Operations DARK CLAW 2/3: SUPERFIGHT FAT Tire eBikes & Pedal Bikes R&D
(-) Replace Friction Buckles with QR Cobra Buckles on Airdrop Bag
Electric Bike Company
519 Superior Ave Newport Beach California, 92663 (949) 264-4080
https://electricbikereview.com/accessories/electric-bike-company-accessories/ebc-solar-panel/
EBC Compact eBike 150w, 3 foot by 4 foot, 13 pound Solar Panel Folds into Pannier-Size Stored along left/right side of the eFMTB's rear rack/2nd seat $700
4x hour
recharge
Will it
plug into our battery pack? No. Ugggh.
Intro
The
Electric Bike Company EBC Solar Panel is a lightweight solar panel that is extremely
easy to transport and use thanks to the folding design and simplicity of the
included components. 150 watts of power output capable of charging a
48-volt 11.6-amp-hour battery in only four hours with optimal sunlight. Sturdy
construction, durable materials, and panels-inwards folding design protect
sensitive components, with an included carrying case that mounts easily to the
side of a rear rack. Rear rack mounting clips only rest on the rack and are
vulnerable to bouncing off, and the panel is only compatible with batteries
from the Electric Bike Company. EBR was paid to perform this review #Sponsored
We try to be honest, thorough, and fun! Comparison tools, shop directory, and
forums at: ElectricBikeReview.com
Written
Review
To run
the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for
my reviews. This review was sponsored by the Electric Bike Company. My goal is
to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to
be an endorsement of Electric Bike Company products.
The
Electric Bike Company is known first and foremost for making electric bikes, of
course, but they also have an impressive selection of accessories. Most of
these accessories are designed and built by the Electric Bike Company
specifically for use with their bikes, which I appreciate because that means
great compatibility and fit, not to mention being visually cohesive. Their
newest model is the EBC Solar Panel, which features a lightweight folding
design and is capable of 150 watts of power under optimal conditions.
That’s great output, but what I’m most excited about is the portability offered
by the folding design. While the unfolded panel is about 12 square feet, it
folds down to just one square foot, and when inside its carrying case it can
mount easily on the side of a rear rack. The entire package – case, panel,
converter, and cables – weigh only 13.1 pounds! Considering a standard
rear rack weight capacity of 52 pounds or so, this leaves plenty of extra
weight for carrying additional items. This opens up a huge window of
possibilities for off-the-grid camping and longer trips, but this freedom
doesn’t come cheap with the EBC Solar Panel being priced at $699.
The
construction of this panel gives it a nice durable feel, with thick black vinyl
serving as the backing for the panels and providing the flexibility for
folding. The folding pattern results in the solar panels being on the inside
protected by several layers of thick vinyl which I appreciate, that will help
keep them safe from bumps not to mention bad weather if you get caught riding
in a storm. When unfolded the panel takes up about 12 square feet at 4×3, and
there are metal eyelets on the long edges which can be used to fasten the panel
down to a variety of surfaces. The controller has a nice heft to it and uses
standard connectors for connecting to the solar panel and the battery cable,
and I appreciate that it is well labeled with electrical specifications,
pictures to show which component to connect where, and an activity light that
flashes when power is flowing. The cables are thick and well shielded, although
I did notice one connection point that had a gap in the external covering which
I’ll be covering with electrical tape to prevent any wear and tear.
Transporting this panel is made easy thanks to the folding design, folding down
to about a foot on each side and only three inches thick! There are velcro
strips to make sure the panel stays folded, as well as a thick rubber handle on
the top for easy carrying by hand. The additional canvas carrying case fits the
folded panel perfectly and has an inner pocket designed to hold the controller
and cabling. For reference, the dimensions of the case when carrying all
components is 14″ x 13.5″ x 3.5″. The case is tastefully designed and
kept shut by a combination of more Velcro plus a strap and clamp on the front,
and it has removable hooks for the rear that are the perfect size and position
for mounting on the side of a rear rack. One thing I’d like to call out on
these hooks is that they just rest on the rear rack without actually fastening
to it, which means that the case can bounce loose pretty easily if you jump a
curb or hit a large bump. Fortunately, there are ways you can work around this,
the hooks would be easy to replace with something a little more secure, or if
you are carrying anything else on the top of the rear rack it would also serve
to hold down the hooks.
