A number of different aspects thrus

A number of different aspects thrust the use of electric
bicycles in different situations. These include lower energy
cost per distance travelled for a single rider, savings in other
costs such as insurances, licenses, registration, and parking,
improvement of the traffic flow, environmental friendliness,
and the health benefit for the rider. In this paper, the design of
an electrical drive for a motorized bicycle is described, using
commercial components available on the market. On the
basis of technical-economical consideration, the feasibility of
such a system for industrial production has been analyzed.
A dynamical model has been used to simulate the system
behavior in a number of different situations. A closed-loop
control circuit allows the optimization of the component
operation, determining in particular a proper value of the
motor torque with respect to the load and of the absorbed
current. In this way, undesired accelerations can be avoided
and the battery range can be increased. Also a suitable
regenerative braking system, based on the super capacitor
technology, has been studied. Such a system can reduce the
electromagnetic stresses of the battery pack increasing the
battery life and reducing the maintenance costs (periodic
substitutions).