E-bike ... Anyone have one?

[Art K]

I do recall 5 or so years ago some Korean cell phone manufacturer had a phone that burst into flames and an airliner had to make an emergency landing. After investigation they found they were bending the battery because the case was to small.
Art

[wagnmkr]

Regarding battery charge state...

Always remember, you have to get back!

Having 12miles of range left , doesn't mean you can cycle the 8 miles to your brother's house and get back without having to pedal a bloody heavy bike up a stinking ****** hill .

Ask me how I know ;-)

 

[Admiral_dk]

I have forgotten to charge a few times
In that situation, it helps if you lower the Assist Level - our Bikes go from 0 to 5 and Bosch has fancy names for the Levels .... Depending on how bad SOC (State of Charge) is, I go down a few and it extends the Distance quite a bit.

I have tried running Low a number of times. The Bike I did 5400Km. on, had a Six year old Battery Pack when I started using it => I got the "Low Battery Voltage Error" around 20% SOC during Summer months and 30% SOC in the Winter.
When this happens, the Motor is Killed by the System, to prevent ruining the Battery Pack  (no not burning).
I learned that I could Reboot the System (Off On) and choose a low Assist Level (1 or 2) before Pedalling again or in case of a steep hill ahead - keep the Motor Off until the hill is reached and the Reboot. The wait partly let the Battery recover.

The new eBike is a significant upgrade in Range - 80Km. (50miles) going from 100% to 10% SOC - but the bigger battery is also heavier. Kruitbosch eLet Cortina eBike is almost as light as my old grandfather bike (not electric) - but it has no gears, as they sell it in Nederlands (Holland).

Per         

[wagnmkr]

That is interesting stuff Per. Thank You.

[uuu]

My Bosch system seems to have a feature where it kills the motor with enough battery left to keeps the lights going while you pedal home.  It's a bit annoying if there's only one hill left to go.

Wilf

[Admiral_dk]

All our models do the same.
The Low Battery => Kill Motor - but not Lights - are mostly connected to the fact, that the Light uses a few mA. and therefore will literally take many Hours to do any damage to the Battery even though the voltage has reached the Minimum .... But the Motor will do it in Minutes if you still have access to Full Power ....

+ The fact that the Lights are Mandatory in case of Darkness + a VERY Important Safety issue 

Per       

[Michael S.]

Ever since I got my e-bike, I wouldn't want to be without it. The commute from the company where I work to my home now takes just under five minutes............


<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d9dsCZEyi8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d9dsCZEyi8</a>

[steam guy willy]

As I am quite disabled, and I have been using E-bikes for about 20 years ..these are standard shop bought machines and I have never had any trouble from them  ??!!!!!! I charge them up everyday and use it constantly........
cheers
Willy

[wagnmkr]

That is quite the commute Micheal. I see you are not alone on your trip .. lots of cyclists there.

 

Tom

[Michael S.]

Hi Tom,
I need to go right across the city from north to south, but I always ride along the bike path that runs parallel to the river—no car traffic.

Best regards, Michael

[Pete49]

I use an E scooter here in Sth. Australia and am restricted to 10k/hr on shared paths and 25 on bike paths and mainly use it to go to the local shop or visit nearby friends. I charge it away from the house and flammable stuff but never had a problem. Saves short runs with my car.

[Admiral_dk]

Wonderful Trip Michael 

Is the same track useful during Winter time ?
Our bicycle lanes are usually cleared during the winter + salted (I'm not a fan of salt - there are better options).
But the vast majority are located 1-3m. (3-10') away from the roads ....

Per       

[Michael S.]

Hi Per,

I have to tell you that I only ride my bike from March to October; after that, it gets too cold for me.
I use the Elbe Cycle Route, which is shared with pedestrians. It can get a bit tight at times—especially on weekends.

Best regards, Michael

[uuu]

I quite like riding in the winter.  Because the electric bike is a lot less effort, I can wear multiple layers and not get too sweaty.  It's fun in snow.

But the battery performance is reduced in the cold.  So for my standard 15 mile each way trip (to the model engineering club), I took a charger in winter and did a quick top up.  Probably not needed, but it gave me the ability to turn on the full assistance if I was feeling lazy on the homeward leg.

Wilf