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ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLES - A HIGH-PERFORMANCE GREEN TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE

A Step-by-Step Guide to Building an Electric Motorcycle from Alternative Fuel Expert Carl Vogel

Why should anyone buy, convert, or build an electric motorcycle today? They are clean, efficient, and cost-effective; plus, they can go as fast as 168 miles per hour! Electric motorcycles are virtually maintenance-free: They never require oil changes, new spark plugs, or any other regular repairs. Gas car conversions have been built for years using performance-based engines and motors and currently approved frames. Why not motorcycles?

Part of the Green Guru Guides series of books, Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle (McGraw-Hill; July 2009; Original paperback: $24.95) by Carl Vogel, provides 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.

The book covers not only building an electric motorcycle but also converting an existing conventional one, complete with hundreds of pictures, charts, and graphs for the latest and most efficient technologies. Bringing together all current data on the required materials, components, and specifications, Vogel also shares his own experience building an electric motorcycle.

In detail, Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle covers:
• Rake, trail, and fork angle
• Frame and design
• Batteries and chargers
• DC and AC motor types
• Accessories and converters
• Electrical system and wiring
• Conversion process, and many others.

"I thought how great it would be if there were a book geared to a smaller electric vehicle project that more people could enjoy, build, and finish - perhaps just an average-sized motorcycle, a smaller dirt bike, or a scooter," says Carl Vogel. "Writing this book was a way to share my experience - the joys and the challenges I faced. It was a way to place all the knowledge that I have garnered over the past 10 years in one place, creating a resource that anyone could use."

ABOUT THE GREEN GURU GUIDES

The Green Guru Guides is a new series of books offering the environmentally conscious consumer and hobbyist authoritative, practical, and fun do-it-yourself green living information. It shows the reader how to do a particular task, whether it's building a new energy-efficient vehicle, greening a particular task, or greening an entire home. The Green Guru Guides' covers and interior pages are printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved, acid-free papers containing 100% post-consumer fiber.
With Seth Leitman as the consulting series editor the new series is unveiled with the following three titles in summer 2009:
• Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle by Seth Leitman
• Renewable Energies for Your Home by Russel Gehrke
• Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle by Carl Vogel
Future titles include:
• Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audits by David Findley
• Build Your Own Home Wind Power System by Leo Wiegman
• Green Lighting by William Brinsky and Seth Leitman
• Build Your Own Electric Bicycle by Matthew Slinn

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carl Vogel is the president of Vogelbilt Corporation, a research, engineering, and development company for alternative fuels and alternative-fueled vehicles. Vogelbilt is in the process of building renewable fueling stations in the New York City area, which will function on a platform of sustainability, using wind and solar energy and cogeneration to stay mostly off the grid. Mr. Vogel is also the president of the Long Island chapter of the Electrical Automotive Association (http://www.lieaa.org/). Previously, he worked at Festo Corporation and Curtis Instruments, planning and designing robotic and programmable logic controller applications for computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM). While at Curtis Instruments, Mr. Vogel worked on battery chargers and solid-state motor controllers for electric vehicles. He has also taught at SUNY Farmingdale, expanding electric vehicle and fuel cell operations R&D on campus.

BUILD YOUR OWN ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE by Carl Vogel
McGraw-Hill; July 2009; Original paperback: $24.95; 384 pages; ISBN-10: 0-07-1622934; ISBN-13: 978-0-07-1622936

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