Battery upgrade advice needed

[pjvenner]

Hi, I just got got my 1st pedelec (used) and found that the range is inadequate for my needs - I'm getting around a third of the quoted 20 miles with only about 15% use on moderate inclines with pedal assistance (I weigh about 190 lbs). I found out after buying it that it had been stood in a garage for a year. My guess is that this won't have done the SLA batteries any good right?

I'm hoping a battery upgrade will allow me to travel the 14 mile round trip to work but I'm not sure what to go for. The bike is unbranded & made in China & looks like this...

The existing batteries are 36v and rated at 9Ah (but probably not holding that now).

My main question is, are there any complications in switching from Lead Acid to Lithium batteries? I'm aware that it won't be a perfect fit for the battery compartment and the terminal types may be different but I can manage such basic modifications, and I don't mind charging the battery offline.

I've been looking at 'Ping' batteries but the 20Ah unit is quite a bit more expensive than the 15Ah one. Should the 15Ah be sufficient for my trip (6 miles on flat and 0.75 mile moderate incline & back again)?

Lastly, would upgrading to a 48v pack provide a power boost or is it likely to just fry stuff? I don't know anything about the voltage tolerances of the components.

As you can probably tell I'm a bit of a noob to all this so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[banbury frank]

Batterys

Hi

The Battery Capacity is to small You need Minimum 20 AH Look at this link on Ebay These are proper Electric bike battery's the size and weight is on the add

RITAR 12V 20Ah (22Ah) BATTERY - HILLBILLY MOCAD FRASER on eBay (end time 23-Mar-11 00:18:21 GMT)

3 X 20 ah Battery's £ 123 including delivery

20 AH will Take 10 hours to charge with your charger you have with the bike


You cant use 48 volts without changing the controller and charger

I don't think the cost off a lithium battery and charger is worth the money



Frank

 

[NRG]

The problem though is size and weight, fitting those 20Ah may prove impossible...that same seller has some 12Ah smaller batteries that may fit but then the capacity is down on what you need.

Also SLA suffer from an effect called the Peukert law meaning the higher the power draw from an SLA the lower its capacity will be...the capacities quoted in the adverts are achieved at a 20hr rate or C/20 IE: a lengthy, low power draw....your bike is the exact opposite, a short high power draw. So factor in a reduction in capacity of approx 30%...

Ping can resize his batteries to fit the space you have, they will have more capacity, weigh less and the voltage will hold up longer under load making the bike feel more perky....So although Lithium is expensive it may be your only practical choice unless you like pushing your bike home on occasions.

 

[stevebills]

If u intend keeping the bike for a few years I would get a ping or vpower (cheaper) off ebay as the lead acid are big and heavy and inefficent and may not fit like NRG already states above!

 

[theskip1]

12 or 15ah sla will be plenty and they won't break the bank.

 

[stevebills]

SLA CHEAP AS CHIPS yer yer yer....Dont listen to Mr Peukert above... I wouldn't have one for free on my bike never ever! and If I did have one it would only end up in the car!

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If you can afford it, a 48v battery and controller should make it go quite well. You need to make sure that the controller is the right type for the motor: with or without hall sensors; brushed or brushless motor; with pedal sensor and throttle connections. You could try BMSbattery fot the bits because their stuff is very good value (cheap) and have all the functions that you need and you'll get a suitable controller for more or less free. If you look at the wires coming from the motor, three power wires means brushless, two brushed, and if it has a multi-pin connector with about 5 thin wires to it as well, it's a hall sensor motor. Perhaps you could report back what it has if you need more advice.

 

[theskip1]

SLA CHEAP AS CHIPS yer yer yer....Dont listen to Mr Peukert above... I wouldn't have one for free on my bike never ever! and If I did have one it would only end up in the car!

from what i have read of your post you seem to show an eaqual lack of respect for just about everybody,which is at least consistent.

 

[stevebills]

from what i have read of your post you seem to show an eaqual lack of respect for just about everybody,which is at least consistent.