Operation
of this solar panel is nice and simple: Unfold it, connect the panel to one end
of the controller, connect the other end to the battery on your bike, and
you’re off to the races! The different connection points on the controller are
clearly labeled, and the connectors themselves have clear warning labels about
not disconnecting them under load – you would want to disconnect your battery
first before disconnecting the rest of the components. Once everything is
connected the activity light on the bottom edge of the controller flashes to
indicate that charging is in progress. The big question is, just how fast is
this thing when it comes to charging? This is a 150-watt solar panel, and
according to the Electric Bike Company, it can charge one of their standard
batteries (48v, 11.6ah) in just four hours. I didn’t want to drain my
battery all the way to zero as that is pretty hard on the cells, so I started
charging while my battery was at 50%. This was on a warm (about 75 degrees)
sunny day, and it took a total of 1 hour and 39 minutes to get to full charge –
not bad at all! Keep in mind that the battery readout on these bikes is in 25%
increments, so I don’t have a way of knowing if it was actually at 50% or maybe
a little bit higher than that… regardless, it certainly seems that this panel
can charge as quickly as advertised. Once you’re finished charging simply
unplug your battery first, and then fold the panel back up and you’re all done.
This
solar panel comes with everything you need to connect to and charge batteries
made by the Electric Bike Company. So, what if you wanted to use it to charge
something else? I can see a lot of use cases for this, for example, you might
already have an Ebike that you love but you want a solar charger for it. Or
perhaps you want to also use it to charge deep-cycle batteries in your camper.
There are tons of situations where having a folding solar panel would be super
handy, and you could potentially do that with the EBC Solar Panel… but you’ll
have to invest in some extra cabling and probably a different controller
depending on what you want to charge. This panel uses standard MC4
connectors so adding the extra functionality would be pretty easy, and you
could use the original controller if the battery you are charging is of the
48-volt or 60-volt variety. Let’s say you have a different Ebike that has a
48-volt battery but a completely different charging connector, you would need a
charging cable with the appropriate charging connector on one end and the MC4
connectors on the other… so how feasible is that? It’s unlikely that the
manufacturer of your bike would provide such a cable so you’d have to either
make it yourself or pay someone with the necessary skill to do so. For
other non-ebike charging applications, it would be a lot easier to find the
required cabling and/or controller hardware already available for purchase, but
of course, this would be an added cost on top of a solar panel that is not
cheap to begin with.
There are
a lot of solar panel solutions available today, so how does the EBC Solar Panel
stack up against the competition? You could buy solar panels with similar
output for a lot less than the $699 price tag here, but then you’d also have to
purchase a controller and cabling, do the work to set everything up… and you
wouldn’t have any of the portability you get with the EBC Solar Panel. For
me that portability is the big win here, combined with the absurdly simple ease
of use; this panel is easy to set up and use, easy to fold and pack up, easy to
transport on a bike or anywhere else. Yes, there are lots of portable solar
panel solutions out there, but everything I’ve seen is either a lot bulkier and
more difficult to transport, or they have significantly lower power output. I
also really appreciate the sturdy construction and tasteful design of the EBC
Solar Panel, it has a nice rugged feel to it and I wouldn’t hesitate to bring
it along for a camping trip or long-distance trek. The warranty is also
impressive, covering this solar panel for eight years!
As
always, I welcome questions and feedback in the comment section below. Whether
you own this solar panel, have seen it in action, or are brand new to the
space, my goal is to provide an objective and honest resource. You can also
join the Electric Bike Company forums and share your own photos, videos, and
review updates to help others! Have fun out there, and ride safe :)
+ Pros:
Extremely
portable thanks to folding design and lightweight material
Simple to
use, just unfold and plug in
Panels-inside
folding design and carrying case protect the solar panels from physical and
weather damage
Sturdy
construction of the vinyl panel base and canvas case, thick shielded cabling,
and metal eyelets for securing the panel while unfolded
Standard
connectors mean you could easily adapt this for use with other bikes or
batteries
Fast
charging times under optimal conditions, able to charge a 48v 11.6ah battery in
about 4 hours
(-) Cons:
The
included hooks for hanging on a rear rack aren’t very secure and will easily
bounce off if you hit a large bump at speed, but you could swap them out for
something more secure, also placing other items on the rear rack will hold
everything down
Only
compatible with bike batteries from the Electric Bike Company (or others with
similar 3-pin charging ports), but you could add extra
compatibility with different cables or controller
Resources:
Official
Site: https://electricbikecompany.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xka6v-bMEQ
Regenerative Charging
12%
recovery you'd have to pedal 6 hours aka all day to pedal-recharge an eBike's
battery. USN SEAL horror story using eBike to recharge a radio's battery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx8Lofots54
****
OLD Montague FMTB Minimalist Bike 26" x 2" Narrow Tires
Star of Chuck Gilbert's exposed 1992 static-line, round parachute jump as lowering line load; delivered with Rolleez ATACS [www.combatreform.org/atac.htm] and non-folding MTB as ramp bundle in Operation DARK CLAW 1 in 1993.
