New life for my Liv

[4beeches0]

With the apparent end in sight for my eZee Liv battery I have bitten the bullet and decided to buy a new 14A battery.

The first surprise was that the battery arrived fully charged - I tried the charger two or three times and each time I got 'the green light'.

The second surprise was that the orange warning light came on after only 4 or 5 miles whilst ascending a moderate hill. After that it came on whenever I put any load on the motor even on the level. With previous batteries the orange light would only start to come on towards the limit of the batteries range.

I spoke to OnBike, who supplied the battery, and they assure me that with the current generation of eZee batteries it is normal for the orange light to show when demand by the motor rises. I shall continue to run through the full battery cycle, note the mileage and recharge. Meanwhile I wonder if any members out there have experienced a similar situation ?

JohnS

 

[flecc]

Yes that is normal on the li-polymer types they currently use. They are producing a lower mean voltage which triggers the meter light sequence earlier, but they sustain the voltage ok for the entire range.

You'll probably have noticed that the performance is very good, so I think just enjoy that and don't take too much notice of the LED fluctuations. Both Nick (TheMutiny) and I have found this battery excellent, though our experience is short term.
.

 

[themutiny]

Hi

Although my experience with the 14ah battery was cut short, I have had a 10ah version for sometime. See this post.

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/3833-ezee-li-polymer-battery.html

Once the battery was fully conditioned, I got very nearly the same range as I did from the Phylion. Given the weight benefits, I would say overall that Wai Won probably made the right choice. Also bear in mind that for the majority of it's life it was used with a derestricted Torq1 motor, which is VERY demanding on a battery.

In summary, don't worry - it will be OK. Onbike are quite correct.

Hope this helps


Nick

 

[4beeches0]

Thank you guys your replies are very reassuring ! I'll learn to ignore the yellow light !

Many thanks

JohnS

 

[themutiny]

Thank you guys your replies are very reassuring ! I'll learn to ignore the yellow light !

Many thanks

JohnS

Agreed, but actually easier said than done. I still struggle with it, but having a cycle analyst helps enormously...

That's what I like about the Cytronex. You have no idea of the battery capacity until it cuts out.

 

[4beeches0]

Well I did my best, oh how I did my best to ignore the LEDs on todays ride. I had 12 miles on the odo when I set off and I tried to ignore the fact that the amber light was on virtually all the time - admittedly it did return to green on turning off the throttle.

Just as I was learning to ignore the signal the RED light came on at 14 on the odo - I carried on for another 4 miles and on the incline back to my home the red light was on all the time. I pulled up at the house and after 3 or 4 seconds the display went back to green.

My dilema is do I now carry out a full recharge or carry on with this draining to empty exercise ? Am I just being paranoid or am I justified in starting to doubt the ability of the 14A battery to take me a full 30 mile distance ?

JohnS

 

[eddieo]

as a comparison on our wipers the same kinda thing happens and i believe this is common to all if not most E bikes? the handle bar indicator is not a reliable state of charge IMO, the leds on battery is far more reliable (in the case of a wiser anyway)

the red goes out under throttle or hill climbing, whatever..then it recovers.

Not saying there is nothing wrong with your battery but you need to fully charge and ride till empty a few times to condition it anyway......

 

[NRG]

Well I did my best, oh how I did my best to ignore the LEDs on todays ride. I had 12 miles on the odo when I set off and I tried to ignore the fact that the amber light was on virtually all the time - admittedly it did return to green on turning off the throttle.

Just as I was learning to ignore the signal the RED light came on at 14 on the odo - I carried on for another 4 miles and on the incline back to my home the red light was on all the time. I pulled up at the house and after 3 or 4 seconds the display went back to green.

My dilema is do I now carry out a full recharge or carry on with this draining to empty exercise ? Am I just being paranoid or am I justified in starting to doubt the ability of the 14A battery to take me a full 30 mile distance ?

JohnS

Yes, keep going until there's nothing left, this will a) tell you how far it will go on a charge and b) help reset the BMS monitor 'fuel gauge'. If necessary just keep going around the block until it completely dies and then give it a full charge at room temperature.

