How to carry a 2nd battery for the Turbo Vado 5.0

[GuruUno]

Well, the specs for the size of the battery (dimensions which are:
16" length
4.5" width
4.5" height [without water bottle cage]
are smaller than the size of Ortlieb Frame-Pack Toptube which is:
height cm/in.=13/5.1
width cm/in.=50/19.7
depth cm/in.= 6/2.4

So, the problem with all of those calculations is that the ZIPPER/OPENING is only 14-1/2"!!!!!!
You can't "stuff" a 19" long battery into a 14-1/2" opening even though there is 19.7" in the pack.
Did my 'live' homework so others don't have to waste time.
So the only option then is as Brendon says the Ortlieb E Mate.

I have several pannier bags which equal the same ability, just didn't want to have the spare battery hang off the back rack...
oh well

 

[Stefan Mikes]

So the only option then is as Brendon says the Ortlieb E Mate.

Not necessarily the only one. I standardized on Ortlieb Bike-Packer Classic panniers + Ortlieb Commuter Inserts (the latter to protect the bottom of the pannier against the wear). Bike-Packer is larger than the E-Mate.

 

[PedalUma]

Interesting looking at charts of flight time and distance for electric airplanes. The upside of more battery power flattens as battery capacity increases then it goes negative. Hence the 2021 trend for bikes with lighter batteries. More fun riding lighter too and with better balance.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Interesting looking at charts of flight time and distance for electric airplanes. The upside of more battery power flattens as battery capacity increases then it goes negative. Hence the 2021 trend for bikes with lighter batteries. More fun riding lighter too and with better balance.

Ehhh, I'd say we've got a LONG way to go before batteries get so heavy they negatively impact range. Bicycles are incredibly efficient machines so adding weight given how efficient the vehicle and support motor are doesn't aversely effect range in the same way as a RC airplane.

 

[PedalUma]

Ehhh, I'd say we've got a LONG way to go before batteries get so heavy they negatively impact range. Bicycles are incredibly efficient machines so adding weight given how efficient the vehicle and support motor are doesn't aversely effect range in the same way as a RC airplane.

Bikes are efficient. Riding side by side with hills - without the other guy drafting - is a good way to test the theory. The heavy bike cannot maneuver as well. It is a Somu Vs. a Raptor contest. This is all analogous and anecdotal. So, try it yourself and see what you find. I find that the light-foot Raptor kicks the Somu's butt leaving its heavy guts on the tarmac. Let us know what you find after the first test.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

Bikes are efficient. Riding side by side with hills - without the other guy drafting - is a good way to test the theory. The heavy bike cannot maneuver as well. It is a Somu Vs. a Raptor contest. This is all analogous and anecdotal. So, try it yourself and see what you find. I find that the light-foot Raptor kicks the Somu's butt leaving its heavy guts on the tarmac. Let us know what you find after the first test.
View attachment 81727

Not to continue to derail this thread but you're comparing apples to ground beef.

Electric planes are highly inefficient and granted they're both battery powered but that's about it. Know how much range you can get descending and not pedaling? Lots.

You're seeing smaller/lighter e bikes because manufactures are finding that most folks don't use 100% assist all the time. The SL model was released because they found lots of folks don't use more than 50% assist. What's the point of having 4x you of assist if you're only using 50%, hence the lower powered motor and smaller battery.

 

[Kam1936]

So I purchased 2 Jackery 518 w lithium power supply packs. Each weighs 13.2 pounds. Total price for the 2 packs $900.00 USD. I believe 604w battery for the Vado 5.0 is a few hundred dollars more than the total of two power supply packs. Each power pack fits my ortlieb panniers with roughly 6 pounds to spare in each bag. My reasoning is I get 1036 w rather than 604 w for much cheaper price as long as you don't mind carrying them in your pannier bags. Simply plug your charger to the power supply and your golden. You can also charge while riding. In addition, I got the Rockpal 100 w folding solar panels to keep the power supplies for long trips/excursions. I have 2 ulocks, small tool set plus portable pump and a chain adding another 14-15 pounds to the rack. That puts me around 38 pounds total on my bike rack. I can carry an additional 40-50 pounds hiking back pack, tent, solar panel, sleeping bag/pad , spare tube(s) etc. Weight around 240-250 pounds total.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Do you intend to power your Vado from these batteries?!

 

[Kam1936]

Do you intend to power your Vado from these batteries?!

You can absolutely power your Vado from these. Plug in your charger to power pack same as you would a wall socket.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You can absolutely power your Vado from these. Plug in your charger to power pack same as you would a wall socket.

Okay, so you want to use the power packs as a large powerbank. Interesting!

 

[Kam1936]

Okay, so you want to use the power packs as a large powerbank. Interesting!

Yeah. I saw this article with ebike owner using this procedure. He was using a smaller supply pack because he was worried about the weight and the solar panel. But the 500 power supply is doable because it fits in the pannier no problem. There is also the 1000 w but it's to big/weight for a single pannier. It weighs 22 pounds.

 

[Kam1936]

The easiest way to solar charge an electric bicycle (even at night!)

There’s just something so natural-feeling about charging an e-bike from solar power. E-bikes are already such environmentally responsible alternatives to...

electrek.co

There you go. I purchased bigger battery pack with different solar panels that are stored like a brief case.