Final Presentation

June 18th, 2010, 10:56 pm

On June 17th 2010, Team A+ members completed their final presentation in front a group which included professors and fellow classmates. Team A+ came very close to completing all of the goals they had set for themselves at the beginning of the semester. Their tasks were to assemble the electric motorcycle, and tear down and refurbish Galileo to reassemble it in Guelph.

Fine tuning the E-Bike throttle

Despite the shortened semester, the team successfully assembled and tested a crude prototype of the E-bike. At the same time they managed to disassemble and refurbish Galileo while making a few revisions to the turntable mechanism, and package the entire structure for delivery to Guelph. An instruction booklet combined with the intuitive design of the tower should make it a simple matter for any volunteers in Guelph to reassemble the structure.

Testing the Galileo turntable

Like every Green Corridor group, Team A+ faced many obstacles during the semester, but they worked together to overcome them. Team A+ put together an extensive legacy report highlighting all of their achievements, while offering suggestions for future students who may want to continue on with the projects. Team A+ gave an A+ effort from start to finish. The group enjoyed the Green Corridor course very much. It truly was a unique learning experience.

A+ TEAM GETS DOWN AND DIRTY

May 26th, 2010, 1:47 pm

Hooking up the motor and battery for a dry run

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Team A+ attacked the electric motorcycle project with full force. Converting a motorcycle from gas power to electric can be both simple and complicated. Previously, students registered in the Green Corridor program stripped a Yamaha motorcycle of its engine, fuel tank, and transmission, and stretched the bike frame. They also collected most of the required components needed to get the bike running, leaving behind a good diagram of how the different components are supposed to be installed.

During the past week Team A+ successfully assembled the motor and battery for a dry run. For simplicity and reliability, the motor was directly coupled to the drive shaft. Team A+ also worked on the front braking system of the motorcycle. The bike tire ran smoothly, with the only problem being controlling the speed of the motor. In an effort to control the speed of the motorcycle, Team A+ is currently wiring the controller and testing the throttle. The first bench test of the control! system was unsuccessful, but everything is a learning experience.

Throughout the week Team A+ also continued work on the “Turning Tree” project. On Tuesday, May 25, 2010, the team opened the gear head of the drive motor to clean and refill the oil. This process will help ensure that the motor is in good running condition when the sculpture is reassembled.

On Thursday May 27th, 2010, Team A+ will present a midterm progress report to the other Green Corridor groups. We look forward to receiving lots of feedback to help us improve our various projects.

BADASS ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES

May 21st, 2010, 6:27 am

courtesy of  www.zeromotorcycles.com

Green vehicles have a poor reputation.  They are often laughed at because of their lack of speed and power.  These myths were shattered thanks to a new line of green motorcycles that performed at speeds comparable to regular motorcycles.  On May 16, 2010 green motorcycle riders competed in North America’s first ever electric motorcycle championship series road race held at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma County, California.

Aside from the obvious benefits of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants released into the environment, reducing health problems such as heart disease and lung cancer, and combating global warming, zero emissions motorcycles are quieter, easier to operate, less expensive to run and maintain, and accelerate much faster than their gas powered cousins.