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How much battery charge you have left on your ebike is almost as important as knowing how much gas is in the tank in your car. I say almost because at least you can still pedal your ebike when you run out of juice. Sometimes the battery state of charge gauge is very inaccurate on ebike conversions. There are all kinds of reasons for this. Sometimes it is the accuracy of the display, sometimes the display is not configured for the voltage of the battery you are using. This can be confusing and for some it can be aggravating to have a new ebike setup and not have an accurate battery gauge to know how much charge is left. Often times this can be fixed by properly configuring the display with the correct battery voltage but sometimes there is nothing you can do except perhaps get a different display. If everything else on your ebike conversion is working then there is actually a better way to know more precisely than using a gauge or battery percent exactly how much battery is left. This is by reading the exact voltage your battery is putting out.
Lithium Ion batteries vary in voltage from full to empty. This is consistent across all batteries of the same nominal voltage. For example, if you have a 48v battery, 48 volts is the 'nominal' voltage or middle of the range of voltages for that battery. When you charge a 48v battery it actually charges to 54.6 volts and when it is empty it will be somewhere around 40-41 volts. Most ebike displays can show the actual voltage of the battery at any point in the discharge cycle. If you don't see the voltage on your display, go into the configuration menu and chances are you will see an option to enable having the voltage on your display. Sometimes you have a choice between voltage and percent. Choose voltage. Usually you already have a battery gauge that is roughly showing the percent of charge by graphically showing the battery with part of it lit. To know exactly how much battery you have left using the voltage reading, memorize the below voltage values for your battery and you will always know exactly how much charge you have left.
That is basically all you have to know. You can stop reading here but I will fill in a few more details below to explain what is going on and a few other things to watch for.
The full tank voltage for your battery above is actually what your charger puts out to charge your battery. When your battery is full it reaches the same voltage as your charger. If you have a smart charger that extends your battery life it will put out about 1 volt less for 90% charge and 2 volts less for 80% charge. This will extend your battery life by 2.5x at 90% and 4x for 80%. Notice that a decrease of 2 volts takes you down to 80%. This is because the above voltage ranges are not linear. There is more energy packed into the higher voltages so the further down the voltage drops the faster it drops. That is why you are almost empty at about 3 volts above empty. Your bike might start cutting out when you are almost empty. This is because the voltage drops when you ask for power. The more power you ask for the further the voltage drops. Bigger batteries will drop less than smaller batteries. To keep from cutting out when you get this low don't ask for as much power. You may still be able to get home if you ride at the lowest assist level or barely use any throttle. Use too much power and the power will cut off. On some bikes you may need to turn it back on but on most the power will return when the voltage goes back up after the drop from excess power. The power cuts off because there is a low voltage cutoff programmed into the controller. This protects your battery. Your battery also has a low voltage cutoff that is usually a little under the controller low voltage cutoff as an extra layer of protection. This is because Lithium Ion cells can never be allowed to fully drain or they will be permanently damaged. For most cells the voltage below which will damage it is 2.6 volts. As an example, a 48v battery has 13 cells in series which means you multiply the voltage of each cell by the number of cells to get the output voltage. In this case the lowest voltage before damage occurs is 13x2.6=33.8 volts. For 52 volts this is 14*2.6=36.4 volts and for 36 volts it is 10*2.6=26 volts. You might ask why the low voltage cutoff is set so much higher than these voltages? It is because voltage is dropping fast on the low end of the voltage spectrum and if you don't charge it immediately it may drop dangerously low before you charge it and permanently damage the battery. Batteries that are being stored will slowly lose their charge so Lithium Ion batteries should be periodically charged even when they are not being used. Note for TSDZ2 OSF version 1: The OSF state of charge reading relies on the watt hours you entered in the configuration and the reset voltage you entered. When it sees a voltage above the reset voltage when you power it on it starts a new countdown based on the watt hours used. I personally ignore all of that and just go by the voltage. There are several places on the display where you can have it display the actual voltage of the battery.
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Electrify Bike is a “Best of Utah” in City Weekly’s annual best-of edition. Find it here: https://www.cityweekly.net/utah/best-of-utah/BestOf... (page 3 online, 45 in print)  Best Way to Electrify Your Bike
Electrify Bike Co. Electric bicycles are all the rage. Streets are literally humming with them. While they may not flatten the curve, they damn sure flatten hills as steep as I Street. Because most e-bikes are built in China, however, the pandemic has caused imbalances in supply and demand. You may not be able to find the new e-bike you want even if you are willing to spend big bucks. Fortunately, most standard bikes can be retrofitted with a pedal-assist, electric motor by Electrify Bike Co. Efficient, friendly and knowledgeable, the Electrify conversion specialists provide up-front quotes. Get one for your cruiser on the company's website. (JR) 8060 S. 1300 West, West Jordan, 801-997-0550, electrifybike.com Today I received this letter from People for Bikes. We finally have rules for ebike use on public lands clarified.
