ULVAC Has Launched the “Hybrid Cycle Pit,” a Battery Charging System for Power-Assisted Bicycles

ULVAC News
June 29, 2011

ULVAC, Inc. (Headquarters: Chigasaki, Kanagawa; President and CEO: Hidenori Suwa; hereinafter described as ULVAC) is pleased to announce that it has developed and launched a battery charging system for power-assisted bicycles by integrating a small wind power generator and a solar power generator, as renewable energy sources, and a battery charger. ULVAC will be installed the power-assisted bicycle charging station, named the “Hybrid Cycle Pit,” beside the baseball field in Chigasaki City Park. Chigasaki City will put the charging station into service in July 10, 2011.

The “Hybrid Cycle Pit” charging system was developed, launched, and installed by ULVAC and is based on the integration of the company’s small wind power generation, solar power generation, storage, and charging technologies.
The newly installed power-assisted bicycle charging system is composed of a 1.6 kW solar power generator, a small 1.0 kW wind power generator (upwind, horizontal axis, propeller type), a battery pack containing a lithium-ion secondary battery, a charging and discharging control system, and a battery charger. The solar power generator has eight solar cell modules on the canopy of the battery charger in which bicycles are placed. With the ability to generate power from both solar and wind energy, and to store power in the secondary battery, this system enables stable charging of batteries for power-assisted bicycles with clean power. This system can charge the batteries of up to five power-assisted bicycles, and a total of ten bicycles a day.
The same system has been installed by ULVAC in the Tsuruminenishi Community Center in Chigasaki City, and has been put into service by Chigasaki City on April 1, 2011.

As environmental and health consciousness in society has grown, domestic shipments of power-assisted bicycles have been steadily increasing in recent years. A 2010 bulletin reported that domestic shipments of power-assisted bicycles would soon exceed the total shipments of motorcycles of domestic manufacturers (based on research conducted by the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute (JBPI) and the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA)). In response to this trend, bicycle shops, DIY stores, and consumer electronics retailers are focusing on selling power-assisted bicycles and the market is expanding significantly.

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