Here's the plan... watt would you be willing to pay for this service as an annual fee paid up front?

eBike stops working, ya call 800-416-ebike/wattever and somebuddy comes by for a fix... Might be a flat tire, or electrical problem. They could also offer a pack swap, replacing your batts with freshly charged ones and you would pay the diff. depending on age and condition of your used batts...

If 1000 ebikers in Toronto paid $40 a year as "insurance" this way, that'd be $40,000 a year, which might be enough to start such a service. Thoughts?

Lock

I don't know if $40K is enough to cover all the customers of this insurance -- that would depend on how many claims were made, and to what extent those claims cost.

But I heard recently on the news that the CAA has added bike services to their 24/7 road support for their members. Interestingly, according to their website, even basic CAA membership gets your bike covered, but if you ride a motorcycle, you have to have one of the higher cost premium memberships for coverage:

http://www.caasco.com...


From what I remember, they will replace an inner tube and/or tire, and assist with a stuck or broken chain on a peddle bike. They won't pick you or your bike up and take you home or to a service center, and they won't cut off locks.

I was wondering if that applied to ebikes/escooters -- but I'm guessing probably not, they are more specialized and I can't imagine the CAA having spare battery packs or parts for an ebike.

Any CAA members out there know?

But I heard recently on the news that the CAA has added bike services to their 24/7 road support for their members. Interestingly, according to their website, even basic CAA membership gets your bike covered, but if you ride a motorcycle, you have to have one of the higher cost premium memberships for coverage:

http://www.caasco.com...


From what I remember, they will replace an inner tube and/or tire, and assist with a stuck or broken chain on a peddle bike. They won't pick you or your bike up and take you home or to a service center, and they won't cut off locks.

I was wondering if that applied to ebikes/escooters -- but I'm guessing probably not, they are more specialized and I can't imagine the CAA having spare battery packs or parts for an ebike.

Any CAA members out there know?

I called CAA about this and asked specifically about scooter-style e-bikes and they said you would need a coverage package that covers motorcycles. I didn't ask about bike-style e-bikes.

So looks like $101 a year to cover a "motorcycle" or an incremental cost of only $37 a year extra for a motorcycle if you own a car as well... And without reading the fine print, I guess there're some extra charges that you pay if/when you get some services not included in the base service...

Ya CAA recently added pedal bike coverage, but a lot of the pedal bike crowd aren't happy with the CAA as apparently they are on record as opposing bike lanes

Lock

If I were running a mobile ebike repair biz I would convert an old van to electric, paper the roof with solar panels, and use the traction pack as a "dump pack" for fast recharging as an option... Might be fun being "on call" parked at a different destination each day, like the beach or High Park etc. With a schedule arranged in advance ebikers would know they have a destination they might go to with lots of plug-ins guaranteed... EVery day a ebiker meetup somewhere!

Perhaps if the service were run as a Member-run co-op... not for profit...
Lock

http://toronto.kijiji...

1997 Ford E350 DISEASAL CUBE VAN 3500
Date Listed 18-Jun-10
Price $3,500.00
Address Toronto, ON, Canada
Year 1997
Transmission Automatic
Drivetrain Rear-wheel drive (RWD)
Very good shape - no accident history
This one was on the road Jan 2010
Longest and Tallest Box - 17' long inside x 7'9" high inside
Hwy driven primarily by one driver last 3.5 yrs - 185k
Used for furniture delivery
Reg Maintenance schedule adhered to.
Call Moe 647-702-2767


So watt, about $12,000 for an electric motor and electronics? Sell off the diseasal engine and other smelly bits, then stuff 1000lbs of flooded lead-acid batts in the back... Might cost $25,000 to get on the road... "Cadillac" floodies like Surettes are warranted for seven years... So lets say spread the cost of the vehicle and conversion and battery pack over seven years... $3,600 a year plus insurance.

Say $6,000 operating costs per year including depreciation... all very ball-park figures mind you...

Huge roof... could add solar panels in stages... and a wind generator on a mast for when parked on windy daze...

Plenty of room in the 17 foot box for a workshop...

Then ya have personnel costs... Say $30,000 a year?

500 ebikers in a co-op could carry this for $72 each per year.

1000 ebikers for $36 a year each...

Just playin' with numbers... Dunno whether one truck/person could support 1000 ebikers with a reasonable level of service.

Would certainly keep the costs down with no bricks-and-mortar establishment to maintain... Might have to factor in *something* for "fuel" costs

Lock

Well, you get the idea

And there could be sources for financing... The thing could be a rolling billboard (advertising revenues from local ebike dealers)

Free grants for a not-for-profit initiative from folks like the Toronto Atmospheric Fund... Their Fleetwise program here:
http://www.toronto.ca...

This could be fun

Monday to Friday roadside assistance, Saturday & Sunday and Holidaze, pre-planned meetups with plenty of plug-ins for EVerybuddy from a giant rolling battery pack that promotes electric bikes.

Lock

PV panels will only charge your on-board electronics not your batteries.

Yah, yah, but it's the thought that counts

Dunno if you saw the Youtube vid I posted here this eve but it's about the Uni-Solar flexible solar laminate... According to the vid each 18 foot strip costs about $300. Specs here:
http://www.uni-solar....

If the roof of a 17 foot box was extended to 18 feet then the roof could fit six of these panels that under optimal conditions (yah, I know, never happens) would output 864W max. 92% or 795W still after ten years... For an investment of about $2,000 sounds like.

And that's not TOO shabby eh? To trickle charge the traction pack? If the truck was "fast" charging a 48V ebike pack at 10A, so only 480W... On a good day the panels could more than keep up with the current draw and the electric bike really would be charging off 100% solar.

The truck could supplement the panels on a good windy day. A quality wind generator like an Air-X installed on a fold up mast can output 400W from 28mph of wind... Capital cost about another $1300.

I'm not saying the truck will ever be run only off its own panels or wind, wattever, just that it could be used to generate some not insignificant amount of power when disconnected from the mains.

And a truck operation like this could be signed up to use Bullfrog Power. Ya just send Bullfrog an estimate of your kWh consumption each month and they bill you a 3 cent per kWh premium to feed an equivalent amount of "green" electricity into the grid... 20% wind and 80% hydro these daze.

Lock

Looks like not a lot of interest in roadside assistance

I'll wait until EVerybuddies ebikes are a bit older and starting to break down and ask again

Lock

BUMP from June, 2010...

Just reminded of this thread by the latest Toronto Cyclist Union newsletter:

TORONTO CYCLISTS UNION OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES BIKE VALET!

This spring, the bike union officially launches its Bike Valet
service. Though the City of Toronto has installed thousands of ring
and post bicycle lockups across the city, there is rarely enough to go
around for large scale events. Accompanied by the bike union's big
orange tent, Bike Valet offers safe, secure, attended bicycle parking
at festivals and events across Toronto. By providing safe and secure
parking to Torontonians, Bike Valet encourages more people to bicycle
to their favourite events.

Bike Valet is already gaining momentum. Earlier this month, the bike
union successfully partnered with the Green Living Show to offer Bike
Valet to event participants. Though we faced a bit of snow, volunteers
parked over 150 bicycles! Look for Bike Valet at upcoming events such
as the Complete Streets Forum, Luminato and MEC's Bikefest and many
more. Stay tuned for future Bike Valet events.

Bike Valet is powered by volunteers. We're still looking for
individuals to join our Bikewatch Team. If interested in getting
involved or interested in bringing Bike Valet to your event or
festival, please contact Jared Kolb, Director of Membership and
Outreach at jared.kolb@bikeunion.to

loCk