On the road to the "perfect mobility solution" again (see the electric skateboard), this time with more attention to the legal side: pedelecs are legal. Lacking the money for a good one, I simply started converting my own bicycle.

With self-built battery packs, a pedal sensor of my own design, an ESP32-based control computer and VESC-based motor control, this bike is technically very close to the electric skateboard. For legal reasons the motor stays under 250 watts and doesn't even approach 25 km/h; assistance only engages while the pedal sensor is active.

I took it apart again anyway, for two reasons. First, nobody could tell me clearly where self-built pedelecs stand legally – even if I follow every rule. Second, I enjoy the occasional aimless ride: no destination, just pick a direction and turn back at some point. Depending on a battery makes those rides less appealing to me.

Today I'm a pedal-powered cyclist again. A new pedelec project is in development, though – when it's finished, it will appear here.