Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle (Tab Green Guru Guides) [Paperback]

Carl Vogel (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tab Green Guru Guides | Publication Date: June 22, 2009

A step-by-step guide to building an electric motorcycle from the ground up

Written by alternative fuel expert Carl Vogel, this hands-on guide gives you the latest technical information and easy-to-follow instructions for building a two-wheeled electric vehicle--from a streamlined scooter to a full-sized motorcycle.

Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle puts you in hog heaven when it comes to hitting the road on a reliable, economical, and environmentally friendly bike. Inside, you'll find complete details on every component, including motor, batteries, and frame. The book covers electric motorcycles currently on themarket and explains how to convert an existing vehicle. Pictures, diagrams, charts, and graphs illustrate each step along the way. Whether you want to get around town on a sleek ride or cruise the super slab on a tricked-out chopper, this is the book for you.

Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle covers:

• Energy savings and environmental benefits
• Rake, trail, and fork angle
• Frame and design
• Batteries and chargers
• DC and AC motor types
• Motor controllers
• Accessories and converters
• Electrical system and wiring
• Conversion process
• Safety, maintenance, and troubleshooting

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carl Vogel is the president of Vogelbuilt Corporation, a research, engineering, and development company for alternative fuels and alternative fueled vehicles. Vogelbuilt is in the process of building a renewable fueling station. Carl is also the president of the Long Island Chapter of the Electrical Automotive Association. Prior to that, he worked at Festo Corporation and Curtis instruments, planning and designing robotic and programmable logic controller applications, as well as designing solid state motor controllers for electric vehicles. Carl also taught at SUNY Farmingdale, expanding the electric vehicle and fuel cell operations on campus.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics; 1 edition (June 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071622934
• ISBN-13: 978-0071622936
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Professional & Technical > Automotive > Motorcycles > Repair & Performance

More About the Author

A little about me, I am a Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineer. President of Vogelbilt Corporation, a research, engineering, and development company for alternative fuels and alternative-fueled vehicles. Currently a professor at Farmingdale State College of NY. The past year I have helped to develop a new green automotive engineering curriculum such as the first electric vehicle course. Presently I have taken on the roll as president of the Long Island chapter of the Electric Auto Association (www.LIEAA.org), the only chapter representing NYS. The past few years I was successful at winning grants totaling $1.6M towards building renewable fueling stations in the New York City area.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Miss Titled Book, October 12, 2009

By 

R. Lang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle (Tab Green Guru Guides) (Paperback)

This book should have been titled "Electric Components and their History". Over 300 pages and most is about the components and their inner workings. Like what is inside a battery. Most of the batteries and motors are not even what you would use for a Motorcycle. The last chapter titled "The Build" is just a few more pictures from the first chapter. If you want to know about electric components this is the book for you. If you want to build an Electric Motorcycle forget it this is anything but that book. Very disappointing I expected to build a motorcycle not study history, most of which was outdated. Even reporting on the EV1 being distroyed, how long ago was that? This is a reprint not an update.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor, February 5, 2010

By 

Paper mate (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle (Tab Green Guru Guides) (Paperback)

Pictures and illustrations too small or otherwise unreadable, page after page of irrelevant information like; battery recycling, steam powered bikes and sketchy electric bike history.
The information on I.C. motorbike efficiency and fuel consumption is way too inaccurate.
There's not enough information on current battery technology, and current battery powered bikes - like the TTXGP race bikes.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Copied?, January 10, 2010

By 

bookscdsdvdsandcoolstuff "bookscdsdvdsandcool... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle (Tab Green Guru Guides) (Paperback)

This book is not very good, IF one has read Build Your Own Electric Vehicle

This book takes the same information and applies it to the motorcycle. However, whole chapters from the old book are essentially copy pasted into this one, including typos. Furthermore, the information I would have wanted, like plans for the motorcycle, are totally absent.

What a disappointment!

I do recommend "Build Your Own Electric Vehicle." It is a good book, although poorly edited. This volume on the other hand gives us absolutely no new information and is essentially the same book, applied to motorcycles.

Definitely not worth the purchase price in my opinion.