A prototype of an energy-efficient electric bicycle on the roads of France
As part of his thesis supervised by ESTACA and the Ampere laboratory in Lyon and financed by the company STEE in Orléans, Edgar TOURNON is developing a prototype of a hybrid recumbent bicycle, without chain and with solar panels.
His goal: to produce his own electricity by pedalling and using the sun’s energy, so there is no need to recharge his electric bike on the road! Edgar has designed a bike 30% lighter (light vehicle <50kg), which totally recyclable and has an unlimited range…
As part of the Sun Trip 2020, Edgar was supposed to take part in an international journey to Canton in China on his bike. Due to the pandemic, the Sun Trip has been reorganized around the theme “solar France & solidarity” and will be organized from 14th July to 9th August, starting in Lyon and arriving in Albertville (Savoie). On the program for Edgar Tournon: ascent of the Tourmalet, passing through Chambord, Blois, St Malo, Plouguerneau, Pau, Anduze…
A sportsman and scientist, Edgar Tournon has been working on his thesis at ESTACA’LAB for three years. He is conducting research into: “Optimal design of a mass-produced hybrid electric-assist bicycle using supercapacitors.”
The goal is to analyse and design a new generation of battery-free bicycles that run solely on human energy but allow the level of effort and fatigue to be controlled. The themes studied at ESTACA include vehicle energy management (efficiency, power transmission) but also the biomechanical aspects. What are the advantages of such a bicycle design for humans?
The brand U-feel developed by STEE is growing and plans to sell a new generation of bicycles that place minimum effort at the heart of its products. Supercapacitors can be used to replace the battery in certain configurations to create a much greener vehicle with an increased lifespan.
Edgar will be defending his thesis at the end of 2020.
