Creo throttling power?

[Saratoga Dave]

If this has been discussed, I missed it. Running my Creo down to low battery today I discovered that at around 15% the power delivery was cut by about a third. Was starting up a somewhat decent hill and suddenly I thought the bike had turned off. Looking at the power readouts pretty quickly showed that the peak was down from about 300 to a max of 228. Similar drop in Eco mode, I had been in Sport which was set from 60-90%.

So I’m glad I found this out under kind of controlled conditions - although it was raining like hell at the time - instead of learning it near the end of a long ride with maybe some elevation still ahead. My Giant ToughRoad deals with low battery by simply falling off a cliff at 20%… not so much reduced power, but that 20% disappears in a matter of 5 miles or so.

Do the other SL Specialized bikes do this too, I wonder?

And that rain turned out to be very pleasant at mid 70s temps, and I also learned that a deluge has no apparent effect on the electrical performance on the Creo. The brakes sure made a hell of a lot of noise, though!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Do the other SL Specialized bikes do this too, I wonder?

Yes, they all do.
First assistance drop occurs below 20% battery level. The next one is below 10%. At 5%, the assistance becomes practically non-existent. A Range Extender run in parallel with the main battery is a great help to maintain proper assistance at the batteries' low-end.

I also concur with your opinion on the Giant's battery drop below 20%. I had an "adventure" related to that behaviour once

 

[Alaskan]

Bosch does the same, basically off a cliff at around 15%, ostensibly to reserve power for lights and electronic shifting (if any). A few years ago with the gen 2 motors before recent updates they ran right down to zero and very quickly dropping from around 12% to zero very quickly. I think the newer regiment keeps the battery healthier for a way longer period.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Bosch does the same, basically off a cliff at around 15%, ostensibly to reserve power for lights and electronic shifting (if any). A few years ago with the gen 2 motors before recent updates they ran right down to zero and very quickly dropping from around 12% to zero very quickly. I think the newer regiment keeps the battery healthier for a way longer period.

That might be interesting related to the full power Specialized motors/batteries. These maintain assistance until 5%, and only after that you can forget the assist (but the lights and the computer hold, of course). It makes my "big" Vado an excellent ride for long escapades, especially in the mountains.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Bosch does the same, basically off a cliff at around 15%, ostensibly to reserve power for lights and electronic shifting (if any). A few years ago with the gen 2 motors before recent updates they ran right down to zero and very quickly dropping from around 12% to zero very quickly. I think the newer regiment keeps the battery healthier for a way longer period.

I never noticed a drop-off but I don't usually push the bike when the battery is a about gone.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

It’s not anything that is going to be a normal issue, since most of my rides are under 40 miles and on the Creo I can spend a lot of time with the assist off. So far have not gone below 40% until I did this little experiment intentionally in preparation for a 50 miler this weekend. Now I’m wondering if the right choice for this trip is the ToughRoad, based on the range alone. Good to have options!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

It’s not anything that is going to be a normal issue, since most of my rides are under 40 miles and on the Creo I can spend a lot of time with the assist off. So far have not gone below 40% until I did this little experiment intentionally in preparation for a 50 miler this weekend. Now I’m wondering if the right choice for this trip is the ToughRoad, based on the range alone. Good to have options!

Dave, not sure if this will help you but I looked to my stats. If the SL motor is ridden at average assistance of 45/45%, the battery consumption is 4.0 Wh/mi (no hills). If you want to leave the 20% of the main battery at the end of the ride, you could use 320 Wh * 0.8 = 256 Wh, giving you the practical range of 256 / 4 = 64 miles. However, a significant elevation gain or headwind on your trip might leave you with a flat battery. Are you taking the risk?

You could of course ride with Smart Control set to your planned distance, elevation gain and declared 20% of the battery left. SC is disappointing at the beginning of the ride though.

57.9 mi, 490 ft elevation gain, avg assistance 44/44%, 28% of the battery left. No wind. Slow average speed.