most would think.I chose to put it here rather than the car section of the forum.
http://www.electric-bike-kit.com/hill-topper.aspx
Probably one the least expensive electric conversion kits out there and probably for one of the least expensive electric modified vehicles.
I ordered the less expensive SLA version for about $400 and shipping costs.According to their site the battery might not last a long time for my needs however considering the cost of the replacement batteries it likely will be quite inexpensive.

My car a 35 year VW Beetle ist Kaput.Unfortunately it wouldn't be cost effective to fix.Served me quite well though.
I could save up for a new vehicle but during the meantime have been riding a city bus along with using a inherited mountain bike from a deceased brother in law.

Mostly I have need to travel only within my city and was looking at alternative forms of transportation.
In addition I am looking ahead in case the economy tanks much further (due to federal borrowing) and high inflation which might cause a staggering economic collapse.In this case so many people would be fighting over public transportation that it would be swamped.Also in this hypothetical situation there could be much fewer vehicles on the roads with lots of desperate people.

Here are some alternatives that I've found.
A Gasoline powered low speed scooter (new ones about $2,500 USD or so,under $1,000 used and working perhaps less if lucky)
This has a lot of advantages.It can keep up with city traffic,gets great gas mileage,easy fill ups at any gas station.
Also maintenance costs are much less than a car.Low Speed scooters in my state are legally considered as Mopeds like many other U.S. States so only a ordinary drivers license,vehicle registration and license plate are needed Disadvantage small engines are very inefficient for its overall weight including fuel injected models.The gas mileage should be much better by far.Also if it breaks down one is stranded although if one has a friend with a pickup truck it can be easily loaded upon it.Not impossible to push just not fun to push if stranded.Another disadvantage probably very easy to have stolen (easily put into a pickup truck by a thief or hot-wired). Very vulnerable if hit by a heavier motor vehicle deadly accidents can occur often so one needs to be highly careful of others on the road.A decent alternative if very careful about being on the road or very cautious about theft.

Here is one example.This is a really great scooter from what I've read.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykn7vOOBmj4

A EPAMD (Electronic Personal Assistance Mobility Device) starting with the too highly expensive but innovative Segway there are also inexpensive electric scooters.Advantages include low cost and fairly good speeds.Legal in some areas on Sidewalks or many times no one will be bothered if it's taken on a street in a suburban area.Disadvantage fairly limited range usually a few miles and once the battery dies one is stuck with a fairly heavy to carry item.Might work for short ranges and useful for in city short distant transport.I would imagine the longevity of this item to be short lived.Doesn't seem quite reliable although for its low cost it could possibly be considered a disposable item.Most likely uses short lived SLA batteries as Lithium Ion ones would drastically raise the price.

Here is a very powerful model.Oddly at my advanced age I only noticed their existence due to some neighbor kids having a much less powerful model using one last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLNMlLsjYe8

and this looks like lots of fun for a kid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7mS03ta7mw

O.K. now I chose the bicycle with electric power as the bicycle is one of the most efficient forms of transportation.
Electric power is a great marriage with this vert light,highly efficient forms of transportation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle#Performance
and this other article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_performance

One advantage unlike other of the above alternative vehicles is that if the battery dies the bicycle can still be pedaled so one is unlikely to be stranded other than inconvenienced.If the electric motor fails too again the bicycle will still work.
Another advantage unlike the other above transportation alternatives exercise is an important health benefit which most Americans (U.S.) don't get enough of.So one can use these vehicle in several ways and use it instead for possible commuting if your job is not too far away.Also with electric power assist one does not have to sweat before starting their job.A good video on this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjDNfU_XdNs

Most of a cars,SUV's,trucks efficiency is wasted most of the time by having a single passenger with no or little cargo.
Most of the mass of these vehicles is wasted compared to what it has to transport so they are highly inefficient (although very convenient vehicles).Think about it really.
When the mass of the vehicle weighs less than the rider (or passenger) and cargo then it can become a highly efficient vehicle.Here is more about the efficiency.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elect [...] al_effects

Here is an electric bike company with really high performance but not street legal electric bikes though they do sell one model that's street legal in a couple of U.S. States.Man I would love to have one of these street legal ones from them although for now it's beyond my budget.They seem to have the latest 2,000 cycle Lithium Po Batteries as compared to other ebike places that only use the 500 cycle charging limit ones.
http://www.hi-powercycles.com/main.sc

Just looking at these electric bikes has one drooling and amazed.
One of their lower powered ones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oLQdXw9K_M

Here is a good video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whJY3RfGFs4

Here is a fun video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOwUUPTNyrU

I also looked at other inexpensive electric bikes but I wasn't impressed with some of the cheaper models as they didn't even use reliable brushless hub motors so anyway I chose the Clean Republic kit just for a start.It's supposed to just greatly assist with biking rather than very beefy and costly electric power capable up hills by itself without pedaling type.

This topic has been moved from the section Other Consumer Electronics to section Cars by Area51reopened

Howdy!

I built an EBIKE from kit parts. Best fun I've had since replacing my 486DX chip. Most of the engineering has already been done. Just click on over to;

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/index.php

For all the advice, tips and experience you can stand. The folks there are more than glad to help with questions too.

Happy trails,

TJ

Yeah hydrogen fuel cells are pretty interesting. I'd like to see a breakdown of the parts to see what all they use because that is one thing I have never touched.