Is anyone trying to solve charging on the road?

[Hectors Ghost]

Very nice work... can you post a photo of the 120V plug?
I think there is a large market for this type of adapter.

I haven't picked a female plug yet. It depends on a few things and I need the advice of an electrician and one that's an EV station specialist. I saw a short heavy-duty 120V splitter that I can cut a female end off. Get the length right and the female adapter will butt up against the EV compression fitting. I could even use some type of polymer to reinforce it more... if necessary.

 

[drewberz]

I'm going to see if I can find the station located in San Francisco.

Swiftmile's free e-bike charger fuels e-mobility growth

SAN CARLOS, Calif. (BRAIN) — Winning a Christmas raffle six years ago changed Colin Roche’s life and quest.

www.bicycleretailer.com

Kuhmute is another one to look out for.

I think the charging is being driven by the bike and scooter share systems. So if you are touring from one city to the next (where these systems are based), you will get charging options shortly.

 

[Hectors Ghost]

Kuhmute is another one to look out for.

I think the charging is being driven by the bike and scooter share systems. So if you are touring from one city to the next (where these systems are based), you will get charging options shortly.

More like if you are touring to one of these high population density areas you will have more easily available power once you get there. It's way more useful for daily commuters and local riders than for people eTouring. 120V outlets should be both easily available and free in America anywhere there is existing power infrastructure. If there is a street light running there should be 120V outlets within a mile, and the direction to it indicated somehow. When I was in Kuwait (way back) all public phones were free, pick one up and dial anywhere in the world... no charge. Germany has emergency phones on the Autobahns every few kilometers or so and they are clearly marked so you know which way to walk to the closest. If State and Federal government can't see the advantage of spurring on ebike touring you'd think bike companies would emplace solar charging stations with their logos on them out in the middle of BFE just for advertising and consumer goodwill. But they would undoubtedly have proprietary plugs so only their bikes could be charged or some stupid s*it. In 10 years there will be 800W foldable/collapsable solar panels under 10 lbs. (under 3 lbs. if the aliens help us) that will be charging 10 lbs. 3000Wh batteries and you won't have to rely on charging stations at all.

 

[drewberz]

More like if you are touring to one of these high population density areas you will have more easily available power once you get there. It's way more useful for daily commuters and local riders than for people eTouring. 120V outlets should be both easily available and free in America anywhere there is existing power infrastructure. If there is a street light running there should be 120V outlets within a mile, and the direction to it indicated somehow. When I was in Kuwait (way back) all public phones were free, pick one up and dial anywhere in the world... no charge. Germany has emergency phones on the Autobahns every few kilometers or so and they are clearly marked so you know which way to walk to the closest. If State and Federal government can't see the advantage of spurring on ebike touring you'd think bike companies would emplace solar charging stations with their logos on them out in the middle of BFE just for advertising and consumer goodwill. But they would undoubtedly have proprietary plugs so only their bikes could be charged or some stupid s*it. In 10 years there will be 800W foldable/collapsable solar panels under 10 lbs. (under 3 lbs. if the aliens help us) that will be charging 10 lbs. 3000Wh batteries and you won't have to rely on charging stations at all.

If you look at Kuhmute's setup, they are using an adaptor to charge different devices.

True, it's not nearly as useful to have charge stations in cities if you tour outside of cities. But in the cases that people do, you still need the charger and it's adaptor to charge so that's one less thing to bring on a tour (where volume and weight are critical, see the superlight touring crowd). Also finding publicly available 120V outlets can be difficult (parks are a good source) because private owners get annoyed/possessive by your using them.

I think the solar charging from Swiftmile or similar would work well in remote areas or along major bikeways, but it will take local advocacy groups to pay for them because I can't imagine they have the traffic that would entice advertisers to advertise with Swiftmile.

 

[Hectors Ghost]

True, it's not nearly as useful to have charge stations in cities if you tour outside of cities. But in the cases that people do, you still need the charger and it's adaptor to charge so that's one less thing to bring on a tour (where volume and weight are critical, see the superlight touring crowd)...

Are you saying that you would go eTouring without bringing the charger? Anytime I am riding over 50 miles I have the Grin Satiator with me, and over 100 miles I either have a spare 2000Wh battery and/or my SunCapture 300W folding solar panel. I haven't seen any ebike charging infrastructure at all in over 20K miles... and haven't needed it.

 

[MeDotOrg]

I'm not sure if this has been suggested, but bike shops could offer charging services. They might even think of it as a loss leader, because people will hang around the shop while their battery is charging, a great time for point-of-sale purchases.

