Is anyone trying to solve charging on the road?

[Ebiker01]

what about carrying a dozen of hamsters , using a box with a wheel, could they recharge it faster then a solar panel ??
that is research in the name of science, plus they will get to exercise, so no animal cruelty.
and carry them in a trailer ...

How Many Hamsters Would it Take to Power Your Home and Would This Be Cheaper Than Coal Power?

Jeremy A. asks: How many hamsters running on electricity generating wheels would it take to provide enough energy for an average American household? Would this be cheaper than coal electricity? While the question of hamsters powering homes may seem a bit farcical, it should be noted that at one...

www.todayifoundout.com

curios if that's actually faster then a solar panel.
would an enhanced genetically modified (very muscular) rat would be stronger ?

or a portable folding wind turbine ?? +hamsters..that would have a compound effect.

any and all ideas above are Copyright@ebiker01 !!!

 

[Ebiker01]

that should solve charging on the go.

or any other small or medium size animal capable of generating sufficient effort to charge a 48v battery would suffice.

copyright@ebiker01

 

[6zfshdb]

For anyone considering solar recharging, Harbor Freight has a 100W fold-able panel on sale for $149:

https://www.harborfreight.com/100-W...iMTQ5Ljk5IiwicHJvZHVjdF9p ZCI6IjEyMTU4In0=

 

[bob armani]

What is meant by "fast charging" anyway? Bike batteries don't do as well with fast charging as they do with relatively slower charging. My Rad battery takes about 6 hours to charge on a 2 amp charger. I have a 5 amp charger which cuts the time down to about 2.4 hours, which is faster than I really like to charge. Still, that would be a long stop at a coffee shop. I'd rather carry a spare battery than sit waiting on my battery that long.

I'm sure faster charging is possible, but at what point do you risk blowing something up? I'm being fairly serious. And don't many batteries have limits on how fast they should be charged?

Aside from all that, what kind of (safe) fast(er) charging technology is available now?

If you could get a decent top-up charge in half an hour, for what, $2 or $3?, that might be nice. Otherwise, and really, even still for me, carrying a spare battery would probably be preferred.

TT

Well said. These were all my concerns as soon as I saw this post. Battery degradation is my key question with these super quick charging alternatives. I was always under the impression that it is not good for overall battery health or for the longevity of the Li-ion cells in the long term.

 

[bob armani]

I would be nice if City's purchased these and made them available as stand alone stations along bike paths. I see eBike charging infastructure as something that will happen sooner rather than later once cities see the revenue older eBikers bring to the table. The Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville SC is already eyeing commerce along the trail.

Gee, I hope this trend begins to spread to other major city rails to trails, etc. Forget about extra batteries, just tote along the charger and you are set. No more range anxiety. In addition, post the stand alone charging stations on trail maps so you know where the next station is moving forward.

 

[bob armani]

Totally uninformed clueless opinion.
They are 4amps b/c they are cheap to make.

Boomer , before you spread fear and viruses Please Do some Studying besides reading Ebr .

A12.6 battery charging at 6 amp is barely 0.5C . But that you have ZERO clue of what it scientifically means.

Most ebike batteries are At least 11amps, safe to charge at 6amps, the cheap ones maybe even at higher rates up to 1C which is 11amps , as the BMS won’t interfere.

That’s why Grey Ebike a 10k ebike has a 10amp fast charger.

Even Bosch has released 6amp fast chargers available for purchase. 200$ no less. Grin is only 325$ and can charge 36/48/52v and 50x more options + software updates and battery cell data.

Calm down snapper head. We are all here to share opinions and information. If you disagree, not a bad idea to be a bit more eloquent and NOT on the attack. No need for name calling either. Not within administrative policy on the forum. Peace and Cheers!

 

[opimax]

If we can get a charging standard lets get a battery standard and have rentals. for those who use gas grills something similar to this would be awesome ...just dreaming on a rainy no ride day,

 

[Ebiker01]

We are all here to share opinions and information.

Agreed, it was too raw & undiplomatic that post.

 

[GypsyTreker]

Glad that was acknowledged

 

[bob armani]

Agreed, it was too raw & undiplomatic that post.

Hey no prob. We need to keep all of our forum members affable, friendly and just sensible. It makes the world go around and a better place to be.

