Q1. Can I convert an electric scooter into solar powered and how?

Question

Q2. Can I convert a gas scooter into using solar power and how?

Answer 1

Dear Dee,

The short answer is no.      Like many questions, it is not so simple.  I am assuming that you mean to chuck the battery and run the scooter on the solar cells alone.   A better idea is to use the solar cells to recharge the battery.  That is a big yes.  How many cells do you intend to buy, they are expensive(cost is coming down).  A few cells in a full day can let you ride a half an hour or so.  Cover the roof of a small shed and they will recharge in (maybe) twenty minutes.  If you ride the scooter to school, the solar cells will probably charge up for the ride home.  You can convert a scooter from gas to electric.  You need a battery and a motor, and knowledge.  The solar cells recharge the battery.  You control the speed of the motor by lowering the voltage.That can be done several ways.  The cheapest is a big rheostat or a series of resistors.  If you run full speed (no resisters) most of the time you are all right.  Resistors waste your battery's energy.  You can tap the battery at different voltages.  The cells that are used the most will discharge the quickest.  They may have to be recharged separately (pain in the neck!)  The old Baker electric car used a complex  Click-clack switching mechanism  to change the batteries from series to parallel.  It worked fine when it worked, and was a pain when it didn't.  The most effective is the electronic controller, which feeds full voltage in little "slices".  The bigger the "slices", the faster the motor runs.  This is also the most expensive.  You may find some of this stuff surplus, new will cost you more.

How about a motor?  An automobile salvage yard will have starter motors that are fairly cheap.  They run fairly slow with a lot of torque,  They are also twelve volt (common)  Get the "ford"type, not the "Chevy" type.  The bend ex is on the outside, and removes with a drive pin.  If you can get a junked electric powered wheelchair, you might get the motor and control all at once.  ( the battery is probably toast!).  Such motors can be had (new or salvage) from the Internet.   How much power do you need?  Somewhat less than the gasoline engine you are replacing.  One horse power is about seven hundred seventy watts.

Now for the most difficult question of all.   MONEY!  No matter what you plan to build, it will take money.  Do you have an income that will support the project?  Is it steady?  Is it "catch as catch can?"  It is wise first to count the cost---Then have twice that much ready.  Don't forget to add at least ten percent tax!!!!.  Prices also tend to go up before it gets bought!!!.   Is there a relative who will back you with cash?   Don't borrow money-------Paybacks are a *****!!!  It is better to work and earn (and learn from the working)  Do you already own the gasoline powered scooter?  If yes, is it running and usable?  A project laying back in the garage half finished isn't going to do you much good.  

Good Skill!                     May the Creator smile upon  you.

Answer 2

Assuming your scooter has a 500W motor, to convert to 100% solar you will need to carry around a panel that measures at least 4x10 feet.  Panels that size usually cost a couple of thousand dollars.

Answer 3

Mounting the solar panels to the bike requires disassembly of the body. A hole needs to be cut on each side bike body panels to allow for a pipe, welded to the main frame, to protrude far enough from the body to attach the rest of the panel assembly. I chose standard 3/4 inch black iron pipe purchased at our local hardware store. Welding to the main frame of the bike should be done by an experienced welder. Reinforcing gussets need to be added along the pipe to keep the bike sound and support the weight of the panel assembly.

Disassemble only one side of the body at a time so the location for drilling the holes in the body panels can be as accurate as possible. I slid an 18” long piece of 3/4 inch stock pipe, threaded on both ends, with a magic marker inside to mark the location for drilling the hole on the inside of the body panel. There are only a few screws on each side of the body for removal of the panels. Be careful to keep track of where the screws go for reassembly. I use a digital camera as I go along so I can put the pieces back together properly.

The holes were started with a 1 inch spade bit and completed with a cone shaped rotary grinding wheel. You are actually melting the plastic panels rather than cutting, so the edge is clean when done. If you work slowly and carefully you will have a clean opening for the main pipe. A large round file was used to finish off the hole. After marking one side, for drilling, the other side is put back together to allow marking the other body panel for drilling.

With all of the body panels removed, the next step is welding the main horizontal pipe to the frame. I rode the bike 3 miles to the welder. Since safety is first, I left the back brake and tail light assembly on the bike and rode there without body panels. Removing the tail light assembly is only 2 bolts. Remove the rear plastic lower fender, 2 screws on either side. Remove all 4 batteries and place in order on the floor. Removal of these parts for welding was a 15 minute job while the welder was warming up his equipment.

The metal was scrapped clean at the welding points on the bike frame. The main pipe was carefully measured and held in place and then remeasured. The main pipe was tac welded in place, rechecked for alignment, then fully welded. A 2 1/2 inch by 4 inch piece of flat 1/4 inch stock was welded to the bike frame cross bar connecting the top of the bike frame together.

On the end of the vertical bike frame a bed of welding rod material is built up under the main pipe to act as a support so the main pipe for the panels won’t flex or bend during travel. The bike was wiped clean after welding, reassembled, and driven home to begin attaching of the panels.

Use 2, 3/4 inch elbows and 2, 18 inch pieces of black pipe to make the mount. Before threading, the threads on the right side of the bike should be coated with heavy duty pipe thread locker to prevent loosening while traveling. I used permatex, high strength RED, and this stuff holds. The vertical pipes are tightened as far as possible and then eyeballed to an angle just behind the front of the bikes trunk. This will keep the panels high enough when traveling that no modification of the turn signals will be needed.

Next I added a 1 1/2 inch angle stock of aluminium to make a flat mount for piano hinges for attaching the panels. Using #8 self-drilling sheet metal screws worked very well. The lip of the black pipe elbow is a nice shelf to sit the bottom of the angle stock on so both sides are even. Again, this was eyeballed in place so the vertical mounting surface is flat on the outer side and back side.

Answer 4

Electric would be easier. You don't need to convert it. Simple by a solar panel and leave it at your house. Whenever you're done using your scooter plug it into the solar panel.

Answer 5

Don't try to carry the solar collector with you. Just set it up on the roof of your garage and plug it in when you're done riding.

Are you a mechanic? Removing the engine and associated parts isn't fun or easy, and replacing them with motor, batteries, and controller can also be a challenge. Are you up to it?

Answer 6

Yes you can convert an electric scooter to solar. The battery would still be there, and the solar panel large enough to keep a trickle charge.

I've thought of this too, and my solution is to improvise or redesign a bit the look of the electric scooter to accommodate a large solar panel.  Also, if you have seen those new solar cells, they paint this on flexible plastic, its so thin and flexible, i was thinking of putting a whole array on this on the coat that fisherman and photographers uses.

to convert a gas scooter into solar power, you would have to remove the engine and replace it with an electric motor, a battery and solar panels to charge the battery.  A better alternative is to have the  existing internal combustion engine of your scooter to run on hydrogen which you have produce using electrolysis of water powered by solar panels

Answer 7

The electric would convert FAR more easily.  It would still be electric, but would have a supplemental solar cell to provide some of the energy.

Attach solar cells whereever possible, and then connect their wires to the circuitry for the motor/battery.  It's not that difficult.  Leave it out in the sun when you aren't using it in order to charge it.

EDIT I tend to agree that the best option is to mount a solar panel wherever your scooter would spend the most time (likely home) in order to charge it for free.  When your scooter is NOT there, it can send any surplus electricity into your home for whatever it needs.

Answer 8

I don't have enough data to calculate . My experience would say that your solar pannels would larger than the top of a large car.