 

[drewberz]

Are you saying that you would go eTouring without bringing the charger? Anytime I am riding over 50 miles I have the Grin Satiator with me, and over 100 miles I either have a spare 2000Wh battery and/or my SunCapture 300W folding solar panel. I haven't seen any ebike charging infrastructure at all in over 20K miles... and haven't needed it.

No, in its present state, I would not suggest going eTouring without a charger. I am talking about a future I could envision with charge stations making chargers superfluous. I can't imagine everyone hauling a solar panel setup (if it works for you, that's great) to get charge.

 

[FlatSix911]

I'm not sure if this has been suggested, but bike shops could offer charging services. They might even think of it as a loss leader, because people will hang around the shop while their battery is charging, a great time for point-of-sale purchases.

Great idea... free charging would definitely drive additional service and sales.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Great idea... free charging would definitely drive additional service and sales.

I typically visit several bike shops in the course of a tour. None of them would have had a problem with me charging my e-bike on site. Some shops offer other services to cyclists such as showers and laundry as well.

 

[rdowns]

I typically visit several bike shops in the course of a tour. None of them would have had a problem with me charging my e-bike on site. Some shops offer other services to cyclists such as showers and laundry as well.

That is very cool. I did not know that.

 

[shiruba]

Hmm, I recently went from the middle of Tokyo to Kawasaki and back with a friend. We put our bikes on "Auto" (middle level assist), and I brought the charger with me. The charger will give a full charge in 3 hours, but a pretty good charge in an hour. I figured, we could go to a net cafe, and charge each of our batteries for around an hour before heading out again. If you like in a country where net cafes are not popular, you could probably find a small mom & pop type of cafe or bar that would let you charge there so long as you order a few drinks. My alternative plan was just to turn the assist completely off on the way home, and turn it on only if I ran into some steep hills.

When we got there, though, we both had around 65% left, and once we got home, we still had around 25%. Once we were about 2/3rds of the way home, we turned the assist to high for a little fun.

Still, just putting the charger in your back back is easy enough. I also keep a spare charger at work just in case, though I have not used it yet.

 

[K PierreR]

I have a 52 volt system with 4 parallel batteries for a total of 49 amp hours. I charge all four in parallel with a 15 amp charger. It puts out between 800-900 watts. My bike is a fat e bike set up for long distance remote dirt touring.

 

[shiruba2020]

So my Ebike can easily get 25km on a single charge even on high assist, so I usually don't need to charge it away from home, but when the need arises :
1. I keep a spare charger at work
2. The indoor parking where I keep it near my work has an outlet too.
3. If I know I am going somewhere far for a few days, then I will sometimes bring my charger. I can charge at the hotels or work wherever I am going.
4. Internet cafes in Tokyo are great for charging while you relax and watch YouTube or whatever
5. You can always pedal home!

Actually, I tend to use my Ebike on high power sometimes and the assist totally off other times.

The real problem is my second Ebike which has a non removable battery... Whoever designs with that idea should be punished.

 

[GypsyTreker]

So my Ebike can easily get 25km on a single charge even on high assist, so I usually don't need to charge it away from home, but when the need arises :
1. I keep a spare charger at work
2. The indoor parking where I keep it near my work has an outlet too.
3. If I know I am going somewhere far for a few days, then I will sometimes bring my charger. I can charge at the hotels or work wherever I am going.
4. Internet cafes in Tokyo are great for charging while you relax and watch YouTube or whatever
5. You can always pedal home!

Actually, I tend to use my Ebike on high power sometimes and the assist totally off other times.

The real problem is my second Ebike which has a non removable battery... Whoever designs with that idea should be punished.

Non removable? Guess that pretty much guarantees that company gets a one time sale.

The speed a which battery tech is moving makes the conversation of range and charging almost obsolete the moment it begins, as far as long term solutions.

I am pretty satisfied with 25 to 30 miles as my long range goals, 15 to 20 as the norm. That is doable with 36v 13.5ah on a 500w motor. I agree, a stock charger weighs so little it's easy to carry on any ride.