No its just Banter! and I repect everyone on here!
Sort your i's out they shoud be caps

Banter is something you either posses or lack, there is no middle ground!

 

[theskip1]

No its just Banter! and I repect everyone on here!
Sort your i's out they shoud be caps

Banter is something you either posses or lack, there is no middle ground!

obnoxios,rude,derogatry remarks is not banter.trouble is youv'e got your head so far up your own arse all you can see is your own smile, shmuck

 

[Fordulike]

Oh dear, here we go again

 

[pjvenner]

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who responded. Esp d8veh for letting me know that I'd need to change the controller if I upped the voltage. Changing the controller might place me out of my depth... there's an awful lot of wires & if they aren't a perfect match for my existing controller I'd be screwed! Also I forgot to mention my bike is a 200w model (I assume that means a 200w motor) and the lowest wattage I've seen for a 48v controller is 350w.

Despite differing opinions on which technology I should use, the consensus appears to be that switching to Lithium won't cause any complications (apart from wallet shrinkage) so thanks for all the advice.

I think I'm going to plump for a Ping because of his general reputation. I'd like the 20Ah unit but I'm thinking 15Ah on cost grounds.... Does anybody think that this WON'T be sufficient for getting me to work (6miles on level, 0.75 miles moderate climb) & back again?

Anybody who owns a Ping battery, what sort of terminals does it have?
My current pack (pictured) just has wires soldered to drilled tabs. It also has a reset button in the circuit - anybody know what that is for?

 

[banbury frank]

Batterys

Hi

Just fit 3 new 12 volt 12 ah battery's

the same sizes as you have the reset is a safety thing to stop the bike catching fire if the wiring shorts out

3 x RITAR 12V 12Ah / 15Ah Battery's for Electric Bikes on eBay (end time 28-Mar-11 01:18:21 BST)

Try it out for a while then if you like it invest in a Lithium battery

you can have it running in a few days



Frank

 

[theskip1]

i noticed there's an empty space in your battery compartment, it's not ment to take four batteries is it ?, making it 48v

 

[banbury frank]

Hi

Well spotted if 4 will fit looks Good

Frank

 

[Synthman]

That bike looks quite similar to mine, even has the same wheels!

Mine is running on a 3.5 year old 10ah lithium battery and I average about 11 miles on throttle only.

My battery has space in the compartment too. Is your battery compartment under the footrest or the seat?

 

[pjvenner]

Hi Synthman. The battery box is in the footrest. It probably is made by the same people. Mine had a luggage rack/box but I had to remove that to fit in the lift to my flat. If you're getting 11 miles from a 10Ah pack then 15Ah should be sufficient for me so thanks for sharing.

 

[pjvenner]

Hi Frank. I did notice the extra space (thanks anyway skip1) - If I stuck with SLA for now, do you think the controller could handle 42v if I added a 6v battery, or would that require a new charger as well? Charging the extra battery separately would be a little awkward as it would bean dissembling the battery box every night - unless I drilled the box & left the wires poking out with spade connectors (& sealed the hole to prevent flooding when it rains).

Failing that, would adding 1 more identical battery in series provide an additional 5Ah (one third) of capacity?

 

[banbury frank]

Hi
Just add another 12 v 12 AH battery

48 volt charger

48 VOLT 2 AMP AUTOMATIC 3 STAGE BATTERY CHARGER. 48V 2A on eBay (end time 31-Mar-11 08:43:21 BST)

The controller may Handell 48 volt

Try and see if not 48 volt controller

Frank

 

[stevebills]

obnoxios,rude,derogatry remarks is not banter.trouble is youv'e got your head so far up your own arse all you can see is your own smile, shmuck

I gave so much love and didn't get anything back!
Story of my life I spent all my money on them and they cheated and lied
and then my mate told me to treat them horrble (mean keep them keen) and they will love you for it!
I started cheating and told them and dumped them... and they said sorry and asked me bak.
Women are the strangest creatures ever all off there heads