 

[Handlebars]

And that's why I went with a 300W solar panel for touring, no fuel, no need to find fuel, no noise... except the music. But for car/truck camping a generator would be perfect... or an inverter on the vehicle.

Thank you for your posts on the matter, Mr. Bassett. I'm sold on going solar ASAP. I was going to go with a tiny propane generator, but I've changed my mind to solar now. Maybe it's a poor time to buy from China, hoping to get a small system maybe 175 W with controller in the western world. Grin is a bit heavy on the pricing.

 

[webcurl]

Thank you for your posts on the matter, Mr. Bassett. I'm sold on going solar ASAP. I was going to go with a tiny propane generator, but I've changed my mind to solar now. Maybe it's a poor time to buy from China, hoping to get a small system maybe 175 W with controller in the western world. Grin is a bit heavy on the pricing.

When it comes to Solar generally, you get what you pay for. And my advice is to do some math on all the losses with solar. Also even the most expensive, highest quality 175W panel will rarely output 175W, except for when there's no clouds and you're on top of Mt. Everest

 

[Handlebars]

Thank you webcurl.
I checked out products and bought the Grin controller (perfect response for questions and info I didn't know enough to ask about intelligently). Then I ordered a 100W solar folding suitcase to start with.

 

[6zfshdb]

I've been following this thread with interest and a lot of useful information has been offered. Using green renewable energy sources to power our bikes is an intriguing concept I find very appealing. My thanks to all who contributed.

What I don't understand is, and please educate me if I'm missing something, how do portable solar power systems benefit someone touring off grid on an ebike? You can't realistically ride and charge at the same time unless you're camping and return to the same spot each night. If this is the case, you could leave the solar charger connected to a spare battery at your campsite while you ride and just swap batteries the following day. This of course assumes security isn't a problem.

If you are doing point to point off grid touring and staying at a different location each night, I suppose you could ride for half a day and charge during the second half. This would limit your riding distance per day though. Cloudy days would further shorten daily travel distances. Riding early morning and late evening while charging mid day would be a possibility. I suppose you could visit a place with commercial AC power to "top off" on occasion as well.

If riding from home using "free" energy with a zero carbon footprint is appealing to you as it is for me, then having a solar system in your garage is the way to go. For portable use though, particularly for off grid touring, the concept is problematic.

 

[webcurl]

I've been following this thread with interest and a lot of useful information has been offered. Using green renewable energy sources to power our bikes is an intriguing concept I find very appealing. My thanks to all who contributed.

What I don't understand is, and please educate me if I'm missing something, how do portable solar power systems benefit someone touring off grid on an ebike? You can't realistically ride and charge at the same time unless you're camping and return to the same spot each night. If this is the case, you could leave the solar charger connected to a spare battery at your campsite while you ride and just swap batteries the following day. This of course assumes security isn't a problem.

If you are doing point to point off grid touring and staying at a different location each night, I suppose you could ride for half a day and charge during the second half. This would limit your riding distance per day though. Cloudy days would further shorten daily travel distances. Riding early morning and late evening while charging mid day would be a possibility. I suppose you could visit a place with commercial AC power to "top off" on occasion as well.

If riding from home using "free" energy with a zero carbon footprint is appealing to you as it is for me, then having a solar system in your garage is the way to go. For portable use though, particularly for off grid touring, the concept is problematic.

I have 2 expensive 125W P3 Solar panels that fold up smallish and weigh 1.7kg each, each panel outputs up to 114W on a good day. My bike is 1000Wh Bosch so i carry an inverter (1.2kg), charge controller (500g) & custom LiFePO4 buffer battery (400g) plus Bosch 2A charger. Because it's Bosch i waste a fair bit in inversion, up & down conversion, etc.
Rides typically are: AC charge -> ride for a day or 2 towards a good campsite -> take it easy for a day or 2 & charge with solar -> ride for a day or 2 towards a park with AC power & charge overnight -> ride for a day or 2, etc.
This is a relaxed touring mode for the Aussie bush.

 

[Handlebars]

I've been following this thread with interest and a lot of useful information has been offered. Using green renewable energy sources to power our bikes is an intriguing concept I find very appealing. My thanks to all who contributed.

What I don't understand is, and please educate me if I'm missing something, how do portable solar power systems benefit someone touring off grid on an ebike? You can't realistically ride and charge at the same time unless you're camping and return to the same spot each night. If this is the case, you could leave the solar charger connected to a spare battery at your campsite while you ride and just swap batteries the following day. This of course assumes security isn't a problem.

