Our 240 watt pack charges the all-terrain Surly Moonlander with EcoSpeed system. This 240 watt system can fully charge our 48v, 12ah battery in 2 hours and 10 minutes in direct sunlight, based on our testing.

In the past, we have worked with a solar products company to create ebike solar charging kits but they have been fairly unwieldy with panels charging a small lead acid battery which is connected to an inverter which changes direct current(DC) into alternating current (AC) so that you can plug in your battery charger, which then charges the battery like usual.  When you weigh all these components you have the weight of another battery and it is simply not very portable.

This Spring one of our dealers, Jesse Swing of Solar Sprouts, was able to source some very high efficiency panels (24.2%) and a custom converter that outputs the precise voltage (54.6V) that is needed to charge our lithium tri-metal, 13 cell batteries.  This custom converter means it can be plugged directly into the batteries.

So now any customer who rides in daylight can put one of our solar charging solutions (either the 120 watt  or 240 watt panels) in their pannier or mount it to a custom roof or trailer and have a vehicle that stays charged as they ride.  Wondering if you will find a place to charge is no longer is an issue, because as long as there is daylight you can charge your electric bike.

Taking a break for a long lunch or a half day off could fully charge your batteries even if you are far from civilization.  This makes a whole category of off-road touring possible and allows for great flexibility and freedom with any electric bike touring.

Folded Panel with 13 cell converter gives you the freedom to recharge anywhere there’s sunshine.

We are now distributors for these 2 solar charging systems for our current lithium tri-metal 13 cell batteries and we are excited to see how our customers benefit from this new technology. (Please contact us if you need charge converters for other voltages as they are available by special order.)

We need about 4-5 weeks to ship from your order date so getting your order started now will mean you’ll have solar panels all summer long.

Finally, this also opens custom options such as custom solar roofs with individual panels hard mounted to the vehicle or trailer and other custom configurations.  We can also do custom wiring so you could charge 2 batteries at once, so please let us know what you have in mind and we’ll see what we can do!

120 Watt Solar Charging System Product Page

240 Watt Solar Charging System Product Page

Here is an article from Sustainable Business Oregon EcoSpeed, B-line Deal Helps Bikers Haul Heftier Cargo  and another from the Portland Tribune Bike Delivery Service Tests New Electric Motor.

This EcoSpeed Downtube Mount Mid-Drive is being used for commercial hauling by B-Line Urban Delivery.

We were grateful for the coverage as we see more and more folks interested in using electric assist with cargo bike and seeing our system in commercial use sets the standard.

We were also mentioned in the neighborhood Sellwood Bee.

B-line Urban Delivery uses EcoSpeed electric assist to maintain consistency in their delivery schedule. They like the power to weight ratio of the EcoSpeed mid-drive and haul up to 500 pounds of goods.

More information about this Downtube Mount here.

We wanted to make our site accessible and fun for people new to electric bikes but still have lots of the resources from our previous site.

We’ve added lots of new stuff:

• New customer interviews.
• More interactive slide shows for each category of ride we fit. [Click on the new buttons on the homepage.]
• An interactive dealer map to quickly find a local test ride.
• An online store for ease of purchasing accessories and kits directly from us if you know what you want and a dealer isn’t nearby.
• And you’ve probably noticed we updated our logo to represent more than our recumbent past and to include all of our mid-drive customers.

If you are having a hard time finding something from the old site you can check out the sitemap to see if it is in a new location.

Enjoy the new site and please let us know if you find an error, encounter something confusing, or if you have a suggestion for a page you’d like to see!

We look forward to bringing you lots of great new content as we stay on the cutting edge of electric vehicle technology!

Jesse Swing, the owner of Solar Sprouts, describes why he chose EcoSpeed as his electric motor system for his Surly Moonlander fat bike.  Jesse is one of EcoSpeed’s newest dealer and currently operates his solar installation and sustainability business in Bend, Oregon.  He is available for test rides for those who want to see what an EcoSpeed system can do off-road and even in the sand or snow, no-go zones for most bikes.

We are really glad to have Solar Sprouts and Jesse on board and look forward to following and sharing his adventures with you as he plans a completely solar powered ebike trip from the USA to South America in 2013.  For more information about Jesse or to schedule a test ride visit Solar Sprouts.

Sylvia Halpern originally thought she would do a four day trike ride…

After four days she was having so much fun she decided to just keep on going…and going…and going.

At some point she wanted to make her journey even more fun and while climbing at a snail’s pace up long steep hills in humid Thailand, she start considering options.  She wondered if anyone toured with electric assist.

After doing some research, she found EcoSpeed and together with TerraCycle, we created custom a CargoMonster EcoSpeed kit which extended her trike’s carrying capacity and stability.

Sylvia has since completed an amazing 6000 mile tour down the Pacific coast and across the USA with her EcoSpeed system.  She said it was actually easier to find an electrical outlet than it was to find water on her trip.

Sylvia Halpern and her trike Moto Myrtle with custom built EcoSpeed Mid-Drive.

