Cross Country Solar Electric Bike Adventure [VIDEO]
Jun 03, 2015
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Marissa Muller has set out on a cross country adventure to ride 3,000+ miles from Ventura, CA to Washington DC on her solar powered electric bike!
Her mission is to “successfully travel 3,000+ miles on my solar bike, visit 10 states, hold 20 public or private meetings, engage locals and take action on improving physical, mental, social and environmental well-being.”
Here is a video for more on Marissa’s tour and a closer look at her Specialized Turbo e-bike with the solar charging system on a Burley trailer:
And here is an interview with Marissa when she was in Sedona, AZ; Electric Bike Report headquarters:
And below are some pictures from Marissa’s time in Arizona and California.
Marissa in Sedona, showing off her rig.
Marissa’s 240 watt solar panel system only weighs 10 pounds, including the frame. She is able to charge her Specialized Turbo S battery on the go. The solar charging system was designed by SunPower and her Chief Technology Officer, her dad.
Her Burley Nomad trailer carries all of her gear, which includes a Ukulele!
Marissa recently paid a visit to San Bernardino to show off her “rig“.
What a great way to travel!
You can follow Marissa’s adventures on her blog and social media channels (see links at the bottom of her website).
Stay tuned!
-Pete
P.S. Don’t forget to join the Electric Bike Report community for updates from the electric bike world, plus ebike riding and maintenance tips!
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[…] Muller did a similar US electric bike tour with a solar panel charging set up in 2015. The focus was for her tour was to “engage locals and […]
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Looking forward to the updates. Wish my shop was en route, would love to see the set up in person.
Who makes the fairing?
Good luck Marissa!
Hi Ted,
Zzipper makes the fairing. They are based in Santa Cruz, CA. They make incredible fairings.
Check them out at:.
https://www.zzipper.com
Hey there!! 🙂 🙂 looks like you beat me to it!!! Marissa, I’m 61 and want to do something similar. Here on East coast it isn’t as sunny so I’d use my trailer for a generator and batteries. I love your idea though much greener! Also how,s it working out? Can you ride indefinitely? PS I’ll be taking my dog instead of a ukele!!!
I need to see specs on panel, I think it is only a 150-175 watt 24 volt panel, unless it is using space cells… But this is a set up I been wanting to make…
Enjoy the ride. A complete Solar trip is a great idea. Airless tires would make it even better. I hope the Tweel and Polaris airless designs keep moving ahead and get to bicycles soon.
Best of luck to you Melissa–you can’t say motorists won’t see you coming! Just out of curiosity, how many spare battery packs are you taking with you? What would your range be without the solar panel trickle charging? How much range do you lose on an overcast or rainy day? Finally, what is your total rolling weight excluding yourself, i.e. batteries, bike, trailer, panel and baggage?
You go girl! Enjoy the trip.
WOW !
Your interesting video explanation of the motivation, planning and the journey is quite inspiring. Thank You.
And your narration style was refreshing and well expressed.
Can your electrical mechanization be shared / duplicated ?
What is a reasonable cost estimate of the solar componentry ?
thanks,
David Reeck