If you are doing point to point off grid touring and staying at a different location each night, I suppose you could ride for half a day and charge during the second half. This would limit your riding distance per day though. Cloudy days would further shorten daily travel distances. Riding early morning and late evening while charging mid day would be a possibility. I suppose you could visit a place with commercial AC power to "top off" on occasion as well.

If riding from home using "free" energy with a zero carbon footprint is appealing to you as it is for me, then having a solar system in your garage is the way to go. For portable use though, particularly for off grid touring, the concept is problematic.

My starting ideation for this puzzle is that since I love riding at night ... even though I like sleeping at night ... and I'm not fussy about how I get battery power... solar/grid electric outlet/generator... can all be options.
Considering the dismal disease situation right now, I'm now beginning to expect at least intermittent power outages and water shut downs or system faulting out even at home in the city as undertrained or incompetent newbies begin to replace regular staff.
I just went to stock up on dog food and the store is shut down for some reason connected with the "Wuhan Lung Butters" disease, so things are looking dim.
Of course, since they are currently rolling in the tanks by train to aim at the citizenry, it looks like we are about to go full China prison nation as Mr. Evil Dressup who publicly adores the dictatorship, refuses to even shut down our open walk-through border - the last vestige of his virtue-signaller career.
So, eh, solar might get us a few weeks.

FPV #159 - COVID19 Army Movement, Toronto E.R. Doctor's Message, And More »

Videos, articles, and podcasts from a Canadian perspective.

www.frankvaughan.ca

 

[tomjasz]

Seems these could help solve the plug issue? I know nothing about Bosch batteries but ran into this shopping for other plugs. There seem to be a number of possibilities, Yes? No?

PowerPack Rack Cable

Compatibility - Bosch Cable PowerPack Rack Active Line Plus (BDU3XX) Active Line (BDU3XX) Performance Line Speed(BDU4XX) Performance Line (BDU3XX) Cargo Line / Speed (BDU4XX) Active Line (BDU2XX) Performance Line CX...

www.bike-discount.de

 

[FlatSix911]

My starting ideation for this puzzle is that since I love riding at night ... even though I like sleeping at night ... and I'm not fussy about how I get battery power... solar/grid electric outlet/generator... can all be options. Considering the dismal disease situation right now, I'm now beginning to expect at least intermittent power outages and water shut downs or system faulting out even at home in the city as undertrained or incompetent newbies begin to replace regular staff.
I just went to stock up on dog food and the store is shut down for some reason connected with the "Wuhan Lung Butters" disease, so things are looking dim.
Of course, since they are currently rolling in the tanks by train to aim at the citizenry, it looks like we are about to go full China prison nation as Mr. Evil Dressup who publicly adores the dictatorship, refuses to even shut down our open walk-through border - the last vestige of his virtue-signaller career.
So, eh, solar might get us a few weeks.

FPV #159 - COVID19 Army Movement, Toronto E.R. Doctor's Message, And More »

Videos, articles, and podcasts from a Canadian perspective.

www.frankvaughan.ca

Good information on Chloroquine... thanks for sharing.

Hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine and other potential COVID-19 treatments explained | TechCrunch

During two of this week's White House briefings, President Trump referred specifically to two potential treatments that have been identified by medical

techcrunch.com

 

[webcurl]

Seems these could help solve the plug issue? I know nothing about Bosch batteries but ran into this shopping for other plugs. There seem to be a number of possibilities, Yes? No?

PowerPack Rack Cable

Compatibility - Bosch Cable PowerPack Rack Active Line Plus (BDU3XX) Active Line (BDU3XX) Performance Line Speed(BDU4XX) Performance Line (BDU3XX) Cargo Line / Speed (BDU4XX) Active Line (BDU2XX) Performance Line CX...

www.bike-discount.de

Unfortunately charging a Bosch battery is not as simple as feeding it DC with 2 conductors, something happens on the 3rd conductor & 4th (for the 6A charger)

 

[webcurl]

Thank you webcurl.
I checked out products and bought the Grin controller (perfect response for questions and info I didn't know enough to ask about intelligently). Then I ordered a 100W solar folding suitcase to start with.

The "Grin controller" you're talking about is that the Solar MPPT Boost Converter and what brand solar folding suitcase?