Battery Range

[mike killay]

I have just done an exhaustive test on my Tonaro.
Details
Bike:Tonaro Enduro.
Battery: One year old labelled 'Lithium Polymer Battery' 36 volt 10 amp hour.
Terrain: The flat promenade from Swansea to Mumbles.
Conditions: Wind 10-15 mph. Rider 104 Kilo
Total distance travelled 17.1 miles, average speed 14.5mph, max speed 18.7mph.

Basically, I just rode back and fore along a one and a half mile stretch on full throttle and in top gear. I started with a full battery and went on until it cut out.
At 5 miles 3 out of 4 leds showing
At 10 miles 2 out of 4 leds
At 15 miles 1 out of 4 leds.
Performance seemed to stay the same until 14 miles when there seemed to be a slight reduction in maximum speed, but the wind was getting up. As I was going both ways, this should have evened up things, so I suppose that the battery was dropping a bit by then. However, performance was acceptable (ie 14 mph+) right up to the cut out point which was abrupt and final.
For the test, I disabled the pedelec, so at times the bike went faster than 15.5mph. Probably, if it had been operating the mileage would have been slightly better.
So this is how far a one year old battery will go in top gear without any pedalling at all.
I imagine that in medium assist, the mileage would double.

 

[flecc]

That's a fairly good unassisted and unrestricted range Mike. If you had it normally restricted you'd probably have found an increase larger than you might think, since that zone beyond 15 mph drains much more than it's arithmetic proportion of charge.

 

[mike killay]

One thing that I did notice.
As back up and to get home, I took my son's identical but new battery. When I came back up the old railway track using the new battery, the bike was slightly slower than normal when using my battery.
So, although batteries age and degrade from the moment they are assembled, do they intially improve a little with use?
Of course, it could have been the wind but the track is fairly sheltered, but there was definitely about 1mph less speed.

 

[flecc]

They can do in the very early stages, but only NiMh types increase capacity over a longer initial period, to about 100 charges.

 

[mike killay]

Thanks Flecc,
I do not know the capacity of the new battery, but I am sure that my older one produces slightly more power. Thinking back, I feel that mine gradually increased in the early stages.
As I say, there is nothing definitive about this, just a feeling on my way home up a very slight hill.
I was very pleased with the 'exhaust' test. The leds appear to be linear, probably about 4 and 1/4 miles per light, which is more than I can say about my electric outboard.
One thing I would recommend is that the reading be taken as soon as you stop because there is a slight recovery. Equally so, if setting off after a rest and you want to check how much power is left, ride for about 100 yards and then take the reading.

 

[flecc]

Yes, lithium cells chemically tire under load and gradually increase voltage after the load is removed. This is most marked with high discharge loads.

 

[hech]

A useful experiment for other tonaro riders Mike. I think the tonaro batteries are prob slightly on the cheapie side but I usually expect over 30, even 35 miles per charge on full assist but with peddling using the pedelec mode. All manufacturers should include a proper watt meter on the bike, the standard voltage display being a poor substitute.

 

[Blew it]

The batteries fitted to Tonaro machines use the very latest Phylion arrays

 

[hech]

Marketing talk is cheap. Lets have some technical detail like C rate please.

 

[Blew it]

I'm not marketing anything!

You suggested it was a 'cheapo' battery. All I am saying is, its the same array as fitted into many different battery cases. If you need to know the full technical specification, perhaps it would be better to contact the Phylion tech guys and ask them.

Have a nice day

 

[flecc]

When Phylion introduced their new series of batteries and I tested one, it performed perfectly when used to the full in a Torq 1 with a 30 amp controller. That's well in excess of the demands of any current legal e-bike, so I think the Tonaro is very well equipped in that respect.

 

[mike killay]

The reason that I did the test is that so many sellers quote all sorts of imaginary mileages.
Now we know that on the flat, a one year old Tonaro 10 amp, 36 volt battery will carry a 104 kilo rider 17.1 miles without any assistance whatsoever.
To quote mileages that involve pedal assistance seem utterly meaningless to me.
I now have a useful benchmark and when I suspect that my battery is beginning to fail I will be able to make a sensible test of it and decide when I should get a replacement.