On the suitability of EPACs in urban use

EPACs (Electric Pedal Assisted Cycles) have been gaining more and more attention during the last years for the increasing interest in non-polluting vehicles, and for their low cost. In the technical literature, there are no deep studies on energy limits and potential of such vehicles. In this work, a standard scenario in urban environment is introduced, in order to study energy requirements by a standard urban biker and to understand limits and potential performances of an EPAC. The proposed analysis is complemented with a model of the friction forces, validated through accurate experimental measurements on a real vehicle.