How to Participate in the E-bike Monitoring Project
This is a citizen science project that welcomes any e-bike rider. All you need to participate is an e-bike, a cheap watt meter, a cellphone or computer to enter your data and curiosity.
Calling all E-bikes: We are currently interested in the data from any pedal assisted electric vehicles, including bicycles, tricycles, quadcycles and those that also have a throttle in addition to the pedal assisted mode. We are particularly seeking data from city/commuter and cargo bikes, but welcome mountain bikes and others as well - even those crazy fast throttle only bikes.
Four easy steps to participate:
Get a watt meter - You will use it to measure your charger's electricity usage. They are cheap, easy to use, and we have free loaners for local participants.
Register your bike - Instant registration with an online form to tell us about your bike.
Collect data - Take mileage and battery level readings from your bike and plug your charger into the watt meter to collect data on your energy use each time you charge your battery.
Get results - Enter your bike and watt meter data into our online form and we will send results back to you showing how efficient your ride is.
Ride on!
1) Get a watt meter
You need a watt meter to measure the electricity your charger uses to charge your e-bike battery. You will plug the charger into the watt meter and the watt meter into the wall or an extension cord. The meter measures the amount of electricity your charger uses in kilowatt hours (kWh), just like your house utility electric meter measures the electricity used in your home.
We recommend the P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Meter. This meter is very simple to operate. Ace Hardware currently sells it for $32 shipped free to your nearby Ace store. Harbor Freight currently carries it for $28 online and in many HF stores and it is on line new & used from EBay and elsewhere (but please avoid Amazon).
The instructions provided on the data entry form are based upon the P4400, but you may use any meter that will measure accumulated kilowatt hours (kWh).
We suggest using a short, light duty polarized extension cord and a 3 prong adapter to plug the watt meter into the wall. That way you can bring the watt meter out where you can easily read it, instead of having to get close to the outlet to read it.
If you live near Berkeley, CA, you may be able to borrow a meter from the Project. Contact us to find out if a loaner is available. (We currently have several loaners available and do sanitized, no-touch delivery in Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, El Cerrito and, San Francisco)
2) Register your ebike
Once you have a watt meter, use our online form to register your e-bike to participate. You will be asked to describe how you ride and a few technical stats about your bike, such as the motor wattage. Dig out your manual to help you to fill them out as best you can. Don't worry about this part. Some of them are optional, and you can still participate if you don't know all the answers. You can enter the data into your computer as you find it with the Online form or you can print out the Blank downloadable form to collect the data before you enter it in the online form.
Blank downloadable registration form (pdf) View or download and print this form if you want to review the questions and collect the answers before you start the online registration
Online Registration Form Use this web form when you are ready to submit your registration. Be sure to "save and submit" your form so your answers will be saved.
Save your unique charging data link: After you register and submit your form, you will receive an email from us with a link - usually within 24 hours. You will use this link to return to your personal data collection form to add your data as you charge up after riding. Bookmark that page so you can return to it each time you charge your bike. We will send the link to you with your results each time you submit charging data.
Email us at ebikestudy@gmail.com if you lose track of your unique link and we will resend it to you.
3) Collect data
Start collecting data by fully charging your bike battery and recording the date and mileage from your bike.
Record data each time you charge the battery. When your battery needs a charge, you will record the battery level and your mileage from your bike. You will plug your battery & charger into the watt meter to measure the electricity use as it charges. You will do this each time for the next four charges. Use your unique link (see above) to return to your Online Data Collection Form to enter your data.
Blank Charging Log Sheet (pdf) Use this downloadable form if you prefer to write your charging data on a paper form when at the bike and charger and enter it in the online form later. The online form works on cell phones and tablets as well as computers.
Whether you use the paper form or not, please do send us your data soon after every charge cycle - either through the online form or by emailing a picture of your paper form.
The blank form and the online form are both designed for doing a series of sequential charges with no gaps. Contact me at ebikestudy@gmail.com if you miss collecting data for a charge and want to restart.
4) Get results
Each time you submit data from charging your e-bike, we will analyze it and email back to you a report on your e-bike's MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) and climate change carbon emissions performance and how it compares to electric and gas cars. We usually respond within two days. The online form currently supports collecting data through 4 charging cycles. let us know if you would like to continue beyond four charge cycles.
Pass the word: Do you know of other e-bike riders who would be interested in participating in this project? Pass on the link to this website or download and print out the 1000 MPGe factsheet/flyer
Tell your friends about how much fun it is to ride your e-bike and how it helps fight the climate crisis. Download convenient wallet sized cards about e-bikes to hand out to your friends & others who are curious at Spread the Joy
The Ebike Monitoring Project is part of the SciStarter citizen science network.
Questions, comments or concerns? Contact ebikestudy@gmail.com