Thursday, June 27, 2013

Has anyone made their own battery packs to boost electric bike range?

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uogcls


I am thinking if the bike comes with SLA batteries of 10Ah, I could cheaply make a NiMH pack with 2Ah (bunch of AA cells) to boost performance. I am thinking of connecting it parallel to the SLA batteries (+ to +, - to -). I am thinking this will slow the discharge rate on the SLA and also reduce the depth of discharge, causing the SLA batteries to have much a longer life cycle.


Answer
It's difficult to mix different type of batteries. The lead acid battery has a nominal voltage of 2.1 V per cell, and an end voltage of 1.75 V per cell. In a typical 6 cell battery, this means 12.6 V charged to 10.5 V discharged. For a 10 cell NiMH pack, the values are 12 V -> 10 V. The ranges are close, but you would either need to undercharge your primary SLA battery, or you would be overcharging your NiMH batteries to 12.6 V (about 5% over). This may progressively shorten the life of the NiMH batteries.

You might consider charging the packs separately, and then connecting (via a switch) the NiMH pack in parallel after the SLA has been run down a little.

Of course, the best option would be to use a second SLA battery. If the charging circuit is "smart", then it should be able to charge both SLA batteries in parallel. You could also use them in parallel.

If you are in a sunny area, you could even tie in a PV array designed for 12.6 V parallel applications.

what do people look for in an electric bike?




Matthew


I am designing an electric bike for commuters to use day in, day out. I am asking you guys who live on the outskirts of cities to give me what you want in the perfect personal transport. This product is made for the masses and made by the masses. Any answers will be appreciated and taken into account. Thanks all!
May i add that this is a conceptual design project :)



Answer
I've been working on the same thing for different clients for years, but I'll tell you what things designers are trying to overcome:

1) Weight. The current technologies simply do not allow an e-bike that weighs under 50 pounds. A good target weight should be in the mid-20s;

2) Battery size. The size of even the smallest battery right now takes up precious space for carrying other stuff, and if the battery gets too small the range is reduced tremendously. Right now, Mitsubishi probably makes the best battery/motor combination;

3) Loaded range. Put a rider and 35 pounds of gear on the bike and ride it up a 5% grade, 1 mile long hill two or three times. Nuff said.




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