 

[john peck]

I added a shelf to the under side of my rack for a second battery extending my range to at least 60 miles.
Thatś about 3 times as far as I´d ´enjoy´ riding in one day at my age. I´ve two more batteries I can load on
a small trailer more than doubling my range. Pretty sure I´d be travelling throttle only after the 1st 25 miles.
However, that´s not the full extent of my irrational quest to conquer range anxiety. Last week I finally committed
to putting a kit on my ultralight road bike. I seem to have encountered a few unforseen issues, but a complete
restoration is staggering along nicejy. ( i put 8k miles on the bike built for someone half my size.) I weighed it
before starting; even with the addition of an aluminum top & chrome 8¨ riser bars tube, 22 pds. Thatś pretty
amazing for a steel bike.(tange pro tubing mixte). Hoping to come in under 40 pd. With the 8ah bat. in my
backpack I can toss it on a bus rack & travel in comfort. The 8ah charges in 2 hrs.
I can do that nursing a beer with a good tip.

 

[Ebiker01]

aluminum top

Did you build it out wth that top tube to give the bike more stability ? Only one way to get on that bike, It is a good antitheft system also .

 

[Bitmugger]

I added a shelf to the under side of my rack for a second battery extending my range to at least 60 miles.
Thatś about 3 times as far as I´d ´enjoy´ riding in one day at my age. I´ve two more batteries I can load on
a small trailer more than doubling my range. Pretty sure I´d be travelling throttle only after the 1st 25 miles.
However, that´s not the full extent of my irrational quest to conquer range anxiety. Last week I finally committed
to putting a kit on my ultralight road bike. I seem to have encountered a few unforseen issues, but a complete
restoration is staggering along nicejy. ( i put 8k miles on the bike built for someone half my size.) I weighed it
before starting; even with the addition of an aluminum top & chrome 8¨ riser bars tube, 22 pds. Thatś pretty
amazing for a steel bike.(tange pro tubing mixte). Hoping to come in under 40 pd. With the 8ah bat. in my
backpack I can toss it on a bus rack & travel in comfort.View attachment 81101 The 8ah charges in 2 hrs.
I can do that nursing a beer with a good tip.

I notice in your pics you have 2 kickstands. I switched to a center mounted double stand myself, but why the rear traditional single leg kickstand too?

 

[NightRider1]

The real problem is my second e-bike, which has a non removable battery ... whoever designs with that idea should be punished.

Unfortunately, that's true, the Specialized Turbo Vado SL is one of these e-bikes. There is an extension battery that you can certainly take with you to the hotel room, but this is probably not always allowed for the bike. This is where the problems begin, you are almost always forced to ask what charging options the host can offer. In the worst case, this could even incur additional costs.

 

[john peck]

Did you build it out wth that top tube to give the bike more stability ? Only one way to get on that bike, It is a good antitheft system also .

Actually the top tube was put there to support my inframe pannier, but is structural as well. The frame is
somewhat flexible intentionally. My attempt to electrify it was a bust. The stays are just too narrow for the
kit I have. I could go with a front wheel kit, but that would be fairly awkward. Und zo, it will remain what it is.

 

[m@Robertson]

What I do is not quite fast charging, but its onboard charging and I have three different bikes set up this way.

First of all, I use a weatherproof, adjustable charger (adj for current - amps - and voltage). Like a Satiator but without the fancy user interface. These units are extremely durable and have MTBF's typically in the hundreds of thousands of hours. Commercially, they are used in LED street light applications and they are meant to be in use, trouble-free, for many years. Reportedly, the Satiator is based on this kind of product but with a display screen / UI added in. I have one myself, and it certainly behaves identically to one of these LED power supplies. I originally started using these simply to acquire a reliable charger that never fails. The on-bike mounting came later on.

An Ultra Reliable Ebike Battery Charger…

How about a charger – quickly adjustable for voltage and current – that is rated for hundreds of thousands of hours of use before it typically fails?

talesontwowheels.com

This one pictured below is a 320w unit bolted to a front rack. Thats a 5.5a charger on this 52v bike. The cables are in a downward-facing dump pouch just behind it on the handlebars. The battery charge cable leaves the triangle just behind the head tube so easy to attach. Pic beside it is the same bike connected up at a city park. For the blue bike, you can see the charger forward, sheltered under the upper deck. There are typically outlets at park canopies and they are a great free power source. I've also cast about and know where there are other outlets available (where the gourmet taco trucks hang out for example).

If I am traveling on a bike that has no onboard unit and I have any concerns about range, a water bottle pouch holding a charger is tossed into a pannier.

So, while fast charging is still nonexistent, what you can have is onboard charging with a weatherproof unit that is as fast as your battery can safely take power.

I also carry along one of these as well so in case I am asking to use a power plug that is already occupied, I have a shot at being told its OK to share.

https://amzn.to/3adT6C6