Solenoid Electric Bike (2015-2017)

The solenoid-powered electric bike was my attempt to create a novel method of powering an electric bicycle. I hypothesized that by using larger electromagnets than those normally found in an electric motor, a greater degree of torque could be generated, aiding in the load-carrying capacity of the bike.

The design was not particularly successful. The first iteration of the design used two very large, 3'' diameter electric magnetics that were programmed to switch on as they began to come together. This proved in sufficient to power the bike on its own, though the run-time of the batteries was slightly longer than the average electric bicycle of the time (averaged per watt-hour of battery capacity).

The second iteration of the design proved slightly more successful. It utilized four smaller electromagnets, programmed with H-bridges, to alternate between pushing apart or pulling together as the crankshaft turned. While it produced quantifiable increases in the coasting distance of the bike, it too was too weak to power the bicycle on its own.

Looking back on this project, the largest problem with the design was the exponential decay of the electric field with distance. I had yet to study any electromagnetic phenomena, and this design was my first introduction to the topic. If I were to reattempt this project for a third iteration, I would start by making the travel distance of the "pistons" as short as possible, and remove the drive-wheel component, instead attaching the crankshaft directly to the rear axle, or to a gearing reduction system if the torque was insufficient.