Additional battery = additional charger

[Brambor]

I have been contemplating purchasing an additional battery with the purchase of my new ebike (haven't made a final pick) for purposes of perhaps having one battery at work and swapping it every time I get to work.

I realized I would have to also purchase an additional charger or carry it in my backpack all the time. It is something to mull over when considering the options of either buying a bike with most efficient battery or a bike with two batteries.

 

[Larry Pizzi]

Hi Brambor - You may want to carry or buy a second charger. The trend with the best battery cells, 18650 cylindrical cells by Samsung, Panasonic, etc., is higher energy density. The current norm is 2.2Ah per cell but its moving to 2.6, 2.9 -- even 3.5Ah and we expect that over time the price on these cells will fall to meet that market, so in a year or two or three, you should be able to get a replacement pack for your bike with more capacity then current models have today.

Hope that helps!

 

[James]

I have been contemplating purchasing an additional battery with the purchase of my new ebike (haven't made a final pick) for purposes of perhaps having one battery at work and swapping it every time I get to work.

I realized I would have to also purchase an additional charger or carry it in my backpack all the time. It is something to mull over when considering the options of either buying a bike with most efficient battery or a bike with two batteries.

Hey Brambor,

I bought an extra charger and leave it at work. If you have enough time at work (in my case I need about 3 hours for a full charge) then it's easier, not to mention cheaper to have the extra charger. You also don't need to pack anything back and forth with you.

Cheers,

 

[Brambor]

James, in your case a bike that is on my top list to purchase, what is the balpark cost for a charger? Is it above $100 or below $100?

 

[James]

Hey Brambor,

My charger was 140 dollars (Canadian $) so you'll probably pick one up for around the 100 dollar mark.

Cheers,

 

[Admin]

Completely agree with Larry and James, if you're at work for >= 3 hours you should be able to top off your battery pack for the ride home and if your workplace is secure, you can just leave the extra charger there! Depending on your budget, sticking with just one charger and tossing it into your backpack could be an option, they usually aren't that heavy

 

[FitzChivalry]

While I agree that the charger isn't heavy (mine is about the same weight as a laptop charger), I was warned that the City Commuter chargers, at least, have a tendency to break if carried with. PracticalCycle.com recommended buying a second charger for $85.00. I plan to buy a second charger once I've realized some of the cost savings from buying the bike (and accessories) through a lower gasoline bill.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

While I agree that the charger isn't heavy (mine is about the same weight as a laptop charger), I was warned that the City Commuter chargers, at least, have a tendency to break if carried with. PracticalCycle.com recommended buying a second charger for $85.00. I plan to buy a second charger once I've realized some of the cost savings from buying the bike (and accessories) through a lower gasoline bill.

Fitz,
Were you able to manage a complete round trip commute to work on a single charge?

 

[FitzChivalry]

Almost! It made it about 40 miles before petering out. I was really struggling those last 2 miles! I've been running at the gym... ~30 minutes, 4 days a week, and that's been the most of my exercise. So, my cycling muscles aren't there yet, and I was really having to dig deep. LOL

Not my brightest idea. Next time I do something like that, I'll hang out at Starbucks for an hour and top off the battery.

 

[James]

40 miles is great range Fitz! You must be pedaling pretty hard most of the way. What was your average speed?

 

[FitzChivalry]

I used the largest level of assist, 5, for the ride there, and maintained 18.8 for most of the trip (I gauge by the most common speed I saw when looking down, rather than by actually calculating). On the way back, I switched between 5, 3, and then 2 to try and eke out some level of power assist all the way home.

I'll add that on Monday, I had zero lumbar issues when I got home, but could definitely tell I got a workout... not from sweat, but from breathing heavier and from tired legs.