SEP 24

A few weeks ago we wrote about a hydrogen-fueled bike out of China. Well, it looks like a Canadian entrepreneur Peter Sandler has had other ideas in the meantime. His company has produced what they like to call the “E-V Sunny Bicycle.”

Other than looking like a professional racers’ bike with granny’s basket on the back, this is a 100% solar-powered bicycle. Solar panels are built right into the wheels, which charge the batteries and power a 500 watt motor which can actually get this puppy going 30 km (19 miles) an hour! The weight of the bike, at 75lbs, makes the unit a little impractical should you run out of juice at the bottom of a hill, but if standing in the sun for 10 minutes gets you back in the game, then one can't complain.

Having the panels built into the wheels is an odd configuration, considering that they will be completely useless at high noon. I suppose if you're running low, you can just rest the bike on the ground to charge.

The bikes are in production now, so no waiting. The cost, though, is $1295.00, which is up there, but considering the alternatives, maybe it’s not so much after all. Plus, there's a kit to convert your current bike for only $800.

Comments (11)

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Good Start
written by Brian Green, September 25, 2007

Too bad they didn't choose to put energy capturing brakes on the bike as well. That way, when going down said hill, you're actually generating power. I know it would add to the weight, but lets face it, we're really trying to make a cool looking moped.

I like the fact that there's a conversion kit for people who already have bikes. That way there's less waste when one chooses to adopt this design. I wonder what the panels are like in low-light (read: cloudy) areas.

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Drive time
written by Joel, September 25, 2007

Sure, it's worthless at high-noon, but how many people commute at noontime? The sun will be at an angle from 8am to 9am, and 5pm to 6pm (or 6-7, the way companies tend to need geeks).

And I'm guessing there's a regen function. It doesn't really cost anything to add it, if you already have an electronically-controlled DC motor and rechargeable batteries. If they don't have it, swapping out the motor controller for one that's well-thought-out (or even partially thought-out...) would be a very good idea.

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Hang on...
written by Jess McCabe, September 25, 2007

What happened to leg powered cycling? This seems totally redundant.

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Leg Powered Cycling
written by Brian Green, September 25, 2007

That's all fine and good if you happen to live in Kansas or somewhere else that's flat. If you encounter a hill everyday there are many of us who'd love to ride our bikes and not have to kill ourselves to get up the hill. We're wanting to be environmentally conscious, not kill ourselves to be a super athlete.

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...
written by Michael Mayhew, September 26, 2007

What happens when your roll through a mud puddle? PV cels do poorly when they get even a little bit dirty.

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Wind resistance?
written by rob, September 26, 2007

I hate to think what would happen in a strong side wind.
But that aside, it's nice to see a sensible looking electric bike, with the option of a conversion kit. It is a bit pricey though.

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It's about the Form
written by alan g., September 26, 2007

It doesn't need to be practical, yes it has shortcomings, but it's beautiful that someone has put it out there.

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...
written by iain s, September 26, 2007

I'm calling bs on this- I just bought a hub motored bike (lithium battery- it is fantastic by the way) There is no motor on this machine or any electric connectors- A 500w hub motor would take up quite a bit of space in the front hub and also would not use the normal quick release lever.The nubers do not add up- Also the logo looks pretty dodgy....

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calling out..
written by alan g., September 27, 2007

norco is a rather well established bicycle company.

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Something fishy
written by Lectric-guy, January 06, 2008

I'd have to agree there is something wrong with this. I've seen a lot of electric bikes and there is no sign of a hub motor on this one. The solar panels don't look like any sort of solar panels I've ever seen, I think it 's just a couple of sheet of mylar cut to size. The website has suspiciously little in the way of details and only this one picture? Oh and it's a Norco bike but the solar thingy is a third party add-on, so nothing to do with Norco.

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wind
written by kinetic e bike, May 08, 2010

yeah that is alot of surface area inside those wheels for wind, should redesign with a 3 spoke version.

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