Charging a CCS

[Rogue128]

So, this is my first post on the forums here. I am completely new to the scene of ebikes and, after a lot of research, I chose to purchase the latest edition of the CCS from Juiced Bikes. I am excited to receive the bike via delivery any day now.

I realize that JB recommends the Cycle Satiator so as to extend battery life, among other reasons.

I wanted to just to take an informal poll to see what previous CCS owners have done with the different charging options out there:
-Have you gone with the standard-issued JB charger for your CCS?
-If so, do you find yourself trying to time the charges to keep it from going beyond the recommended 80%?
-How worried are you about extending your battery life?
-How much do you go out of your way to extend your battery life (these batteries not cheap!)?
-Or did you just purchase the Cycle Satiator to manage alll of these things?

Also, if there is any advice for a new ebiker (is that the right term?) or a new CCS owner, please let me know. Since I am not using the ebike for commuting purposes and solely for recreation, I'm not sure how much I need to worry about these things, but I wanted a greater perspective on the matter. Thanks!

 

[Chris Hammond]

So the amount you worry about increasing battery longevity is probably directly tied to both your understanding of the issue and your budget to replace the battery. I'm sure there is a significant percentage of ebike owners that charge their ebikes like their cell phone, 100% every night. Since you are aware of the issues with charging, then you are left with the budget constraints. Obviously the Grin Satiator makes taking the best care of your battery easy, but it's not exactly cheap. I know Bruce and Reid have both basically stated they are using their current batteries to 100% and just planning on replacement with a 52V battery when the time comes. Since you are planning on recreational use only, you have the freedom to do what you want. As many people have pointed out, however, ebikes are addictive. Thus the general recommendation is to get the biggest battery you can reasonably afford. Personally I'm on a pretty tight budget, but I also need a high capacity battery. The 19.2 Ah battery probably would've done the job I need for commuting, but I opted to just pay for the 52V battery up front. I plan to take care of the battery well and charge to 80% routinely, (I will have to recharge at work). Hopefully I will have many years of happy ebiking.

 

[Dunbar]

Poor man’s Satiator or Luna charger would just be to use the battery voltage reading on the bike display along with the stock 2A charger. The voltage will be higher with the charger attached vs. disconnected so you need to figure out what that ‘offset’ value is. I used the stock charger when I initially got my original Cross Current. I was charging the battery almost every day so I decided to invest in the Cycle Satiator. I went with the 72V Satiator which can charge 60/72/84V systems. So it should work with pretty much any e-bike I get in the next ten years. I would say to get the bike and see how often you are charging it. Somebody charging their battery once or twice per week doesn’t necessarily need to invest $300+ on a charger to extend the life of their battery from 3-4 years to 10+ years when they probably won’t own the bike anymore. On the flip side, @youth commutes and charges his battery to 100% twice per day during the week. He burned out one battery already and said that the second battery he bought is starting to fade.

 

[Jeffrios]

I plan to get the programmable charger. I want my battery to last as long as possible. It's like the battery in my chevy volt. It keeps it in the range of 33-73. The battery has no apparent wear and the car is a 2013

 

[Rogue128]

First off, thanks for responding with your input.

I am leaning towards purchasing the Cycle Satiator. I just went to the Grin Technologies website and found the different options that are available: the 24V, 48V 8A, and 72V 5A Satiators. I'm sure that the 24V won't do, but the differences between the other two and all the different options are a bit confusing to me. The 48V 8A seems to be the one that JB sells on their website and I don't mind purchasing this one, but the 72V 5A is the same price on the GT website. Dunbar, you mentioned that you were considering the 72V S to anticipate any future purchases. For not understanding what goes into the lithium ion battery technology these days, is one a more obvious choice over the other?

I have purchased a 19.2 Ah 48V CCS if that makes any difference, but I further don't understand all of the different accessory options that come with the Cycle Satiator were I to purchase it from the GT website (do I need a 3-prong XLR Adapter cable? Which one would I need?). I kind of figured the US AC and the 48V programming are the right choices here. Lol.

Thanks!

 

[Asher]

My bike hasn't arrived yet but I'm planning to get a $10 outlet timer that cuts the electricity after a couple hours. Belkin makes one.

Here's one that allows charging in 15 minute increments.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M...tlet+timer&dpPl=1&dpID=41hWDwaWyhL&ref=plSrch

 

[Chris Hammond]

Rogue, apparently Juiced uses a 4 Pin XLR port on their big batteries, not the 3 Pin. This really complicates the issue for finding an aftermarket charger. I need to get a second charger to keep at work. I am likely going to have to make some sort of adapter cable with a female 3 pin XLR to male 4 pin XLR. I ordered the 52 V battery, and the charger availability is much more limited. I only need a simple 2 amp charger for work, as I can control the charge time easily.

