Two-in-one bicycle

Two youngsters come up with a top-notch idea for a novel bicycle, which, with minor tweaks, is an eco-friendly marvel.

Turning a dream into reality often take sweat, determination and hard work. Our innovation of the electric drivetrain bicycle bears testimony to it.

Nayan and I, while studying at the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) in Dehradun, wanted to create a bicycle which could easily switch from manual operation to electric mode within minutes. The product is our contribution towards protecting environment and healthy living. Most electric bikes available in the market have some ubiquitous shortcomings such as mounting of heavy components like batteries on the frame, producing excessive strains by fatigue or by impact load which result in failure of the frame, and high cost, to name a few. We wanted to offer both electric and manual drivetrain to a rider at a nominal cost.

Innovative

To make the product economical, we decided to convert our old bicycle into a new electric one. After learning about various electrical motors, we decided to opt for brushless DC motor of 250 watts producing 21 Nm of torque, which costs about ₹6,000. We bought other essential parts such as battery, wheel rim, tire, plastics, fabrications and other tools. The motor was set in a triangular formation with two idler pulleys for force balancing.

Now, the transmission of power from the motor to the front wheel took place with the help of a friction drive. For this, the motor was machined in accordance with the rim’s surface. As we had to use internal surface of rim for transmission, we got a solid tyre as there was no space for air pressure valve like in a normal tyre. The electric bicycle is the answer to so many questions. The best thing about the bike is that it is a regular bicycle with minor modifications only. It is eco-friendly too as it does not use any fuel to move.

Our hard work paid off within a few days. We decided to call it ‘Electric Drivetrain Bicycle’. Thomas Edison once said, “There is a way to do it better — find it”. We are exhilarated with the outcome and hoping to make our little contribution in making the world better.

Rajdeep Mukherjee and Nayan Arora are pursuing B.Tech Mechanical Engineering at UPES, Dehradun. They were guided by Dr. Swapnil Bhurat, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UPES.