Thank you to d8veh.
I didn't know about the direct drive motors getting hot if under speeding. I would have thought that the greater the speed the hotter they'd get. So learnt something new today.
I will be trying the batteries in the trailer. Then I'll report back as to how successful the project was. Either a great trip to far away mystical supermarkets or an absolute pain cycling home with fried motor/electrics.
Hi Marjka,
Now you have heard a number of facts from other experts so I will add my tuppence worth.
What you are doing is very feasible and unless you are cash strapped as sensible as reverting to vinyl disc records. ( That will raise a few hackles!!!).
Lead acid batteries , particularly for cars have been designed for a specific purpose.. huge current surges or cranking power, limited capacity and poor life cycle . When they were the only option they were used but that is three generations ago. Deep discharge batteries also called leisure batteries are better but only in comparison to car batteries.
The three problems are .. poor energy density .. energy stored per kilogramme.
Poor lifetime .. noticeable degradation in capacity after 50 charge discharge cycles, subject to sulphation.. if left discharged for any time they are knackered.
The only advantages is they were cheap and available. None the less there are still electric vehicles using lead acid batteries including milk floats, early generation forklifts and mobility scooters.. and submarines
d8veh is correct in that the motors used in ebikes need to be run close to their designed speed. If the motor is allowed stall, the current drawn by the motor becomes enormous, and can soon melt the windings. However a stalled motor will have a lot of torque, and hopefully starts rotating. When the motor rotates it creates a voltage which opposes the applied voltage and therefore reduces the overall current to a safe level.
So why not carry on and enjoy the experience (just like those vinylheads)
