Is anyone trying to solve charging on the road?

[K PierreR]

That looks much better. Make sure you get the right model and all the programming interface cable. Please verify you are ok with the shock spec! Also you will need to heat sink it to something....
-BB

Weee, the learning curves can be steep but if you don't listen or bother, you are likely to spend more. I ran into a reference a couple of years ago to the Mean Well power supplies in Troy Ranks thread on this e bike trip over in ES. At the time I was to stupid to know what to pursue. At least this time I could pick something out with the few tid bits thrown my way in this thread. Now I need to figure out programming an heat sinking. This shock spec. I that in reference to the initial surge the unit pulls when first plugged in. If I am in some away place to plug in, would a starter capacitor plugged in first in sequence help that?

 

[BarnBoy]

Weee, the learning curves can be steep but if you don't listen or bother, you are likely to spend more. I ran into a reference a couple of years ago to the Mean Well power supplies in Troy Ranks thread on this e bike trip over in ES. At the time I was to stupid to know what to pursue. At least this time I could pick something out with the few tid bits thrown my way in this thread. Now I need to figure out programming an heat sinking. This shock spec. I that in reference to the initial surge the unit pulls when first plugged in. If I am in some away place to plug in, would a starter capacitor plugged in first in sequence help that?

Was more concerned for the 10G shock spec...
-BB

 

[Mr. Coffee]

.... Why not have them in campgrounds? ...

They do have them at some hiker-biker campsites in Oregon. There are lockers (bring your own lock) with outlets. An added bonus is that the lockers are animal-proof so the raccoons don't eat so well from your meals.

 

[K PierreR]

Was more concerned for the 10G shock spec...
-BB

Oh, that shock spec. I doubt either of my two present chargers would take 10G's

 

[BarnBoy]

Oh, that shock spec. I doubt either of my two present chargers would take 10G's

Exactly my point and concern...
-BB

 

[john peck]

They do have them at some hiker-biker campsites in Oregon. There are lockers (bring your own lock) with outlets. An added bonus is that the lockers are animal-proof so the raccoons don't eat so well from your meals.

Comforting, I´ve bin thinkin of touring Orygun again, but damn, the roads are already full of touristas
(refugees maybe?) 101 is out; don´t know about eastern OR. April´s usually the best time for the
John Day country.

 

[m@Robertson]

it is imperative to monitor and implement other safety measures such as a timer and/or voltage switching relay of which I have done both.

I won't connect a charger indoors without a mechanical cutoff timer. Last thing you should do is rely on the BMS to keep your house from burning down. I actually got into the Mean Wells after losing my third Chinese charger, where all three failures were a failure to stop charging at the target voltage. Let that sink in for a sec. Fortunately I was paying attention.

 

[Art Deco]

This may not be the best thread for this, but it's the fit fit I see. There is a thread containing the words "ebike" and "van" but it got lost in the weeds long ago.
So here is a ES link that I can't judge the technicalities of ...

Using ebike batteries to power your RV or travel van

Many years of my life I have spent living in vans. My first travel van was an old 2001 Honda Odessey that I outfitted with a bed to sleep in. I put over 200,000 miles on that van and traveled all o…

www.electricbike.com

And what I don't understand is how to setup DC to DC charging from the Van's 150+ amphours of 12volt to the bikes 36volt, and if it's even worthwhile, or if just running an inverter to get 110 volt and plugging in the charger is better. I don't intend to run the generator for hours at night to charge the bikes .

 

[Gionnirocket]

This may not be the best thread for this, but it's the fit fit I see. There is a thread containing the words "ebike" and "van" but it got lost in the weeds long ago.
So here is a ES link that I can't judge the technicalities of ...

Using ebike batteries to power your RV or travel van

Many years of my life I have spent living in vans. My first travel van was an old 2001 Honda Odessey that I outfitted with a bed to sleep in. I put over 200,000 miles on that van and traveled all o…

www.electricbike.com

And what I don't understand is how to setup DC to DC charging from the Van's 150+ amphours of 12volt to the bikes 36volt, and if it's even worthwhile, or if just running an inverter to get 110 volt and plugging in the charger is better. I don't intend to run the generator for hours at night to charge the bikes .