Dear Mark, On Friday, Oct. 2, the Department of the Interior released final rules for electric bicycle use on public lands. This new regulation more clearly defines electric bicycles and gives local land managers the authority to permit their use on non-motorized trails. The new rule applies to the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Reclamation. Generally speaking, these rules mean that:
Together, we can make bike riding better! – The PeopleForBikes team In a nutshell this means if you see a sign that says NO MOTOR VEHICLES, that does not appy to you and your ebike. Ebikes fall under the regulations of regular bikes but in addition to bicycle rules and at the discretion of the local land manager each of the 3 classes of ebikes can be allowed or disallowed on specific roads, paths, and trails. What are the 3 classes of ebikes? To be considered an ebike under these rules the bike motor must have a power rating of less than 750 watts and have fully operable pedals.
More details on ebike legislation can be found here. Is too much time indoors making you restless? With COVID-19 sweeping across the country, hundreds of millions of Americans are finding themselves indoors way more than they like to be.
When you convert your bike to an e-bike and have a battery that is big enough to light a flashlight for a month, it is natural to want your bike lights to run off of that battery so you never need to worry about changing or charging the batteries in your lights. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, it is not as easy as you would expect. Let's start with the simplest solution. Both the TSDZ2 motors and Bafang mid-drive motors sold by Electrify Bike Co. have a way to hook lights up directly to the motor and turn them on and off from the display on the handle bars. Yes, that sounds both easy and great. However, the motor only puts out 6v at half an amp for the lights and that is not enough for what most people would want for e-bike lights. That is enough light to be seen by cars but not enough to light up your path if you are moving very fast. If all you want is to be seen by cars and beam a flashlights worth of light then we do sell lights for this solution. You can find them here and here. A complete plug and play head and tail light kit for TSDZ2 can be found here. This has brought us to recommend and for many of our customers to prefer standard bicycle headlights that use replaceable or rechargable batteries. Of course this is not ideal for an e-bike. After many years of searching for and trying to invent a solution that supports powerful lights, that uses the e-bike battery, and is easy to install, we have finally hit on what we think is the ultimate solution for e-bike lights - specifically for e-bike conversions. Partnering with another e-bike conversion company we are able to offer a new version of our Roxim headlights, coupled with a choice of taillight that fits a variety of mount options. These lights run off the battery at the full voltage of whatever your battery is from 24v to 90v and has enough amps to light a powerful light. No splicing into your ebike power wiring is required. It is plug and play with Bafang mid-drives and the TSDZ2 mid-drives that we sell. Both the headlight and tail-light can be switched on and off from the headlight.  This is actually somewhat of the holy grail of e-bike conversion light systems. Many including Electrify Bike Co. have rigged relays to the 6 volt under-powered wires on the motor that switch on higher power coming directly from the battery that then went to a dc to dc converter supplying the correct voltage for the light. These attempts were labor intensive, unreliable and costly. Now we are pleased to offer a very nice powerful headlight with choice of taillights that does it all, has a great price, and installs in minutes. Click here to go to the product page.
Electric Mountain Bike Young and old are discovering electric mountain bikes (eMTB's) but often for entirely different reasons. Young riders are discovering that they can get 3 or 4 rides in a day rather than just 1 or 2. Going uphill is as fun as going downhill. In fact there is a new term starting to be used called "uphill flow". Until now the flow has always been downhill on an MTB. Some like an eMTB's for getting around town and commuting. Mountain bikes are about the only bikes made with full suspension and you can't beat full suspension for comfort but it does add some weight. However, the extra weight of full suspension is not even noticed with electric assist and they do make a very comfortable commuter with the added benefit of being able to hop curbs and take shortcuts through fields and trails when available. For the more senior riders an eMTB lets them keep riding in the mountains and wilderness places they love. It keeps them active and lets them get out and exercise more often while doing something truly fun. Others recovering from injuries or with physical limitations find they can get out on the trails and keep moving for their health and well-being. If the kind of riding in this section speaks to you then an electric mountain bike might be for you. Maybe you already have one in the garage or just need to go pick one out. In either case it can be electrified it into an eMTB you will love.  City e-bikes & Cruiser e-bikes Bike shops these days seem to be full of either road racing bikes or off-road mountain bikes, both of which were not designed for comfort but for speed and power with the rider hunched forward. Do you remember when people wore normal clothing to go for a ride? When it was about being outdoors and enjoying the ride rather than focused on speed? When bikes were designed to sit upright where you can enjoy the scenery and wave hello to your neighbors? When it was as much about the journey as the destination? Everyday cycling in Europe is still like that and they have perfected the upright city bike for getting around town or just out for a ride. In America we popularized the cruiser style and they are still very popular. An example is the Electra Townie or a beach cruiser. City bikes tend to be more for getting around and cruisers are more for pleasure but they both do both and it really comes down to preference and both make great e-bike conversions. If you live in a flat area and have your health you may not need an ebike but if you are in your senior years, have health issues or live around hills or wind, an ebike is the answer. In the Salt Lake Valley where I live the