 

[NRG]

as a comparison on our wipers the same kinda thing happens and i believe this is common to all if not most E bikes? the handle bar indicator is not a reliable state of charge IMO, the leds on battery is far more reliable (in the case of a wiser anyway)

the red goes out under throttle or hill climbing, whatever..then it recovers.

Not saying there is nothing wrong with your battery but you need to fully charge and ride till empty a few times to condition it anyway......

During my email conversation with Frank when I was buying the bits to redo my Peugeot I asked about a throttle with LED's and he simply replied that he could sell me a crystal ball that would be more accurate for all the good they do!

 

[flecc]

Yes, 4beeches0, just carry on. I don't know your territory, but in my very hilly territory on a high powered greedy Quando motor I got just over 26 miles from the 14 Ah.

The LEDs at the handlebar don't indicate the battery charge left unless the throttle is right off. With the throttle open this type of meter just indicates the hub motor's consumption. See my article in the technical section for more on this, here's the link:

Battery Meters
.

 

[4beeches0]

Yes, OK guys thanks for all your help. I will continue the run down of my battery and report back when it finally expires. Fortunately my old Liv battery can still act as an emergency get me home device (as long as it's not too far !).

I do appreciate all the advice I have received and I will try to give a conclusion of this tale in the next day or so.

JohnS

 

[lemmy]

The LEDs at the handlebar don't indicate the battery charge left unless the throttle is right off. With the throttle open this type of meter just indicates the hub motor's consumption.
.

I'd find that very off-putting and probably prefer to have no indication on the bars at all.

My Kalkhoff gives an indication of the battery capacity ok, so it's hard to understand why this one can't. I can tell when power consumption is high - going up hills into a headwind, it's obvious.

All you really need to know when running is the power remaining.

 

[flecc]

I'd find that very off-putting and probably prefer to have no indication on the bars at all.

My Kalkhoff gives an indication of the battery capacity ok, so it's hard to understand why this one can't.

As I said lemmy, that was a hub motor. The Panasonic unit doesn't have a twistgrip throttle and it's handlebar control and meter is coupled directly into the system and has similar accuracy* to the battery's own integrated meter. It's not possible to have similar accuracy on the throttle controlled "bits and pieces" hub motor/controller/remote meter setup on wheel hub motor bikes.

* Not exactly the same though, hence a three step LED only roughly corresponding to the more accurate five LEDs of the battery's meter.
.

 

[4beeches0]

Well guys, I am happy to report that my initial doubts and concerns over my new 14Ah battery were totally unfounded.

I set off today at 18 miles on the trip with amber light permanently on and with the red flashing on and off. 15 miles later the battery cut out conveniently within a quarter of a mile from home. A grand total of 33 miles and to be honest the last 3 miles were done on throttle only (no pedelec) so I feel 35 miles in my normal pedelec mode would have been quite realistic.

Needless to say I am delighted with the outcome and my thanks go to you guys for your advice and encouragement and, in case he's reading this, my apologies to Andrew at Onbike if I appeared to doubt his explanation.

I shall continue the battery conditioning process with renewed enthusiasm.

JohnS

 

[4beeches0]

Just when I thought all my battery problems were dealt with along comes another situation to torment me. Taking the advice from NRG I put my battery on charge indoors (room temperature) and after 8 hours it is still showing amber. If I switch the charger off (which I have done a couple of times in the last hour) it does flash to green for a second during the close down procedure. Is that a sign that the battery is now recharged ?

JohnS

 

[flecc]

That sounds like the charger might be playing up, but first try disconnecting it completely, unplugging from the mains as well and leaving it for several minutes. Then try again to see if the LED responds normally.

Also, check the XLR connector on the charger lead is secure, the side body screw on those can work loose and short connections.
.

 

[4beeches0]

Thanks Flecc, unplugged everything - left it for a few minutes then back on and presto ! I got the green light. (a bit like fixing my pc !)

thanks again

JohnS

 

[themutiny]

I did find that when completely run down, I had to turn the charger off and back on again to fully charge after the 'first' green light.

Not sure if this is because it is in fact two batteries, or if it was to do with tehcharger cut-out, but either way, no real problem.