Are there faster chargers out there for the Rad batteries (2019 models)

[Pay Jota]

Two amps at 48v sure takes a long time to recharge. Even going down to what appears to be about a 40-50% discharge is taking 3-4 hours to recharge. Are there aftermarket chargers that are 4 or 6 amp chargers? Is that not advisable?

 

[AHicks]

Under the right circumstances you could charge at a higher rate, but on average, I would say it's not as "battery friendly" as the 2 amp rate. If you get into it, you'll see that even if you are able to charge faster initially, the Battery Management System (BMS) is going to start tapering whatever amperage is available to a rate it thinks appropriate for the final charging - to allow it to balance charge all those cells.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Are there aftermarket chargers that are 4 or 6 amp chargers?

Yes, they are available. Here is an example:
https://lunacycle.com/luna-charger-48v-advanced-300w-ebike-charger/

The most basic chargers charge at 2A but it is perfectly fine to charge at 4A.

BMS have an inbuilt limit on the charge current and basic BMS boards top out at 5A, so it is important you know what is the max charge current limit for your battery.

Is that not advisable?

It is fine to charge your battery at 4A or 6A but one way RadPower keeps cost down is by using basic charger, basic BMS etc. To be able to charge at higher amps, you will need a more powerful charger and the BMS needs to be robust enough to allow higher amps into the battery.

Here is an example of a high-end, capable charger:

 

[Pay Jota]

So the Battery Management System is integrated into the charger, not the battery, correct?

What type of connector is on the 2019 Rad batteries? Is it an XT-60?

Boy, that Luna charger looks like a dream! Selectable output and selectable BMS settings, it seems.

 

[AHicks]

BMS is integrated into the battery

No, not an XT60. The battery slides onto a rack, with it's own connectors, and the outlet of the rack has some sort of proprietary connector that plugs into a pigtail coming from the controller.

 

[Pay Jota]

BMS is integrated into the battery

No, not an XT60. The battery slides onto a rack, with it's own connectors, and the outlet of the rack has some sort of proprietary connector that plugs into a pigtail coming from the controller.

I was unclear. What type of connector is for charging on the Rad batteries?

 

[johnny333]

2@ amps is about right. You can charge them faster but will kill the battery faster. Tesla says to slow charger. They are putting up fast charge stations. But will kill they $35,000.00 battery sooner. You can get away with fast charging for a while but your battery will some not be as good or fast as it was. Been playing with R/C trucks and bouts for 15+ years. Batteries are the big hold back on electric cars. They could invent a battery next week or a 100years from now known one knows lithium ion is a limited resource so they are a short gap till the get one better.
Johnny 73 and still moving
I was around when computers were using vacuum tubes and then transistor's were a big jump. Most electric things don't like heat. In the olden days I had a water cooled PC to OC it more.

 

[Pay Jota]

I'm a little confused here.. How could you not know what kind of battery charging connector you have? I'm assuming you have been using it on daily basis?

Anyways, I believe Rad has basic DC connector and XLR for Rad Mini.

There are MANY different styles of "basic DC connectors". They vary in length, width and even polarity. If there is a standardized connector that Rad uses that has a specific name, I want to know what it is. The after market battery charger companies use specific descriptors for these connectors. See the Luna link above, for instance.

Does one need to know the NAME of the connector on the stock charger that comes with your bike, to use it? I think not.

 

[Pay Jota]

OK I just checked, for some reason DC connector isn't available for 4A but it is for 5A. Did you check the AliExpress link?

Only briefly. I like the capabilities of the Luna charger much better and am willing to pay more for those capabilities. Also not interesting in a wait that some have indicated at two months from China.

 

[Hoppy]

I have a 2019 Rad mini and a Surface 604 Rook. Both batteries have a DC2.1 charging plug. I bought a Luna 48V smart charger and happy with it. It charges at 80, 90 or 100% and at 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 Amp. It has a XT60 male plug so you need to buy a XT60 connector tail and a DC2.1 plug. See pics. Charger is $85 plus $10 shipping. I charge at 3 amp since fast charges may not be good for battery. In emergency, I will charge at 4 or 5 amp.

 

[ketchum]

ST Charger has 8Amp charger but don't know if Rad battery connector can handle it

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

You can charge them faster but will kill the battery faster. Tesla says to slow charger. They are putting up fast charge stations. But will kill they $35,000.00 battery sooner. You can get away with fast charging for a while but your battery will some not be as good or fast as it was.

Johnny,
You are not killing the batteries by charging faster. Batteries can be charged at 8A without any problem.
8A charging on a 14Ah battery is only about 0.6C
6A charging on a 14Ah battery is about 0.45C rate

The issue is with wiring, connectors, BMS. on most ebikes that are built in China, keeping the price low limits their ability to use materials that can handle higher currents.
On a RadPower or Rention tube batteries, they use fairly basic BMS and connectors. So, 5A would be probably the limit.

Now, Tesla supercharger works at 3.5C, you can charge your battery in 30 mins flat and that is a HUGE battery. They recommend using lower currents to minimize the heat build up.

Most ebikes batteries will be fine as long as you are keeping within 0.75C rate.

2A charger is used because of cost not because of some great foresight. 4A is better.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Battery Management System is integrated into the charger

BMS is integrated into the battery not the charger.

 

[Boogey]

I have a 2019 Rad mini and a Surface 604 Rook. Both batteries have a DC2.1 charging plug. I bought a Luna 48V smart charger and happy with it. It charges at 80, 90 or 100% and at 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 Amp. It has a XT60 male plug so you need to buy a XT60 connector tail and a DC2.1 plug. See pics. Charger is $85 plus $10 shipping. I charge at 3 amp since fast charges may not be good for battery. In emergency, I will charge at 4 or 5 amp.

Wondering how fast it charges now for maybe 20% left?

 

[Yonadav]

Two amps at 48v sure takes a long time to recharge. Even going down to what appears to be about a 40-50% discharge is taking 3-4 hours to recharge. Are there aftermarket chargers that are 4 or 6 amp chargers? Is that not advisable?

Vruzemd sells an inexpensive 3 amp charger. I wouldn't go over 4 amps because the dc2.1 doesn't handle a lot of power well. Also, the battery has 2 fuses it looks like- one 40 amp for power out and a 5 amp for power in.

 

[tomjasz]

I wouldn't go over 4 amps because the dc2.1 doesn't handle a lot of power well.

Find me one rated for over 2A? Not a good connector for charging over 2A. Period.

 

[tomjasz]

Vruzend

Great source and company!

 

[Wolfsfriend42]

Aren't the batteries in Rad Battery Packs just standard 18650 Lithium-ion cells? If so those can be charged at 10A so long as the temperature is monitored and the amperage lowered if the temp gets too high. Sadly, Rad Power Bikes will not tell me anything about the electronics or batteries.

 

[Yonadav]

Find me one rated for over 2A? Not a good connector for charging over 2A. Period.

Agree. But people are pushing more through them. The charger at Vruzend is 3 amps and appears to use same connector.

 

[Wolfsfriend42]

Even the cheap Chinese 5.5mm connectors will handle 5A.