My i2 project has been going pretty well, but of course, there have been some bumps in the road. I am doing my i2 project with two other fellow i2 students, Brandon Holland and Keyon Tanksley. At first, our original plan for the project was to create a kit that could convert any conventional bicycle into an electric bike. Our idea was to allow people, specifically high school students, who don’t have big chunks of spare money lying around, an inexpensive and convenient alternative to buying your own electric bike. The kits would allow everyday students to be able to ride on an electric bike without having a hole in their wallets. However, as we began to execute our project, we ran into many problems with the kit. Our two biggest problems were that it would be way too expensive to afford and making a kit that would be universal to all bikes would be extremely hard. After weeks of discussion, we decided to change our plan into a more straightforward yet challenging project. We plan to use Brandon’s old bike and convert it into an electric bike using a custom drive train.
We have been making very steady progress ever since we had made the change in plans. Brandon has compiled tons of information for our conversion of the conventional bike to electrical, and he has ordered our parts, and we are awaiting their arrival. Keyon and I have been doing background research about the design and the structure of the bike. As the final materials arrive, we hope to be able to start the building process and have a finished product to present during the i2 showcase.