Hola from Old Mexico with a Simple Question

[Road Trip]

I am a gringo (older white guy) at home in the southern region of the Mexican State of Sonora. I have ordered two LECTRIC XP bikes for myself and my Mexican wife. We are new to eBikes and to this forum. We enjoy the warm winters in Northern Mexico and the cool summers in the mountains of the Western United States. We are expecting our new eBikes to be delivered in Southern Arizona during July 2020. My name is Gary and I have a question. If this is not the proper space to ask the question, please point me in the right direction. My question is this: Is there a device available for charging an eBile battery with DC power generated by a solar panel? I would like to take our eBikes out into the back country where there are no standard AC outlets available. I do have a Nissan van which has an electrical outlet that's powered for a maximum output of 150 watts, 120 volts AC, when the engine is running and the vehicle is moving. I am guessing that's not enough to power the 2 Amp rBike battery charger. So, I'l looking for a direct DC to DC charging solution.

 

[TMH]

Welcome Gary,

There are 2 diverse solutions (which I am aware of - others may have more knowledge or experience) to your question. One is easy and relatively inexpensive, the other is 'green' but likely more expensive and complicated.

Folks do use solar energy to recharge their e-bikes, but the solutions I have seen are more of a home-base and not a traveling one, like these:

https://electrek.co/2020/03/16/simple-diy-solar-powered-electric-bicycle-charging-setup/

https://electrek.co/2020/06/07/chec...-charging-shipping-container-for-eco-tourism/

Bottom line is that you would need an inverter of minimum 2,000 watts continuous power, an adequate battery bank, and an adequate number of solar panels (and room to transport and set them up, enough sunlight hours during the day, enough space in a sun-lit area to set them up, etc.) You would need to calculate how much energy you needed to replenish both bikes after a day of riding, as well as efficiency losses in your system (how truly efficient is your '100 watt' panel, how much is lost through your charge controller to the battery, how much is lost by your inverter, etc.)

I am not aware of a DC-DC charging solution, but this doesn't mean that one doesn't exist. Would simplify the system somewhat and perhaps run at higher efficiency.

More simple, less cumbersome and less expensive system would be use of a minimum 2,000-3,000 watt continuous gas generator. But you would have to carry a fuel supply for it, and it may not be usable in your camping area due to potential fire risks, noise, etc.

Hope that others with more knowledge or solutions will chime in.

 

[Road Trip]

Thank you friend. That's more or less the situation I suspected. Perhaps another solution would be to purchase 3 or 4 spare batteries and carry them in the van to use as needed. At some point during our travels, we'll be spending a night or two at the house of a friend, or at a B&B where batteries can be charged. Then we face another problem where batteries are kept in a vehicle where the interior becomes hot when parked for a day or more. Yet, EV cars, such as the Tesla, are sometimes parked where the sun shines.

 

[TMH]

And... Ice chests are an inexpensive possible solution to extra bike battery storage in a hot environment. Not that you need to put ice in them, but leaving them closed up they will at least moderate the internal temperature swings through their insulation.