“No e-bikes allowed”

[Mr. Coffee]

I've not had any problems. Some locations and some hotels don't permit any bikes in the rooms though.

If you have good quality batteries and treat them well you shouldn't have any safety issues. On the other hand if you have a bad wreck or drop your battery onto a concrete floor you need to have some qualified person inspect the battery to make sure it is still safe.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I havn't thought of this. I can't tell if you're pulling my leg or if this is legit. I will look into it. Guessing there could be an issue with the charger accepting 220V?

Not a leg pull mate. Admittedly I have not tried it, but that Amazon link I posted is for exactly this purpose.
Again, your bike's battery charger needs to be able to handle 240v, if it can't then DO NOT TRY IT!
Mine does, look on the label...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

That is an attitude as opposed to an electrical fact or law. Nice pivot.
I'm not insinuating that you should argue with those in cars that need it, as they are the originally intended users.
All I'm saying is that you CAN do it.
There are ALWAYS open chargers near me. That won't be the case everywhere of course.
If it is illegal in Poland, I'd understand.

Leave the motorist things to the motorists Are you missing regular wall sockets in Canada? If it is so, I'd understand.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Leave the motorist things to the motorists Are you missing regular wall sockets in Canada? If it is so, I'd understand.

Did you miss the part where I said I've never done it?
I've not gone bike packing/camping/hoteling...

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I don't see the practical win in using EV chargers (even at 240V) to charge e-bikes, as most e-bike chargers won't charge more quickly when you use 240V.

 

[Art Deco]

I don't see the practical win in using EV chargers (even at 240V) to charge e-bikes, as most e-bike chargers won't charge more quickly when you use 240V.

I can think of a practical reason but it would be very uncommon. In many newer motels/hotels in tourist areas, they have EV charging stations in the guest parking lot and lockable outdoor 110v outlets ( why? No idea, maybe homeless people) on the outside walls of buildings, as well as nonoperational windows so you can't just run an extension cord to the lot from the room.
So @DaveMatthews might be able to use his charger there. Mine have all been 110v chargers, so still no good. And I still wouldn't trust it not to overheat and catch fire, per Mr Murphy's law.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I don't see the practical win in using EV chargers (even at 240V) to charge e-bikes, as most e-bike chargers won't charge more quickly when you use 240V.

Can't argue with that. All I was illustrating is an option not many think of (for obvious reasons).

 

[DaveMatthews]

I can think of a practical reason but it would be very uncommon. In many newer motels/hotels in tourist areas, they have EV charging stations in the guest parking lot and lockable outdoor 110v outlets ( why? No idea, maybe homeless people) on the outside walls of buildings, as well as nonoperational windows so you can't just run an extension cord to the lot from the room.
So @DaveMatthews might be able to use his charger there. Mine have all been 110v chargers, so still no good. And I still wouldn't trust it not to overheat and catch fire, per Mr Murphy's law.

Well the charger would only draw what it needs, as opposed to being force fed too much.
What kind of charger/manufacturer have you got?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I don't see the practical win in using EV chargers (even at 240V) to charge e-bikes, as most e-bike chargers won't charge more quickly when you use 240V.

True. Applying a higher input voltage won't make the battery charge any faster.

Here's a worldwide e-bike battery charger, capable to operate on any commercial grid voltage. The role of the charger is to convert whatever AC (such as 120 V for the U.S or Canada, or 230 V in the EU) to DC at the defined voltage (here, 42 V) and maximum current (here, 4 A). An e-bike charger will only deliver its declared output but the input is irrelevant here.

Again, your bike's battery charger needs to be able to handle 240v, if it can't then DO NOT TRY IT!

Cannot agree more!

 

[Chargeride]

My Levo came with a broken charger, I took it apart and its fully potted, but as you can see a component failure, this happened at three years old.

I'll keep the charge cable in case I damage mine, it can be safely resoldered, notice theres an extra wire already chopped, the unit hasnt been opened up before.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You must be a snake bitten person, Chris Why everything works for me but is broken for you?

 

[Chargeride]

Well the new one is now two years old, so Ive got a year left

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Well the new one is now two years old, so Ive got a year left

How odd my original Vado charger has been working for five years and seven months now

 

[Art Deco]

Well the charger would only draw what it needs, as opposed to being force fed too much.
What kind of charger/manufacturer have you got?

Several cheap and dumb 110v chargers, both Specialized and boutique ones that came with the bottle batteries. They all appear to be identical.

Not an EE, but EVs are very high voltage devices and Ohms law says something about lowering voltage raises amperage ... the current must go somewhere, step down transformers be damned.
It only takes one overheated cell to start a fire, so I wouldn't do it.

 

[Chargeride]

How odd my original Vado charger has been working for five years and seven months now

Jinxed yourself

 

[Chargeride]

Im watching this survival guy cycling across some part of America on a twin battery 100m range sort of carrier bike thing.
Anyway hes charging it from lamposts in town centres like somewhere called Portland using the proper charger plogged into sockets under a flap and also outside shops...is this a thing over there?

 

[stompandgo]

You can always find an outdoor 110v outlet in the USA. Assuming that anyone can use it for free is another matter altogether. FAFO.

 

[Chazmo]

My Levo came with a broken charger, I took it apart and its fully potted, but as you can see a component failure, this happened at three years old.

View attachment 197699

I'll keep the charge cable in case I damage mine, it can be safely resoldered, notice theres an extra wire already chopped, the unit hasnt been opened up before.

View attachment 197700

I presume that you bought the bike used, Charge, (3 years old)? Otherwise I would guess that Specialized would exchange it? Nasty?

And, yeah, guys… most structures around the US have outdoor power receptacles. The whole trick for the OP is to find safe routes and bike-friendly accommodations. My personal bigger concern would be how to do such a trip staying off of main roads. Unlike much of Europe, I take it, you can’t take any form of bicycle on most highways (and you sure wouldn’t want to). The highway interstate system in the US would be completely off limits for a biker. However, if I were planning such a trip, I might look toward old route 66 (a southern route through the country), probably most of which has accommodations and many cool things to see. I don’t know. It’s a cool undertaking.

 

[stompandgo]

Many, if not most, of the US routes in the Northeast are not good for bicycles. Some have wide shoulders, but they are littered with debris. Many have no shoulder at all. I suggest that you plan a week's worth of riding using a bicycle-centric route planner like RideWithGPS. Check out points of interest along the way with Google Maps street view. Get a feel for what you are up against.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Many, if not most, of the US routes in the Northeast are not good for bicycles. Some have wide shoulders, but they are littered with debris. Many have no shoulder at all. I suggest that you plan a week's worth of riding using a bicycle-centric route planner like RideWithGPS. Check out points of interest along the way with Google Maps street view. Get a feel for what you are up against.

Yes to all of that, but you don't really need street view. Zoom in with RideWithGPS or Google Maps in satellite view, and you can easily see if a given stretch of road has bike lanes or rideable shoulders.

You can also get a crude preview of any dirt road you might be considering. Does it go all the way through or peter out into single-track? Are there gates or stream crossings?

Both will also show you a profile of any route you enter and the elevation gain involved.