Electrom Light Electric Vehicle

The recent snow in Victoria has presented the ideal situation to test the latest addition to the Electrom. All Wheel Drive. The bike has been running AWD for a couple of weeks now, and it has proven to increase acceleration and hill-climbing speed immensely while still using the same total wattage. This is because the new front hub motor has gear-reduction which allows it to produce much more torque with the same watts, but the downside of geared hub motors is that they usually do not support regenerative braking because they have a freewheel between the motor and the hub that allows them to coast without creating motor drag. With a direct drive hub motor on the back and a geared hub motor on the front the Electrom now has the best of both worlds. And amazing traction in the snow!

Work is progressing on the first two production Electroms for customers and all of the body parts have been finalized and mounted on the test bike (which now has over 7,000 KM on it). The new Carbon Fiber Bubble support is a highlight. It looks pretty cool, and has better rain coverage. Also, we've moved to a slightly shallower depth-of-blow on the poly-carbonate bubble, which gives the bike more of the look of a shark, and less a Beluga whale. Interestingly, the new front end seems to be a bit more aerodynamic as we are getting better distance-per-watt numbers. Also new are the carbon fiber pedaling-station cowling and the carbon fiber fenders.

A video explaining some of the new molded carbon fiber parts for the Electrom LEV

A short video of the Electrom loading and unloading on BC ferries from a recent trip to Vancouver

Progress! We’ve started to make the next batch of Electrom bikes. Over the past week layout was completed for a set of Carbon Fibre body parts. This included the Tailbox, Tailbox Hatch, and Front Footwells. Still to be made are the new Fairing support and peddling station cover. It is still a lot of work to do the layup in the molds, but it sure is exiting to see the completed parts come out of the molds. ... There is still some trimming and finishing work to be done and paint, but after the huge amount of work required to make the molds it is very gratifying to see the close-to-finished product coming out looking so good. It’s a shame to have to paint over the Carbon, but it doesn’t handle sunlight very well.

A few folks have asked for some unedited clips of the Electrom in action so that they may know what it sounds like and how it handles real-world situations. This is a 5 minute clip of the Electrom on the Vancouver Seawall. It should be noted that while riding the Electrom I am very careful to make sure I never pass other riders in an unsafe manner such as when I cannot see oncoming traffic.

I've been spending some time on Hornby Island with the Electrom. A number of other people have had a chance to ride it and the reviews are super positive.

A time-lapse video of my 120 Km trip to Port Renfrew. The trip used 2/3rds of the battery as it was very hilly. I spotted several bears along the way but was only able to get a photo with my phone. Compared to a conventional velomobile, the Electrom is especially adept at handling narrow winding roads as the robust tires and two-wheel configuration makes is safe to pull over to the side to let traffic by.

A short video highlighting the ability of the Electrom to navigate through congested bike lanes.

a 3 minute video showing the Electrom LEV's cargo and passenger capabilities

a short video detailing the functions of the Electrom GCD The Electrom uses a unique Generator & Chain Drive system (GCD). The GCD acts like an automatic transmission for a bike. How it works:... The rider’s energy is split and goes via two separate drive chains to both an on-board generator as well as to the back hub motor with one very low gear. The rider can help the motor get the vehicle get up to speed and to climb steep hills with direct pedal energy, but at speeds over 15 kilometers per hour, the chain drive is freewheeling and the rider’s energy is going solely into the generator. Benefits of the GCD system: No Gears It allows the rider to pedal all the time at a constant effort without the need to shift gears to match the human energy to the speed the vehicle is traveling. This is especially advantageous in stop-and-go city situations. AN additional benefit is that as the Electrom has a top speed of 60 kph (electronically governed to match local laws) it would need a huge range of gears if it used a conventional drive train. Choose your effort Because the rider can pedal as little or as much as they want, they have the choice of working hard and sweating, or pedalling at a gentle pace with efforts similar to walking. This is a nice feature if one is on their way to work in an office situation. High quality exercise Because the rider’s efforts are independent from the speed of the vehicle, they can pedal all the time against a constant resistance, even when going down steep hills or slowing down. This makes for a superior quality of exercise. The Electrom pedalling station is mounted high enough off the ground that there is no possibility of pedal-strike on tight corners which adds to the time one can spend pedalling. Track power output The human power generated by the GCD system is routed through a shunt and displayed in watts on the Grin Cycle Analyst V3 display. Low maintenance While the GCD may sound complex, the mechanisms that makes it work are quite simple and time-tested. Because the drivetrain is under very little stain it does not stretch or wear out like a conventional bicycle drive-train and requires very little maintenance.

Fabrizio Cross of Electrom LEV will be live on the Laid Back Bike Report on Sunday July 12th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard TIme. This will be a live webcast with the oportunity to ask questions. https://youtu.be/ZjjeX6dYgc0... www.laidbackbikereport.com

Fairing test runs on Mt. Tolmie in Vicotria B.C.

I took the Electrom on a trip to Vancouver to show off the new tailbox. It was a 70 kilometer trip on flat ground and I was amazed by how much more efficient the bike is at speed with the new tailbox. I guess it just goes to show that Aerodynamics are important. Keeping the bike at 32 kph max speed resulted in 6 kilometers per amp-hour used. With the two battery spaces filled it carries 40 amp hours which would yield a range of 240 kilometers on flat ground. You could also carry more batteries in the tailbox if you wanted. Of course at that speed and range you would be on the bike 7.5 hours. That's a long time.

A few folks have asked a few questions about stopping and starting on the Electrom as well as how it carries a passenger. Here is a short video explanation.

We’ve made it. The final component of the Electrom, the Tailbox, is complete and undergoing testing. The mold for the Tailbox is a 4-part mold so it took quite some time to build. Electrom specifications: Accommodates riders from 5’ to 6’6... 100 litres of cargo space or can carry a passenger 20 inch wheels Golden Motors Magic Pie 2 external controller hub motor Grin Phaserunner controller Grin Cycle analyst V3 dash readout 72 volt 40 amp-hour lithium battery Top speed 60 kph, governed to local speed limits Range of 200 km at 32 kph See more

I recently had to run an errand and decided to take a short-cut through Hornby Island's trail system. Normally one would not choose to go off-road on a long-wheelbase recumbent bike, but I was curious to see how the Electrom's front and rear suspension and cable steering would handle it. It was surprisingly smooth and the steering was fantastic. I think I might consider building a knobby tire, non-fairing off-road version in the future. I should note, most of Hornby's trails are closed to e-bikes. The only ones that allow e-bikes are the Multi-Use trails like the one I am on in this video.

a few recent photos. Spring is here.

With COVID 19 I've been hiding out with my family on Hornby Island. Here's a video of a recent trip down to the store at Ford's Cove.

Here's a quick video highlighting the Electrom's innovative forward mounted center stand.

We've been testing the new molded carbon fiber front fairing & windscreen mount. It has exceeded expectations so far. it is extremely light and durable (so far...). There's lots of room for all sizes of rider and their different feet. The dome of the windscreen is a bit higher than needed so on the production version we'll drop the depth-of-blow (the windscreens are made by vacuum forming poly carbonate sheets in an oven). Next will be the rear tail-box. Stay tuned. See more

A big thanks to the amazing crew at Pecha Kucha Night Victoria for the great evening of insightful presenters on Thursday night. PechaKucha Night Victoria

The first molded carbon fiber part has come out of the mold. This is the Footwell/Front Fairing Support. Just a few more steps until we have a complete Electrom sample and are ready to start fulfilling orders.