darkstar11
I drive a 500 watt TaoTao ATE 501 and it only has a top speed of 20 to 21 miles per hour and only drives 10 miles per charge(I think) Is there any upgrade parts I can get for this scooter so that it can drive 30 maybe 35 miles per hour and get better battery life? I'm tired of being on a street legal scooter/moped and not being able to keep up with average city traffic flow. I hate being tailgated because I'm driving slower. I think it runs on 48 volt batteries and uses three of them. Not sure about the control box because its kinda hard to get to.
Answer
First you have to realize that those 500 watt electric scooters are really just heavy cheap electric assisted bikes. The TaoTao ATE 501 weighs about 200 lbs and that's why it's so slow. If you want any reasonable performance, you use the fold out pedals at least for acceleration, it also recharges the batteries slightly.
I suspect you have a 36 volt system with three 12 v lead acid batteries wired in series. It would be a good idea to have each of those batteries checked out separately. Lead acid batteries can be tricky and it only takes one to be in poor shape for the whole bike to suffer.
The most obvious upgrade you could do is wire in another three lead acid batteries in parallel. Nothing else would need changing but you would have to find a location to put the batteries.
The next possible upgrade is to replace the batteries with expensive lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries which are convenient because they are available in similar voltage levels. Their charging procedures are similar but not identical so you may be able to get away with not changing any of the charging mechanisms. The biggest problem with this is the cost.
A larger motor probably won't do you much good and may require custom fabrication of the motor mounts but you may be able to find a more powerful motor in the same form factor. In general, most electric motors can be operated at higher voltages with the only consequence being overheating of the motor and wires, the wires can be increased to thicker wires and you could try to get more cooling to the motor but this would really only allow you to have short bursts with the possibility of burning something out. Of course doing so means changing the battery layout and adding more batteries.
The best solution would be to upgrade to a proper light weight electric assisted bike but they run about $2,000 or more, roughly double what the scooters cost. Maybe find a used bike and put in a 500 watt conversion kit... At least with the bikes, everyone expects you to be slow.
The 500 watt scooters are not what I would call street legal, just exempt from regulations. It takes a 150 cc scooter to be freeway legal and a 250 cc scooter to actually be safe at freeway speeds and any scooter with more than 50 cc's must be licensed and registered as a motor vehicle. Those I would call street legal once licensed. You might be better off with a 50 cc gasoline scooter, those are usually exempt from regulation too. The old smoky two cylinder ones had a lot of power, about double what the new four cylinder ones have but even the new 4 cylinder ones would be four times the power of the 500 watt electric scooter. If you want to be environmentally friendly, make ethanol from rotten fruits that you get from the grocers for free.
First you have to realize that those 500 watt electric scooters are really just heavy cheap electric assisted bikes. The TaoTao ATE 501 weighs about 200 lbs and that's why it's so slow. If you want any reasonable performance, you use the fold out pedals at least for acceleration, it also recharges the batteries slightly.
I suspect you have a 36 volt system with three 12 v lead acid batteries wired in series. It would be a good idea to have each of those batteries checked out separately. Lead acid batteries can be tricky and it only takes one to be in poor shape for the whole bike to suffer.
The most obvious upgrade you could do is wire in another three lead acid batteries in parallel. Nothing else would need changing but you would have to find a location to put the batteries.
The next possible upgrade is to replace the batteries with expensive lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries which are convenient because they are available in similar voltage levels. Their charging procedures are similar but not identical so you may be able to get away with not changing any of the charging mechanisms. The biggest problem with this is the cost.
A larger motor probably won't do you much good and may require custom fabrication of the motor mounts but you may be able to find a more powerful motor in the same form factor. In general, most electric motors can be operated at higher voltages with the only consequence being overheating of the motor and wires, the wires can be increased to thicker wires and you could try to get more cooling to the motor but this would really only allow you to have short bursts with the possibility of burning something out. Of course doing so means changing the battery layout and adding more batteries.
The best solution would be to upgrade to a proper light weight electric assisted bike but they run about $2,000 or more, roughly double what the scooters cost. Maybe find a used bike and put in a 500 watt conversion kit... At least with the bikes, everyone expects you to be slow.
The 500 watt scooters are not what I would call street legal, just exempt from regulations. It takes a 150 cc scooter to be freeway legal and a 250 cc scooter to actually be safe at freeway speeds and any scooter with more than 50 cc's must be licensed and registered as a motor vehicle. Those I would call street legal once licensed. You might be better off with a 50 cc gasoline scooter, those are usually exempt from regulation too. The old smoky two cylinder ones had a lot of power, about double what the new four cylinder ones have but even the new 4 cylinder ones would be four times the power of the 500 watt electric scooter. If you want to be environmentally friendly, make ethanol from rotten fruits that you get from the grocers for free.
what is a good electric assist bicycle?
Rambo
Im kinda plump and find it hard to ride a reg bike, makes my legs/back hurt...anysuggestions?
Answer
There are no "good" electric assist bicycles. Th cost is astronomical, the price of battery replacement is also sky high & the charge in the battery may run low or OUT at the wrong time at the wrong place. Then you are stuck pedaling a VERY heavy bicycle home under your own power.
Please don't give me that "I'm kinda plump" routine either. I started out several years ago at 315 lbs. I also have degenerative disc disease in the lower back and arthritic knees. By using the proper cycling posture & "spinning" the pedals at a "cadence" of around 70-90 rpm (if not more) at all times, you can do it too. If I can - anybody can.
Trek Electric Assist Bicycles - lowest priced one - $2,299.99 - http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/collections/electric_assist/models/
My 2011 Raleigh Touring Road Bike - cost - $1,200 - http://www.raleighusa.com/archive/2011-steel-road/sojourn-11/
Started off on a straight hybrid with the upright sitting/riding position. Switched to road bikes about a year ago. Love 'em!!! Today I rode 26 miles! Again...don't give me that "I'm kinda plump" routine. If I can get fit & shed pounds - anyone can. Links below from the late Sheldon Brown. Please read.
There are no "good" electric assist bicycles. Th cost is astronomical, the price of battery replacement is also sky high & the charge in the battery may run low or OUT at the wrong time at the wrong place. Then you are stuck pedaling a VERY heavy bicycle home under your own power.
Please don't give me that "I'm kinda plump" routine either. I started out several years ago at 315 lbs. I also have degenerative disc disease in the lower back and arthritic knees. By using the proper cycling posture & "spinning" the pedals at a "cadence" of around 70-90 rpm (if not more) at all times, you can do it too. If I can - anybody can.
Trek Electric Assist Bicycles - lowest priced one - $2,299.99 - http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/collections/electric_assist/models/
My 2011 Raleigh Touring Road Bike - cost - $1,200 - http://www.raleighusa.com/archive/2011-steel-road/sojourn-11/
Started off on a straight hybrid with the upright sitting/riding position. Switched to road bikes about a year ago. Love 'em!!! Today I rode 26 miles! Again...don't give me that "I'm kinda plump" routine. If I can get fit & shed pounds - anyone can. Links below from the late Sheldon Brown. Please read.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Title Post: upgrading an electric scooter any advice?
Rating: 83% based on 9498 ratings. 4 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming T0 My Blog
Rating: 83% based on 9498 ratings. 4 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming T0 My Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment