Peter and I traded ideas, design (see some of his work above), skills and solar bike components about 2 years ago. His bike has been running well since then and he recently sent me a short review on its performance.
From Peter: “Bike still going great. I’m able to make it all the way to work and back (via my gf’s house) on a single charge. This is a round trip of about 35km with a 300m altitude change! Of that, the motor was in use solidly. A quick thermal check over the whole kit after ariving home found everything to be in good order. Only the fuse holder and controller were remotely warm and I’m confident that the fuse would give out long before anything else. The bike and I weigh about 115kg together so it was a fair old effort on the part of the kit. Of course, I was also pedalling, probably putting in about half of the energy moving the bike on the steepest hills and all of it on the flat. Having ridden up that road on a lighter but un-powered bike, there is no contest in my mind which I’d rather be on after a long day at work. The old prototype battery, controller, charger and switch fit perfectly into the ammo box mounted on the back. I’m sure there would be lighter solutions but this just looks the business. Planning to grab some kahki paint and redo the rest of the bike to match. Being able to carry the charger everywhere makes the idea of riding it a long way much more appealing.”