E Nike not working correctly

Cam3roon2k41999

Pedelecer
May 1, 2020
120
3
Hi I’ve just fitted my new 48v 1000w rear hub motor kit and installed the battery and it’s coming up a red led saying that the battery is empty but it’s nearly full according to the battery led also throttle works but only for a second and then cuts out but red led still remains on? Anyone know what this could be? Thanks
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
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Those hubs need huge batteries. The battery may not be powerful enough so as soon as the hub draws current the battery just sags to below its working voltage. What sort of battery is it?
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
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Mixing 48v hub and 36v battery could be an issue ... you certainly won't get all the power of the 1000w motor. Depending on the controller it might just fail (possibly in the way you asked about). Also a 10ah battery even of the right voltage might well not be up to serving a 1000w motor.

I'm afraid my knowledge runs out there. Somebody else might be able to come in with an easier suggestion, but to me it looks like a new battery or a new motor. I'd go for the new motor, because that one is illegal and inefficient for almost all conditions.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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36v battery won't run a 48v D/D moped hub, the voltage isn't nowhere near enough, simple as that.
Yet another buyer wasting money on a 1kw D/D hub without understanding what the real cost of a decent D/D system should be, a decent 48v battery will be at least £375 but tbh will only get you about 12 - 15 miles .
 
Last edited:

Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
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Hi Cam,
I'm afraid your motor is a bit of a lemon. They work well only on the flat at high speed. Then, as Neal said, only if the battery is big enough and also capable of delivering, at best, 1.5 times the maximum current rating of the controller. But it will still eat battery capacity.
You need to either get a 48v high quality battery, or a 36v motor/controller combo. A 250w geared hub would be far better and far more efficient than any DD.
The sellers of these cheap 'high power' motors draw people in with big numbers and pray on the lack of electrical understanding. I'm afraid you've been suckered like so many before.
Tell us what you want to achieve and we can help you out.
 

Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
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Yes but not necessarily well.
The ah is a measure of capacity but not how efficiently or quickly the battery is able to deliver that capacity.
It's a bit like having two 5 gallon buckets of water. One has a half inch tap in it, the other has a rwo inch tap. Obviously the one with the two inch tap will deliver the water faster, though they both have the same capacity. Not all battery cells are equal, some have a much higher maximum current. If the controller on your bike has a 20Amp controller then really you need a battery that is capable of delivering a 30Amp peak current flow.
The other part of this is that Direct Drive motors, like yours, take great big gulps of battery power at low revs (stop start riding and hills). And they do it very inefficiently turning a high percentage of that valuable capacity into wasted heat, which gradually diminishes as they get up to specified speed.
A good quality battery to service this motor will be expensive and may well be knackered in two years.
As I said you've got a lemon which may be too sour to make lemonade with. It would be cheaper to buy a geared hub and controller kit and put it with the battery you have.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
 

Cam3roon2k41999

Pedelecer
May 1, 2020
120
3
Also the battery belongs to my friend and he just told me he’s had it for 1 year and never charged it from new could this also be a problem? Thanks
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,814
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Also the battery belongs to my friend and he just told me he’s had it for 1 year and never charged it from new could this also be a problem? Thanks
It might not have helped, but I'm afraid it isn't the whole problem.

Sadly, as Benjahmin said, the motor is not suitable for most uses, and though cheap itself requires an expensive battery to feed it. Even with the expensive battery the range of the bike is likely to be low, and the battery probably won't last more than a couple of years.
 

Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
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Put up a link and you'll get an appraisel.
However I fear you're not taking in what's being said. You can get a much more efficient geared motor kit for less than that, then use the battery you've got.
Have a look at this page:
 
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