Author Topic: help me select the best product for me !  (Read 7675 times)

Offline JPALA

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help me select the best product for me !
« on: June 19, 2009, 05:42:16 PM »
Hello !

my story...
I have a mountain bike and I want to go to my work in it.
My work place is 35km from my house, the road has many uphills and downhills, so I want an engine with enough power.
I want a front wheel engine.

the questions...
I work at least 8 hours a day its enough to recharge the battery? It will damage the battery if I recharge without it being fully discharged?

summarizing....
What do I need to equip my bike to do 70km at    high speed ?(45km/h???)


Thanks !!

Offline e-lmer

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Re: help me select the best product for me !
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2009, 02:38:31 AM »
Quote
My work place is 35km from my house,
You're looking at the limit of the range on a 20Amp Hour battery
Quote
the road has many uphills and downhills,
so I want an engine with enough power.
And the thousand watt motor.

Quote
I work at least 8 hours a day its enough to recharge the battery?
It depends on the battery chemistry.  Lead acid batteries can charge at
about 2.5 Amperes, so you would need 20/2.5 = 8 hours to charge your pack
from fully discharged.
If you use the LiFePo4 batteries, they can charge at a higher rate, they weigh
a lot less, but cost way more.  (I think it's worth it tho, the weight is a big
factor in range.)

Quote
It will damage the battery if I recharge without it being fully discharged?
Don't fully discharge any battery packs except NiCad.
It's not good for them.

Quote
summarizing....
What do I need to equip my bike to do 70km at    high speed ?(45km/h???)
Now you have gone and done it.  An electric bicycle is not something you
want to be barreling down the road at 30 miles an hour (45kph).

20mph (30kph) is about the top speed for most electric bikes.  This limit is
actually a legal requirement in most US states.  It is a sanity limit anywhere
it's not prohibited by law.

Adding to that the fact that the range will be impacted by the number of
hills and how much you help, an electric bike may not be a good fit for you.

I am starting to look at electric motorcycle stuff.  I think I can build a
90V bike with LiFePo4 batteries for under USD$5000, but I have some issues
re charging the battery packs.  That's looking like another thousand or so.




Offline Philip Lynott

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Re: help me select the best product for me !
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2009, 09:22:20 AM »
Hi,

I have a 1000W setup with a 48V20Ah lifepo4 batteries it gets me around 52km at an average of 20mph (top speed 30mph) on a journey with some hills.


I think you'll definatley want a 1000W motor and a 48V20Ah lifepo4 battery to achieve the distance you want over hilly terrain, also you will need to use thick battery wires and devise some way of keeping the controller and battery cool (the motor will get hot but there isn't much you can do about that).


After all that time and money you still should pedal when your going up steep hills - hills put alot of pressure on electric bikes,


You could try having two hub motors (front and rear) this would give you higher torque
although it would add more weight and wiring and would not be as efficient