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Traffic congestion, energy and environmental considerations are boosting the interest for Light Electric Vehicles. Electrically Power Assisted Cycles (EPAC's) show a great potential: they are cost effective, safe, easy to use and have a small footprint. In this paper, we present SeNZA a Series Hybrid Electric Bicycle. Designing a Series Hybrid Electric Bicycle poses several challenges; in this work, the issue of Human Machine Interface is addressed. Pedals are, at the same time, the interface and a power source; it is therefore critical to provide a natural feeling and intuitive control. The proposed solution is based on two nested cadence control loops. The inner loop makes the pedaling smooth; the outer loop is used to impose a desired behavior to the pedals and to interpret the cyclist's command. The robustness and efficacy of the proposed solution are proven through a linear analysis and human-in-the-loop experimental validation

This paper addresses the problem of motor activation on electric-power-assisted cycles that are not equipped with pedal torque sensors. The algorithm is based on inertial and motor velocity measurements along with pedal cadence. The problem is solved by a system that detects when the rider is on the saddle. Three different dynamics (longitudinal, lateral, and vertical) are analyzed, showing differences in their characteristics when the rider is on the saddle and when she is walking the bicycle. The problem is framed as a fault detection problem based on three independent analyses that are then fused. Experimental validation on a single-gear bicycle shows that the proposed solution outperforms the traditional cadence-based activation logic both reliability and reactiveness standpoints. The proposed system improves reactiveness compared with the standard cadence-based method without affecting safety

This paper addresses the problem of designing a speed limiter for an electrically assisted kick scooter. A control-oriented model of the longitudinal dynamics is first derived, by taking into account the scooter/human interaction. A coasting-down experiment is then carried out for parametric identification. Two different speed limiting architectures are finally studied and experimentally tested: a relay-based scheme and a torque controller with dynamical saturation

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