B Generating Electricity in E bike under seat (No pedal)

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the feasibility of generating electricity for an e-bike using a seat that moves up and down, without pedaling. Participants express skepticism about the efficiency of this method, noting that the energy produced would be minimal compared to the energy required to operate the bike. Concerns are raised about the potential fatigue from the required bouncing motion and the inefficiency of energy harvesting in this manner. Suggestions include considering more traditional methods of energy generation, such as pedaling, which are proven to be more effective. Overall, the consensus is that the proposed seat mechanism would likely not provide a practical solution for charging the e-bike's battery.
Micheal_Leo
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Hello Dear Members

I would like to ask that i need to make electricity generated and stored in battery of E bike through seat of E bike .


No pedaling only seat should be used , the battery of E bike is 48V

Thank you very much
 
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Micheal_Leo said:
Hello Dear Members

I would like to ask that i need to make electricity generated and stored in battery of E bike through seat of E bike .

No pedaling only seat should be used , the battery of E bike is 48V

Thank you very much
We need a much better description to be of help. How exactly are you wanting to generate electricity?
 
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Micheal_Leo said:
No pedaling only seat should be used
Would this be 'bouncing yourself' on the seat? That could be pretty tiring. I have not heard of an e-bike that's charged that way. I can't imagine no one has thought of that idea already and chosen that method rather than the pedals.
The point is that you need to do the equivalent amount of work for a given amount of energy, however you do it. How much power were you planning to generate?
Also, for regenerative braking, you'd also need the wheels as a source of energy.
 
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russ_watters said:
We need a much better description to be of help. How exactly are you wanting to generate electricity?
I have intention to do like this , the seat will move up and down little and spring is already under seat that will stable motion (seat go back to initial stage ) . THe voltage that generated from generator will be boosted up to 48V since the batter is 48 V ,
Problem
1) Not sure that boosted voltage will be happen or not
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sophiecentaur said:
Would this be 'bouncing yourself' on the seat? That could be pretty tiring. I have not heard of an e-bike that's charged that way. I can't imagine no one has thought of that idea already and chosen that method rather than the pedals.
The point is that you need to do the equivalent amount of work for a given amount of energy, however you do it. How much power were you planning to generate?
Also, for regenerative braking, you'd also need the wheels as a source of energy.
The battery is 48 V so i intended to boost the small voltage from seat up to 48V.
the seat will move up and down little while riding and spring is already under seat that will stable motion (seat go back to initial stage ) .
 
Sometimes we don't need to look at the details let alone "run the numbers" to know something won't work. Sure, a suitable linear electric generator is possible and pushing it down (with spring return or possibly attached to a harness so you pull upwards too) will make a small amount of electricity.

But the energy produced will be minuscule compared to the usage of an E-bike, it will make riding harder and the pedaling less efficient - getting the seat placement just right makes a big difference to pedaling effectiveness - and deliberate 'bouncing' which will involve pushing against pedals in an unproductive manner will be uncomfortable and tiring.
 
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Micheal_Leo said:
... , the seat will move up and down little and spring is already under seat that will stable motion (seat go back to initial stage ) .
There are more efficient ways of generating energy, than bouncing on a seat while riding a bicycle. Turning a pedal shaft with your legs would be a vast improvement.

If the vertical bouncing came from an undulating pathway, then the rider would need to delay vertical movement, of the mass of their body, while following the path. That would virtually increase the steepness of the path, costing more energy than could be generated.
 
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Baluncore said:
There are more efficient ways of generating energy, than bouncing on a seat while riding a bicycle. Turning a pedal shaft with your legs would be a vast improvement.

If the vertical bouncing came from an undulating pathway, then the rider would need to delay vertical movement, of the mass of their body, while following the path. That would virtually increase the steepness of the path, costing more energy than could be generated.
i am thinking same the main problem is delay of bouncing back , can we boost volatge up to 48V if we use high booster?
 
Micheal_Leo said:
... , can we boost voltage up to 48V if we use high booster?
Anything can be done with either the voltage or the current, but power is voltage multiplied by current = watts = joules per second.
Boosting voltage, will be at the expense of current, the total electrical energy will be reduced by inefficiency within the system.

On average, a "modified-seat generator" will tire you more quickly, and will not lead to any significant benefit. Turning bicycle pedals with your legs, will be more productive.
 
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Micheal_Leo said:
i am thinking same the main problem is delay of bouncing back
You seem not to be thinking the same. With a reciprocating motion it's straightforward to produce a steady (DC) current. The problem is the actual work that you would need to do.
Have you ever seen those torches that you shake up and down to charge the battery? It looks very good until you want it to last you a useful time. Then you realise you have to keep shaking all the time and you produce a feeble light from a single bulb.

You should ask yourself why generators of every level of power output are rotational. Thousands of designers can't be wrong.

Your idea is basically one of those 'Energy Harvesting' ideas. Very few of those are actually practical propositions; someone always has to provide the mechanical work to run them.
 
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sophiecentaur said:
You seem not to be thinking the same. With a reciprocating motion it's straightforward to produce a steady (DC) current. The problem is the actual work that you would need to do.
Have you ever seen those torches that you shake up and down to charge the battery? It looks very good until you want it to last you a useful time. Then you realise you have to keep shaking all the time and you produce a feeble light from a single bulb.

You should ask yourself why generators of every level of power output are rotational. Thousands of designers can't be wrong.

Your idea is basically one of those 'Energy Harvesting' ideas. Very few of those are actually practical propositions; someone always has to provide the mechanical work to run them.
indeed that is energy harvested scenario , how about if we connect the seat movement with flywheel that rotate and stored energy
 
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Micheal_Leo said:
indeed that is energy harvested scenario , how about if we connect the seat movement with flywheel that rotate and stored energy
If, every time an engineer pushes back on your idea, you make it more complicated, then you will delay your understanding of efficiency, and the fundamental conservation of energy. You will also unnecessarily increase the weight, cost and complexity of the bicycle.

If you provide the energy by bouncing, you will need to eat more breakfast, and you will become exhausted quickly by such an inefficient way of generating electrical energy.

If the energy comes from undulations, or bumps in the road, then if you extract energy, the undulations will appear to be a virtual up-staircase, so you will lose kinetic energy with each bump. You will not even break even.
 
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  • #13
Micheal_Leo said:
how about if we connect the seat movement with flywheel that rotate and stored energy
Ah well ,there's the snag. If you need 1Joule of energy then you will have to supply it, in whatever form you choose. Your flywheel system cannot 'magnify' the amount of energy . Energy is like money an item in a shop costs so much money. You can fund it in many ways and some (say a credit card) will cost you more than others (say a cash payment). The lost energy corresponds to a reduction in efficiency and your proposed system will actually lose more energy than just putting more effort / energy into the pedals (a tried and tested system).

When I was a lad I fitted two dynamos to my bike. You could feel a change in load when switching on my beefy extra lamp.

Baluncore said:
If the energy comes from undulations, or bumps in the road, then if you extract energy, the undulations will appear to be a virtual up-staircase, so you will lose kinetic energy with each bump. You will not even break even.
What he said. It would be equivalent of going up a slight slope in the road. If you were getting significant energy from your method, you would 'feel it' and tire faster.
 
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