Emergency Backup Battery for Some Pedego Models

[6zfshdb]

Some 48 volt Pedego bikes, including some City Commuter and Interceptor models, actually have 52 volt batteries. Check the label on your charger. If it reads 48V (58.8V max), you have a 52 volt battery and this scheme will work. CAUTION! Using this idea on true 48V or 36V bikes may cause controller or motor failure. Check the output voltage of your charger first!

Use this adapter:

Amazon.com

With any DeWalt 20/60 Flexvolt battery. 6, 9 or 12 AH models are available

Amazon.com

Some soldering is required to tap into the battery leads inside the controller housing. An inline 40 amp fuse is also recommended.

I used wire leads long enough to put the battery adapter in my rear rack bag. When needed, I remove the bike battery and plug the DeWalt battery into the adapter. The bike display and all other functions work normally. The 12AH DeWalt has about one third the capacity of the OEM bike battery which for me, equals around 18 extra miles. The 6 and 9AH DeWalt Flexvolt batteries will also work but the extra mileage will be proportionally less.

At $200, the 12AH DeWalt battery isn't cheap but it is still 1/3 the cost of an OEM Pedego battery. Since I already have several of these batteries for my cordless tools, this idea was a no brainer. My total investment for the project was less than $20 for the adapter.

 

[harryS]

Good re-use. Plus you get the safety of the Dewalt engineering. Some users are using the 52V EGO packs too.

For 36V bikes, there's the Ryobi 40V series, but in my experience, their packs are ill suited for high current ebikes. Once in a while, I run my 1.5Ah Ryobi on a bike, just to give the pack some usage. Maybe 10 miles, 8 for sure. I have a 5AH Ryobi, but it's unable to keep up with an ebike, and doesn't last much longer than the smaller pack.

 

[6zfshdb]

Good re-use. Plus you get the safety of the Dewalt engineering. Some users are using the 52V EGO packs too.

For 36V bikes, there's the Ryobi 40V series, but in my experience, their packs are ill suited for high current ebikes. Once in a while, I run my 1.5Ah Ryobi on a bike, just to give the pack some usage. Maybe 10 miles, 8 for sure. I have a 5AH Ryobi, but it's unable to keep up with an ebike, and doesn't last much longer than the smaller pack.

These DeWalt Flexvolt batteries are designed for high current use. I use them in a lawnmower. I was reasonably sure they would work well with an ebike.

There are many adapters out there now for other battery brands but as you say, they aren't all up to the task.