Main
The top electric-only speed is 40 km/h. When the battery is low that speed drops to slightly above 30 km/h.
The cargo volume behind the seat is about 100 l. Dimensions of the cargo space in the form of irregular triangular prism are 40 cm (rearmost height), 46 cm (height behind the seat), 60 cm (between the previous two) and 48 cm (behind the shoulders).
There's also a room of about 10 litres on the right from the seat (there's the motor controller and a circuit breaker on the left so I try to keep that space free for ventilation and access).
It can accommodate a rider between 170 and 195 cm (it's based on the Alleweder A4 specs).
The maximum payload is at least 115 kg.
The cycling part has 10 gears (read Wheels & Drivetrain below for more detail).
Here is the cockpit view except the voltmeter where battery modules can be seen too (two on the sides and two below the seat).
It can accommodate a rider between 170 and 195 cm (it's based on the Alleweder A4 specs).
The maximum payload is at least 115 kg.
The cycling part has 10 gears (read Wheels & Drivetrain below for more detail).
Here is the cockpit view except the voltmeter where battery modules can be seen too (two on the sides and two below the seat).Size
The size including PV panel is 266/108/75 (cm, L/H/W).The size excluding PV panel is 250/95/75 (cm, L/H/W).
The shoulder room is about 55 cm (depends or how back/forth you position yourself).
Weight
The fully equipped YM weights 73kg.The weight without batteries is 58kg.
Without the PV part, it tips the scales at 64kg.
The weight distribution is even - about 24kg on each wheel.
PV panel&Controller
The panel is tailor-made and consists of 100 monocrystalline silicon cells each rated at 2.5W. It's a double solar panel putting out around 100 W at 60V (250 W max power output under perfect conditions). You get 10 extra cells for repairs.
It's covered with a transparent 0.8 mm PVC sheet spaced from 4 (at the edges) to 10 mm from the cells so that hail, stones, etc. do not damage the cells. The cover is very easy to remove for maintenance or replace if needed. It is still protected with a PET film that can be removed any time (but better to do it sooner so that the film doesn't stick to the sheet).
The PV panel controller's specs, it is an MPPT type, are here. It can also be used as a step up charger or DC-DC booster, that is you can charge the battery from any 100W and above DC source with voltage below 64 V, e.g. a car battery charger. The picture shows the MPPT controller, a switch for the headlight and a phone clip.
Battery
Motor&Controller&Etc
The motor is a good quality 600 W brushless hubmotor rated for 48-72 V (see picture in the Wheels & Drivetrain below). Its peak power is 1250 W, the nominal/peak amperage is 12.5 А /26 А, the max efficiency is 90% and the weight is 5.7 kg as a complete wheel.The motor controller is 60 V/ 500W. It can handle up to 84 V and at least 52 V (+/- 0.5 V). The max amperage is 21 A and max power is 1260 W. It weights about 0.45 kg. Its temperature never got up past 40 C during testing.
The traction circuit has a 16 A circuit breaker (a green arrow) and a 20 A fuse. It also has a voltmeter/ charge indicator powered directly from the traction battery (a red arrow, in the current iteration it has also 2 headlamp buttons near it).
The motor's revs are controlled with a thumb throttle coupled with a cruise control button. They are on the left side of the handlebar.
Wheels & Drivetrain
All wheels are 20 inch or ETRTO 406 mm made of anodised aluminium. The front once are single wall with stainless 2.4 mm spokes, the rear wheel is double wall with 3.3 mm anodised steel spokes. All wheels have 36 spokes. The front wheels have Sturmey-Archer hubs with 70 mm drum brakes. The rear wheel has no brake but it can be equipped with a disc brake. N.B. In order to mount a caliper and its support on the rear fork, the fork needs to be modified as it's designed for V brakes. In my opinion based on experience riding tadpole recumbent trikes the latter does not need a rear brake unless you want the rear wheel to skid and lose control of the trike.The front suspension of wheels is of MacPherson kind provided by coil springs, the rear fork is equipped with elastomers that started working well after the trike had gained weight.
All tires are generic 20x2 inch Twin March Duro ridden for 200 km (this is the biggest size tyres you can mount). I tried Schwalbe Marathon Plus 20x1.35 (new), but the ride was too harsh. I can swap the tyres at no cost.
It has a six-speed freewheel by Shimano with 14/16/18/21/24 teeth steel sprockets (slightly used). N.B. I don't mention the biggest sprocket's size as it is not used due to being too close to the motor. The shifter is 6 speed Shimano Revoshift (only 5 speeds used).
The rear derailleur is SRAM Via and has been used just for 200 km.
There are two chainrings of 52 and 65 teeth made of aluminium (used less than 3K km, the bigger ring has a guard). At the highest gear, i.e. 65x14, I can still make a meaningful input at the speeds around 40 km/h. The gears are changed by hand pushing slightly the chain (it's in a hose) to the left or right.
There is a PVC protection of the chain on the fork.The aluminium cranks are of 155 mm size, but 170 mm may also be used.
The bottom bracket located on a boom can be moved back/forth for about 30 cm.
The pedals are Wellgo Aluminum Pedals (new).
Body, frame, steering
The body is standard A7 made of fiberglass and reinforced with carbon fiber near the entry and on the sides. It's painted in yellow. The body is in excellent condition, i have tried to drill as few holes in it as possible hence it is structurally like new. The paintwork is in good condition except a few scratches on the canopy's left side.The frame and steering are standard for Alleweder velomobiles, except that I had cut the steering rods and the track became 70 cm. Having ridden in winter on Schwalbe Durano tires in 2012-2013 I never had an issue with stability. So don't worry about this mod! By the way, the scratches on the body are a result of low pressure in Duranos that I found out myself a hard way while making a turn.
The seat is injection molded nylon mixed with 40% glass fiber weighting 1350 g. It has a detachable ventilated cover by Ventisit, looks like a new one. I extended the seat with a composite headrest so it fits me well (I am 188 cm tall).Accessories
There is a soft entry cover with a cap that will be handy if a rain catches you riding or you need to seal the entry completely.
LED turn signals with braking signal are modified from a cheap set made for a bicycle. They run from two AA batteries. I still need to find a good casing for the LEDs located on the sides as they are hardly visible in daylight.
LED turn signals with braking signal are modified from a cheap set made for a bicycle. They run from two AA batteries. I still need to find a good casing for the LEDs located on the sides as they are hardly visible in daylight.
YM had an LED headlamp from Busch&Muller with a NiMH 6 V / 4.1 Ah battery. But I replaced it with an LED lamp powered from a 5V battery bank that charged from the traction battery through a converter. The power bank has two USB sockets for charging another gadget while the lamp is on.
The bicycle computer is Ciclo CM2.2.
Two mirrors are Cycle Star by Busch&Muller.
The bicycle bell is generic, located behind the headlamp. It works well as everyone expects to see a bicycle what the YM in its spirit still is:)
