E-cruiser

[camlifter]

Batteries are the real problem with ebikes. Until we get a dependable easy to manage lightweight battery system we are always going to be a footnote in the motoriZed bike world.

i know what your saying. this kit has good pep and is fun to ride for about 15 min. then the power level leds start droping like a rock and your non pedal ride is over. it has the 36v lipo 10ah but i guess thats not enough. i'll have to resign myself to the fact that i'm going to be doing a lot of pedaling with this kit, not all bad because i could use the exercise.

 

[kilowatt]

Are you sure you don't have a electrical problem dragging down the battery? I got a lot more than 15 minutes with a 36V 10amp SLA set up. You need to monitor your volts and amps during load to see if you are having a problem. I would suggest using a cycle analyst (expensive) or you could go to your local hobby shop and purchase a watt meter(cheap) used for charging RC batteries and monitoring motor/batteriy efficiency and wire it in line. Also, what is your controller cut off voltage? Let us know.

Dave

 

[camlifter]

this is my first try at an e-bike so i don't know much about them, (why i bought a kit instead of building my own) i would guess if you pedaled along right from the start you would get a lot more out of it. maybe my conception of what an ebike should be able to do is unrealistic coming from a gas bike back ground.
as far as something being wrong i don't think theres a problem, all conections are good and it's a prety full proof kit. the battery may be not up to par, but it is new. iirc the cut off is 28v but i wouldn't swear to that.

 

[camlifter]

going to pick up a mountain bike this weekend and switch everything over to it, i've talked with the seller and he seems to think the battery may be bad so he's sending a new one, he's been very helpfull and is standing behind his kits. hopefully the new battery will fix the problem.

 

[kilowatt]

Great! You should look into a cycle analyst or watts up meter in the future. At least get yourself a good volt/ohm meter to carry along. Good luck.

Dave

 

[camlifter]

got the new battery but it still acts the same. i'm thinking now that the controler may be bad or not programed right. the leds that indicate battery power levels, they all light up untill you give it the throttle then they all go out and the red low battery light comes on.[ battery fully fresh charged showing 43V] it still runs but seems to lose power prety fast. i rode it about 5 miles with the new battery and it took 4 hrs to recharge.

 

[zabac70]

If the battery is new , only the motor or controller can cause the grief (assuming the connections are OK). Motor should be checked under load (heat at small load on the motor is usually very accurate sign that something is wrong with the motor) and controller requires an expert or very elaborate and helpful support from the manufacturer. You should be having a much better performance from your setup (don't know if you have many hills on your route) , especially with some (minor) pedaling.

 

[camlifter]

i've been checking the hub for heat, it never gets hot to the touch. only flat ground here no hills, but a stiff wind really slows it down. the seller seems eager to help, i'll get back to him and see if he'll send a new controller.