 

[Dunbar]

Dunbar, you mentioned that you were considering the 72V S to anticipate any future purchases. For not understanding what goes into the lithium ion battery technology these days, is one a more obvious choice over the other?

The main reason I got the 72V Cycle Satiator was to future proof the purchase. It will work with 52/60/72/84/96V systems whereas the 48V Satiator only works up to 52V systems. The 48V Satiator maxes out at 360 watts of charging vs. 250 watts on the 72V version. That only really comes into play if you need to quickly recharge the battery. Normally, you want to charge the battery slowly unless you’re in a hurry. The 72V Satiator isn’t ideal for charging under 48V systems if somebody intends to use it to charge multiple bikes (see here for more info). Other than that, either one will work fine on a 48-52V system. The Juiced Bike big batteries come with a 5.5mm to 4-pin XLR adapter. Here are the two cables you would need to buy:

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

http://www.ebikes.ca/xlr-to-female-xt60.html

Rogue, apparently Juiced uses a 4 Pin XLR port on their big batteries, not the 3 Pin. This really complicates the issue for finding an aftermarket charger. I need to get a second charger to keep at work.

Pretty sure all you need is a 3-pin XLR to 5.5mm plug. Juiced Bikes includes a 5.5mm to 4-pin charging adapter with the bigger batteries. You’d just need to daisy chain a couple of adapters like these to use that aftermarket charger with 3-pin XLR.

http://www.ebikes.ca/xlr-to-female-xt60.html

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[Dunbar]

Here’s a picture of my charging cable setup.

 

[Chris Hammond]

Thanks for the pics Dunbar. Just so I can clarify, is the connector on the left with the XT60 to XLR the one Juiced includes with the Grin charger? If so is the XT60 male or female on that part? Thanks, Chris.

 

[Dunbar]

Just so I can clarify, is the connector on the left with the XT60 to XLR the one Juiced includes with the Grin charger?

Yes, but it’s the one of the far left with a 3-pin XLR and 5.5mm connector on the other end. There are a total of 3 cables daisy chained together. Juiced actually includes it with all of their bikes with the big batteries so that you can use the stock 2A charger (with the 48V batteries). The smaller batteries have the 5.5mm charging port so they don’t need the adapter to be charged with the 2A charger.

 

[Chris Hammond]

Well hopefully I get one. After reading your other post, I went to Juiced site and they are currently sold out of the adapter. I emailed them instructing them that I want one due to my need for a second charger. I'm not sure they will ship one by default with the 52V battery as it comes with the Grin Satiator charger included and no standard charger. At this point Juiced doesn't even offer a standard 2A 52V charger. Only option through them is the Satiator. Seems kinda crazy to buy a second $300 charger to me.

 

[Dunbar]

I’m not sure what Juiced includes when you buy the Satiator through them. I got mine on Amazon but my 835Wh battery (which I bought separately) came with the adapter in the picture. If you e-mail support I’m sure they will send you a spare charging adapter. They sent me a new rear wheel nut when I stripped mine. And I edited my last comment to clarify myself.

 

[Rogue128]

Man, this is more confusing than I realized. Let me just make sure this is all correct:
-I have purchased the 19.2ah 48V CCS, which comes with the 4 pin XLR port.
-I'm thinking of going with the 72V Cycle Satiator (72V CS).
-So, I would need to purchase on my own two other cables to make this all work: the XT60 to 5.5mm and the XLR to Female XT60.

Thanks, Dunbar, for the links and the photo. It sounds a lot more complicated than it needs to be. If ebikes.ca (GT) offers a XLR 3 to 4 pin adapter (XLR 3 to 4 adapter), would that work?

Otherwise, I will just go with what you recommend. Seriously, thank you all for the heads up and advice.

 

[Dunbar]

Yes, if you can find a 3-pin to 4-pin XLR adapter that should work. I should mention that if you buy the Cycle Satiator through Juiced Bikes I don’t know what cables they include. If not, they should include the 5.5mm to 4-pin XLR adapter with the stock 2A charger.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

... I know Bruce and Reid have both basically stated they are using their current batteries to 100% and just planning on replacement with a 52V battery when the time comes.

Thanks for the honorable mention, Chris.

Let me add a little detail. Charging from, say, 50 to 100% is not a full charge cycle, it's one-half cycle. So if a battery is rated at 500 cycles, then (all other things being equal) you could do 50 to 100% around 1,000 times. If you're careful at the top end not to over-charge, then you're not damaging the battery.