This minimalist bike is close to being like the bike Paul Newman rode doing amazing stunts in "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid" with the lovely Katherine Ross.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/C6UtI0E6wko2/
Has
+ Folds
+ QR Front Wheel
+ No Mo Flats Inner Tubes
+ Frame Bag/Carry Pad with Repair Kit: Bike Multi-tool, chain breaker/length of chain
+ No Brakes (Ha! you're in for a ride! LOL)
+ No Gear changing
+ Rear rack to carry rucksack/gear etc.
Needs
(-) 3 or 5 Spoke Wheels
(-) Multi-CamoForm Camouflage Job
(-) Front Handlebar Pic Rail for Weapon
(-) Swytch ehub front wheel to make ebike
OLD DaHon MOUNTAIN GOLD FMTB 26" x 2" Narrow Tires
Star of Operation DARK CLAW 1 as Team Leader LT Mike Sparks' lowering line load
https://www.combatreform.org/militaryvehicles.htm
Has
+ Folds albeit slowly without detaching front wheel
+ 5-spoke wheels from Aerospoke
+ No More Flats inner tubes
+ Frame Tool/Carry Bag with Bike Multi-Tool, Chain Repair Kit
+ Rear rack
Needs
(-) SWYTCH ehub front wheel
(-) Multi-CamoForm Camouflage Job
(-) Replace Friction Buckles with QR Cobra Buckles on Airdrop Bag
FUTURE: Yamee 20" Folding eBike?
Has
+ 4" wide tires to traverse loose sand/snow
+ Folds without detaching front wheel
+ electric Hub Motor power to 30 mph for 50x miles
+ Rear Storage rack
Needs
(-) Multi-CamoForm Tape camouflage job
(-) Front Handlebar Pic Rail for Weapon
(-) TWEEL Airless Tires
(-) EBC Compact Solar Panel
(-) Multi-Spectral Camouflage Cover for Rear Hub Motor Area
NOTES
World's Best Bike Lock
https://www.amazon.com/ABUS-Granit-XPlus-Inch-111617/dp/B00HN47G1M
ABUS Granit XPlus 540/160 HB 230, 9 Inch U Bike Lock, 111617
FEEDBACK!
A retired USAF MSG writes on bike load-carrying:
"Looks good. Me like.
Future bikes might incorporate a snug-fitting seat-pack which attaches by incorporating a seat cover (which could incorporate a slot for an optional gel pack to cushion shock, I use one on my exercycle to reduce point loading which would also reduce crotch chafe on long rides). That would sag less than traditional 'strapped bags' and the load would be distributed on the rim of the seat.
To test ANY luggage I suggest filling it with scrap metal or wrenches or whatever because users WILL overload theirs then riding-the-shit-out-of-the-bike on rough terrain. (I quit buying soft luggage for my motorcycles because it's so weak and use mobags, etc and tiedowns--but that's far too crude and sloppy for a military mission.) Military loads should be controlled since sway and bounce utterly suck on a light bicycle where the cargo is a larger weight percentage than it would be on a motorcycle. Snug it tight and it will be right!"
****
EPILOGUE
Whatever milbikes the USMIL finally chooses should be named the "Singlaub" military bikes after General John Singlaub who recently passed away at 100.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/john-singlaub-american-commando-and-leader-dies-at-100/
Got some feedback to say?
itsg@hotmail.com
King Steve!
His Queen, Cassie!
Semper Airborne!
James Bond is REAL.
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