Battery or something else...

[Ah2bflyin]

I have an Enzo folding bike which I've enjoyed immensely, it's close to four years old. Recently I've had intermittent issues where the bike stops helping me in any PAS mode. The display remains powered on and battery level indicator shows plenty of juice left. The throttle also doesn't work, however I hear a whirring noise in the hub motor. Turning the bike off/on helps for a while but then several miles later it shuts down again.
I've replaced the display and controller. Interestingly after replacing the controller, the issue starts back up again after having ridden ~10 miles. I'm on my third controller and am now thinking that the issue might be battery versus controller related.
The batteries are both original and ~ four years old, stumped as to why the off/on procedure fixes the issue for just a few miles.
Has anyone encountered such a problem, and what was your fix? Appreciate any feedback.

 

[PedalUma]

Just for another avenue of thought and one variable to eliminate; Try disconnecting the brake lever cutouts one at a time. Do you have a volt meter? Simple ones can be purchased at your local hardware store for $15.

 

[Ah2bflyin]

Just for another avenue of thought and one variable to eliminate; Try disconnecting the brake lever cutouts one at a time. Do you have a volt meter? Simple ones can be purchased at your local hardware store for $15.

Thanks for that tip, I never thought of doing that. I'll have to figure out how to disconnect the cutouts.

I do have a voltmeter, I'll have to take it along when the issue happens and check the voltage. Also, the distributor of the bike suggested I try a new battery as the next step.

 

[rich c]

Have you read about voltage sag? Under high load the voltage drops while riding and as soon as you stop it bounces back up. https://electricbike.com/forum/forum/knowledge-base/batteries-aa/48140-voltage-sag-explained

 

[PedalUma]

Thanks for that tip, I never thought of doing that. I'll have to figure out how to disconnect the cutouts.

I do have a voltmeter, I'll have to take it along when the issue happens and check the voltage. Also, the distributor of the bike suggested I try a new battery as the next step.

Just follow the wires from the brakes. Sag is a real thing and is progressive. It will only get worse with time. A lot of bikes come with cheep cells. As a side note, I had a 36V battery made for me three years ago with premium cells and a premium management chip (BMS). I have always charged it to 90%. Two days ago after charging to 90% I checked the voltage. It was 41 volts. I have ridden that battery hard. It still kicks butt.

 

[Ah2bflyin]

Update... I've purchased a new battery and after 30 miles all is good so far. Looks like the life of batteries is about 3.5 years after that things start having problems, mine were just over 4 years old. Interestingly with the old battery after about 15 - 20 miles the bike would shut down unexpectedly. After turning the bike off/on it would go about 8 miles and start shutting down again even though the display showed more than four bars of charge.

 

[tomjasz]

My 2014 10Ah will still cruise at 15mph, BBS01(a), if I only use PAS. I need to feather the throttle carefully to not shutdown. I’lI use it to power lights and horn on my trike build.

 

[Projectman]

Update... I've purchased a new battery and after 30 miles all is good so far. Looks like the life of batteries is about 3.5 years after that things start having problems, mine were just over 4 years old. Interestingly with the old battery after about 15 - 20 miles the bike would shut down unexpectedly. After turning the bike off/on it would go about 8 miles and start shutting down again even though the display showed more than four bars of charge.

Can you tell me where you purchased a new battery? I need one for my 2018 Redux iE.

 

[Ah2bflyin]

I bought it directly from Enzo in FL.