Well let me explain a little better. I have been working on different variations of an electric go-kart for the past 3 years and am starting on another version right now. I go to school 250 miles from home and get home at most once a month. So I got to thinking yesterday about wht good this go-kart would do me. Obviously it will be fun to build and drive, but if I am not near it very often, there won't be much time to drive it. So maybe something practical would be a better bet. I do not have a car with me at school and I live 5 miles from my place of part time employment. Even if I couldn't charge at work, 10 miles is definitely doable with electric. An electric assisted bike would seem like the best option, but I agree with the Wayland philosophy that electric vehicle does not mean traveling science project (in public anyway). That is why I was thinking about a converted moped. Does anyone have first hand experience with moped pedals? Is pedaling practical at all? I have read that it is difficult, but doable.
Keith At 9:06 AM -0700 9/30/02, Peter VanDerWal wrote: >From what I understand the pedals on most mopeds are mostly for >show. You use them to start the motor and that's about it. In the >event of motor failure, it's generally quicker and easier to get off >and push then it is to try pedaling. > >[snip] >The point is that it's possible to convert just about any vehicle to >electric, some are just better candidates than others. From the gas >powered mopeds I've seen, converting them would generally be more >effort than it was worth. It's doable but better results could be >achieved by starting with a bicycle or from scratch. > >[snip] > >Keith Richtman wrote: > >>Anyone on the list ever converted a moped? I am talking the real >>mopeds that are pedalable in an emergency. Most of them have a >>rear rack for some batteries and a engine nicely situated for >>replacement with electric. >> >>Keith