Tora has told us, and my experience bears this out, that the stock charger sold with the CCS charges to 95% before cutting itself off. Since it is a 2 amp charger, it is charging slowly enough that it is unlikely to overheat if properly ventilated.

I can get around 60 miles on a half-charge using Level 1; more if I use Eco and pedal harder. There is a gradual deterioration for any battery, so that won't always be true. Even if it drops 25% to only 45 miles per half-charge, 45 times 1,000 is a lot of miles. I'm confident that I'll have replaced the battery before then.

Finally, the CCS is a high-performance vehicle. You will not get the full usefulness or pleasure it could provide if you only use from 80-20% of its capacity.

If it turns out that these batteries crap out in way fewer than 500 full charge cycles, it will be egg on my face. We do have that story of one owner who's on his 2nd battery. One story out of how many bikes? No quality assurance program produces 100% satisfaction. And we don't have full details either. Could the battery have been left in freezing or torrid conditions, for instance?

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Man, this is more confusing than I realized. Let me just make sure this is all correct:
-I have purchased the 19.2ah 48V CCS, which comes with the 4 pin XLR port.
-I'm thinking of going with the 72V Cycle Satiator (72V CS).
-So, I would need to purchase on my own two other cables to make this all work: the XT60 to 5.5mm and the XLR to Female XT60.

Thanks, Dunbar, for the links and the photo. It sounds a lot more complicated than it needs to be. If ebikes.ca (GT) offers a XLR 3 to 4 pin adapter (XLR 3 to 4 adapter), would that work?

Otherwise, I will just go with what you recommend. Seriously, thank you all for the heads up and advice.

Call or email Grin before your purchase. They have the adapter you need to avoid the daisy chain Dunbar showed us. No slam on Dunbar's clever solution!

 

[Fran Fabrizio]

I am using a Luna charger with the 17.4a (4-pin XLR) battery. Juiced ships with a 4-pin XLR to 5.5mm adapter (that's how they make the 4-pin XLR work with their own charger). So, you don't need to worry about adapting to 4-pin XLR, you just need to adapt from whatever your charger is putting out to a 5.5mm, which is thankfully way more readily available than anything for 4-pin XLR. Luna sells the required adapter for their charger to go from XT60 (their charger's output) to 5.5mm.

Here's my setup:

And before someone points it out, I know this picture shows a fully charged battery, which would defeat the purpose of having the Luna charger. But I took this picture right when I received the Luna, when my battery was already charged to 100% on the stock charger. I have the Luna set to 80% charge and it's been working great!

 

[Jeffrios]

So I can buy a 19.2aH Battery and just use the Luna charger. Why didn't I think of that, I may cancel my order for the 52V system and go that route instead. Saves a good amount of money!

 

[Lenny7118]

Thanks for the honorable mention, Chris.

Let me add a little detail. Charging from, say, 50 to 100% is not a full charge cycle, it's one-half cycle. So if a battery is rated at 500 cycles, then (all other things being equal) you could do 50 to 100% around 1,000 times. If you're careful at the top end not to over-charge, then you're not damaging the battery.

Tora has told us, and my experience bears this out, that the stock charger sold with the CCS charges to 95% before cutting itself off. Since it is a 2 amp charger, it is charging slowly enough that it is unlikely to overheat if properly ventilated.

I can get around 60 miles on a half-charge using Level 1; more if I use Eco and pedal harder. There is a gradual deterioration for any battery, so that won't always be true. Even if it drops 25% to only 45 miles per half-charge, 45 times 1,000 is a lot of miles. I'm confident that I'll have replaced the battery before then.

Finally, the CCS is a high-performance vehicle. You will not get the full usefulness or pleasure it could provide if you only use from 80-20% of its capacity.

If it turns out that these batteries crap out in way fewer than 500 full charge cycles, it will be egg on my face. We do have that story of one owner who's on his 2nd battery. One story out of how many bikes? No quality assurance program produces 100% satisfaction. And we don't have full details either. Could the battery have been left in freezing or torrid conditions, for instance?

Hi, Is the following adapter the one I need to get to charge my CrossCurrent S 12.8ah Battery with the Satiator Charger.
XLR to DC Barrel Plug (5.5x2.5mm) Adapter with TRS Cable for Connecting Satiator to PC

I purchased the Satiator charger from Juiced and they said they don’t supply the adapter, I just need to confirm if the adapter I listed above is the only adapter I need for my stock CCS 12.8ah battery.

If it is are there any US sellers of this cable?

Charger didn’t ship yet. Also I like to mention that Juiced Bikes emailed me and told me the buyers can’t use the fast charge on the 12.8ah battery.

Thanks