ground slopes from the mountains on either side of the valley to the Jordan River. Wherever you are in the valley if you are going in an east/west direction you will have a hill going or coming not to mention a lot of other hills spread throughout the valley. That coupled with steady winds at different times of the year makes electric assist welcome on a majority of rides. So for the less athletic we can now add electric motor assistance to both flatten the hills and tame the wind. In fact, people find once they have converted their bike they find themselves riding a lot more often because the reasons for not riding a bike and just taking the car tend to go away. If this section appeals to you then a city bike or a cruiser might be for you. Maybe you already have one in the garage or just need to go pick one out. In either case we can help you electrify it into an ebike you will love. E-bikes for Commuters One of the biggest reasons people are reluctant to ride their bike to work is that they can't arrive sweaty. So they drive even if they want to ride. An e-bike solves that one and also gets you to work faster. Commuters find that even if it is too far for a normal bike the fact that they go further faster on an e-bike makes a bicycle commute possible. So what kind of bike makes the best commuter bike? There is no right answer to that because different people commute on different styles of bike for different reasons. A city bike or even a cruiser can make a great commuter and be very comfortable on a lot of commutes. However, if the roads are rough or there are a lot of potholes they can be a little rough without full suspension. Some city bikes have front suspension and any city bike or cruiser can be upgraded with a suspension seat post that smooths out road bumps from being transferred directly from the road to your spine. Some like an eMTB's for getting around town and commuting. Mountain bikes are about the only bikes made with full suspension and you can't beat full suspension for comfort but it does add some weight. However, the extra weight of full suspension is not even noticed with electric assist and they do make a very comfortable commuter with the added benefit of being able to hop curbs and take shortcuts through fields and trails when available. Commuting on road bikes is another opportunity for racers to get in some training on the way to work. The problem is they need a shower when they get their. This is where an electrified road bike makes a lot of sense. They can ride it to work and not break a sweat and then not use the motor on the ride home and train on the type of bike they like to ride. Of course they still need a non-motorized one for regular rides. Folding bikes are great for split commutes where part is by public transit or car and part is on bike. For those on public transit the folding bike gets them from the station to work. For those in cars they don't have to find and pay for parking close in to town. They can park where it is easy and free or cheap and ride the rest of the way in. Whichever kind of bike you decide is ideal for your commute, it can be converted into an electric commuter bike you will love. Should You Electrify a Road Bike? Road bikes are an interesting one. Most road bikes are ridden by the racers and those riding to constantly up the bar on fitness. I used to think they weren't the best candidates for electric conversions. However, since I have come to realize that there are 2 big exceptions to riding a road bike as a pure human powered sport. Cycling for many is a social sport. They ride with friends, family or a team. One of the 2 reasons for electric conversions on a road bike is to allow those that for any number of reasons can't keep up with those they want to ride with. Sometimes this is a spouse that can't keep up with the other spouse but they want to ride together. Others are recovering from an injury or have health issues that prevent them from riding as fast as they use to. It can be very rewarding for all parties to have them able to join and it seems unfair to ask the fittest to slow their pace when the sport is all about pushing ones limits. The second reason for electric road bikes is that commuting on road bikes is another opportunity for racers to get some training in while commuting to work. The problem is they need a shower when they get there. This is where an electrified road bike makes a lot of sense. They can ride it to work and not break a sweat and then not use the motor on the ride home and train on the type of bike they like to ride. Of course they still need a non-motorized one for regular rides. You won't find very many electric road bikes in your local ebike shop which is why an ebike conversion is often the best way to get one.
Folding bikes are great for split commutes where part is by public transit or car and part is on bike. For those on public transit the folding bike gets them from the station to work. For those in cars they don't have to find and pay for parking close in to town. They can park where it is easy and free or cheap and ride the rest of the way in. Most folding bikes are good candidates for conversion to an electric folding bike. If you have one or have one in mind - great! If you would like a recommendation give us a call and we will help you pick one out. In anycase we can help you electrify it into a folding ebike you will love. Electric Cargo Bikes
Cargo bikes don't need much explanation. Whether hauling kids or cargo they are heavy and even more so on hills and against the wind. Maybe you have tried a basket or a rack and panniers on your bike so you can carry some stuff and avoid a car trip but you quickly reach the limits of what can be practically carried. If you really want to replace even more car trips when you need to haul a load of kids, groceries or hardware maybe you should be thinking about a cargo bike. A mid-drive motor is almost always the way to go because on hills you can gear down and have all the power you need. An electric assist on a cargo bike is a natural and is still good for the planet and the wallet. A typical battery charge is less than 20 cents. If you are leaning in this direction you should know that some of the best electric cargo bikes out there started with a regular cargo bike and an e-bike conversion kit. If you don't already own one just pick out the cargo bike you like the best and electrify it! |
AuthorMark Ostlund Archives
November 2020
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