Current Range, correct?

[karmap]

I've had the CrossCurrent for almost a week at this point and while I haven't gotten to 0 battery yet I have used it and charged it a few times. I attached a screenshot of my current charge of which I am currently in the train the work with.

Is this what other people are seeing. Is this what I should expect ? I have the 19.2 Ah battery. I weight 148 lbs. I use mostly 2 and 3 in gear 9 to 7 and avaerage around 17 to 23 Miles per hour. I use the throttle at some stop signs. When on a really busy fast road I bump it up to S into 9th gear and stay at 29mph though this is for short times. My area can be hilly but most of it is just slight grades.

Seems like I have gotten 33miles with around 6 Ah to go. Will it get less efficient as the Ah goes down along with the power ?

 

[karmap]

Finished my ride today. This is what the final result was. After 39 miles or so the voltage went way down and even on S level it was pretty much like riding a normal bike on any kind of elevation other than flat.

So that is 43miles total on useful charge, I don't think I would want to go any further than that with the level of assist it was giving and the weight of the bike.

I would say my riding broke down to the following

37% lvl 3 at 17-23MPH
37% lvl 2 at 17-20MPH
11% lvl 1 at 12-18MPH
10% lvl S at 22-31MPH
5% Eco at 5-15MPH

One Windy Day out of three days of riding.
One hill with corresponding downhill following everyday.

Using throttle at stop signs and stop lights only.

Thoughts?

 

[Chris Hammond]

Seems to be in line with what I would expect. I assume you started at 100% charge? From what others have said, they experience similar performance issues once voltage drops to ~43V. There are 2 really big variables in riding range. Both are based on the rider; pedal input and riding style. Pedal input is obvious, how much energy are you providing 50, 100, 150 watts? Most people have no idea, only way to tell is to get on a bike with a power meter and see what your average output is. In reality its not needed, you should ride in the manner you want.
Riding style refers to a number of things, what is your body position (aero), what are you wearing (aero), what do you have on the bike (aero and weight), how do you modulate your power delivery (how much energy you waste at starts/ stops, and other speed change areas, hills turns, etc).

In the end you helped me confirm that I made the right decision by going for the 52V battery. Thanks.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Sounds about right, compared to my bike.

There are a couple of things here that are not linear functions. For instance: if you go from 15mph to 30, you're not using twice as many watts, you're using a whole lot more. (I've got actual stats around here somewhere but you get the idea.)

For another thing, as you ride, the voltage drops, which affects performance. You may have X amp hours left, but you won't get the same level of zip that you had with a full battery. This is also not linear; it gets more noticeable very quickly as voltage drops. You already felt it when the higher levels of assist weren't as hot.

So, you can have lots of distance and you can have lots of speed, but you can't have both. All of us have to find the trade-off that works for us. I tend to be willing to go a little slower at lower levels of assist to maximize distance - although it's fun to crank it up to S.

46 miles, with the level of assist you used, is pretty good. 42V is pretty low, though. You wouldn't want to go much below that, if any. Puts stress on the battery. Usually I don't go below 44V, because of how performance changes.

Oh yeah, one last thing. Your battery will improve some with a couple of deep discharges followed by full recharges. After that, you may want to top it off to 80% as many here do. Extends the life of the battery. Me, I run it up to around 95% - I'm willing to trade some battery life for greater performance.

 

[karmap]

Sounds about right, compared to my bike.

There are a couple of things here that are not linear functions. For instance: if you go from 15mph to 30, you're not using twice as many watts, you're using a whole lot more. (I've got actual stats around here somewhere but you get the idea.)

For another thing, as you ride, the voltage drops, which affects performance. You may have X amp hours left, but you won't get the same level of zip that you had with a full battery. This is also not linear; it gets more noticeable very quickly as voltage drops. You already felt it when the higher levels of assist weren't as hot.

So, you can have lots of distance and you can have lots of speed, but you can't have both. All of us have to find the trade-off that works for us. I tend to be willing to go a little slower at lower levels of assist to maximize distance - although it's fun to crank it up to S.

46 miles, with the level of assist you used, is pretty good. 42V is pretty low, though. You wouldn't want to go much below that, if any. Puts stress on the battery. Usually I don't go below 44V, because of how performance changes.

Oh yeah, one last thing. Your battery will improve some with a couple of deep discharges followed by full recharges. After that, you may want to top it off to 80% as many here do. Extends the life of the battery. Me, I run it up to around 95% - I'm willing to trade some battery life for greater performance.

So really when you think about it if we don't charge it all the way and stay at 95%, and then only go to 44V which is probably around 30% battery, we are only using the battery for 65% of its life?

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

So really when you think about it if we don't charge it all the way and stay at 95%, and then only go to 44V which is probably around 30% battery, we are only using the battery for 65% of its life?

The good thing about 52V battery is that, even if you charge only upto 80%, the battery voltage and performance is on par with 48V system, so the system is not getting any sluggish.
If you charge upto 80% (most of the time) and deplete it to 10 or 15%, your battery will really last a long time and still provide the performance of a regular 48V bike.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

That's in the ballpark, yeah.

It just occurred to me that 60% is what the 20-80 folks get. But they don't get the same high performance, at least not for as long. For short trips, that wouldn't matter. Every Friday I have a commute that runs 25 miles. I prefer to have a zippier ride the whole way. To each his own. Batteries are expensive, some more than others, and I understand not wanting to fork out the dough more often than absolutely necessary.

With the 19.4Ah battery, you've got more wiggle room than many of us. Mine is the 17.4Ah that was replaced by the one you bought. I find it does what I need to do, yet I'm looking forward to getting the 52V 21Ah battery in the not too distant future.

 

[Asher]

Bruce do you have a citation about the deep discharges benefitting the battery?

 

[Chris Hammond]

The good thing about 52V battery is that, even if you charge only upto 80%, the battery voltage and performance is on par with 48V system, so the system is not getting any sluggish.
If you charge upto 80% (most of the time) and deplete it to 10 or 15%, your battery will really last a long time and still provide the performance of a regular 48V bike.

This is my exact plan. I plan on getting a second charger for work for my 30 mile one way commute. I enjoy riding fast, the more I learn, the more I am happy I ordered the 52V battery.