Even though she had toured without a motor for years it was on her e-tour that she started making progress toward one of her fitness goals. Along with changes to her diet and joining Weight Watchers by the end of the electric trike trip she had lost 25 pounds.  Sylvia reflects on solo touring with electric assist, the advantages, and the limitations her batteries put on her route in her blog.

Now having lost 60 pounds she has decided to try touring without a motor again and keep Moto-Myrtle as her car replacement vehicle for hauling when she is home in Portland or wants to ride fast.  Her 2012 adventures include riding an HP-Velotechnic full-suspension Scorpion trike from Singapore to Beijing.  Go, Sylvia, go!!!

Sylvia has joined us for many group rides and has inspired many others to add electric assist to their rides and get out on their own adventures!  We are so grateful to call Sylvia a friend!

If you have questions about adding electric assist to your adventures or want to know about our new, lighter lithium tri-metal batteries please contact us or call 503 233 1580.

Matt Hicks, a dentist and electric bike commuter, went by bike before he had an EcoSpeed. Now, with his EcoSpeed, he still stays fit, rides further, doesn’t hesitate to get groceries, and hauls his kids in the trailer. It means that he hardly ever drives the car in town.

If you’ve been pondering going car “lite” or even car-free like Matt was we’d invite you to let us know how we can help. We are inspired to help bike commuters ride their bikes even more, even up those big, big hills or when they are tempted to just drive.

Contact us by email or phone (503) 233 1580 to share your ebike commuting plan or ask questions.

The result is a smoother, quieter motor response. The AC drive eliminates the high frequency harmonics of a DC drive resulting in a motor that is much quieter than anything we’ve done before.  Also, we can now program the same motor,  which previously topped out at 1000 watts, and boost it up to 1300 watts.   All systems now being sold have this type of motor programming!

Sine modulation turns a DC motor into an AC motor. To pull off this hat trick, our new Velociraptor controller software synthesizes 3 phase AC current from the DC supplied by the battery.  We program it to keep the AC waveform frequency in sync with the rotating motor allowing full performance at any speed, unlike common fixed frequency AC motors.

He worked with the EcoSpeed team to find a strong, solid bike with a higher weight limit than most bikes.  We decided on a Day6 Samson with it’s mechanical disc brakes, beefy frame, and 400 pound weight limit.

After riding a few months we wanted to catch up with  Clay and ask him about his experience riding with an EcoSpeed co-powered bike.  He couldn’t stop smiling during our interview and described it as the “magic bike” he had always wanted as a kid and would recommend it to anyone who wanted to ride like Lance Armstrong…but wasn’t Lance Armstrong.  (A warning to Lance and others,  riding your EcoSpeed is performance enhancing and can be addictive.)

Clay rides  about 150 miles a week on average, traveling from client to client.  He purchased a Samson Day6 from EcoSpeed and we installed our mid-drive electric assist for him.   He decided to add  integrated lighting  so that his lights are always powered by his ebike battery.  Since he wants to get the most from his battery he uses the Cycle Analyst, a battery monitor and ebike computer, to keep track of his battery use, distance, speed, and other stats.

We are proud to support customers like Clay who are setting a courageous example for so many and having lots of fun in the process.

Contact us if you’d like the same ebike that Clay has.  We’d be happy to set you up with this one or something similar that better meets your needs.

Jean added, “I had long given up on ever riding a bike again and today, because of the assist, I ride almost daily. I use my trike for everything.”

The EcoSpeed assist allows Jean to use her trike as her main form of transportation. “Shopping for groceries? No worries.” she says, “I can carry three large bags of groceries in my basket with ease. I can also carry 50 lbs of chicken feed home from the local nursery as well, without a moment’s hesitation. There isn’t any place in town I can’t get to on my bike from the Clackamas Town Mall, to Janzen Beach and even Vancouver, Washington across the river. I know without a doubt that I can easily travel 20 miles and never have to worry about getting home.”

As the artisan owner of Mama Jean’s Kind Threads, Jean does her fabric purchasing and postal deliveries by bike.

Jean smiles, “I ride Tootles even if I have to go to the airport for an express delivery. I think more than anything else, I love to say that I am a bike rider and truly mean it. Not just for a fun ride on Saturday but for everyday, for living a richer and happier life. The EcoSpeed assist has made a middle age woman’s dream come true every day, one ride at a time.”

If you would like a trike similar to Jean’s delta trike you may be interested in an EcoSpeed system with a delta trike (2 wheels in the back and 1 in the front).  We can fit many trikes with our mid-drive of you can purchase a trike with an EcoSpeed motor already installed in the factory.

Bicycling writer Tom Clynes describes EcoSpeed’s system on a Catrike (photo below) as “impressively torquey” (pg. 5).

You can also see photos of our system on the Bullitt box bike and trailer as it hauls a load of furniture in the featured bike move.

Is this the Coolest Bike Ever Made?, Bicycling Magazine, October 2011 Issue