The problem being is that you need a 42v charge voltage for a 36v battery and 42v really isn't a typical voltage for converters. You might be able to find one or one with a variable output... But to be honest the easier and safer way would be to go with your second thought and get a 110v AC inverter. You'll want to take your charger anyway as you can plug in at in_town stops as well. And you'll probably find other uses for the 110v AC inverter as well.

 

[Art Deco]

I mounted a small cheap 400 watt modified wave inverter on a cabinet inside the van. It works, but I haven't actually used it other than a test.
There are 2 standard exterior sockets (15 or 20 amp) that are only live when the genny is running or when plugged in to shorepower.
I would like to use those outlets to charge the batteries outside the van, and I guess there must be some kind of protection switch to prevent running the inverter or generator while plugged into shore power.
Am I over thinking this?

 

[mjeds]

I'm a life long cyclist who would like to use my e-bike to go farther and faster. For me THE biggest challenge is charging while on the road. Solutions include carrying multiple batteries and fast charging.

The first solution requires that people carry multiple heavy batteries, which eventually need time and location for charging.

The second solution, that of fast charging would be the most elegant solution, but is currently not available, that I'm aware.

Fast charging could be offered as an fee based service in any type of business that would support people lingering while their battery is charging, (ie coffee shop, bike shop, restaurant).

IMO the solution to this problem would not be expensive as BEV's are addressing it, and it would open up an entirely new vacation industry where people could tour as long as they wanted without having to worry about range. Think of the motorcycle touring industry, but where people actually get some exercise. Additionally, people of different athletic ability could actually travel together.

it would be interesting if these places that have electric car chargers could add an outlet for e-bikes, there are no standards for e-bike chargers everyone one seems to have a different connector, so one would need to have their own charger and just be able to plug into a 110v or 220v outlet.

for a minimal fee I would do it.

There is a gas station on one of the routes I ride that has 150 solar panels and 6 car chargers,, he has let me charge my bike several times as long as I buy a snack or something. problem is I have to sit and watch the bike so some snake doesn't try and steal it.

 

[harryS]

And what I don't understand is how to setup DC to DC charging from the Van's 150+ amphours of 12volt to the bikes 36volt, and if it's even worthwhile, or if just running an inverter to get 110 volt and plugging in the charger is better. I don't intend to run the generator for hours at night to charge the bikes .

I might want to set up a constant current constant voltage boost converter for 42 volts and 2 amps. Like this one. Should be more efficient than cranking 12V up to 110VAC with an inverter, and then knocking that down to 42V with your charger. And of course, you can pick 41.0V instead of 42.0V. I have a little DROK that only outs out about 3A max, but it would probably work as a 1A charger.

 

[Art Deco]

I might want to set up a constant current constant voltage boost converter for 42 volts and 2 amps. Like this one. Should be more efficient than cranking 12V up to 110VAC with an inverter, and then knocking that down to 42V with your charger. And of course, you can pick 41.0V instead of 42.0V. I have a little DROK that only outs out about 3A max, but it would probably work as a 1A charger.

Okay Had to google DROK. Opens a whole area of electronics that I did not know existed. Thanks, I think.

And the 12 volt to 120 volt then back down to 42 volt seems kinda silly. And I don't know how much wasted power from my 12 volt to calculate how many charges I can get before the house battery needs recharging. More research.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I might want to set up a constant current constant voltage boost converter for 42 volts and 2 amps. Like this one. Should be more efficient than cranking 12V up to 110VAC with an inverter, and then knocking that down to 42V with your charger. And of course, you can pick 41.0V instead of 42.0V. I have a little DROK that only outs out about 3A max, but it would probably work as a 1A charger.

Like I said earlier... I'm sure a variable output is available, but one better know what they are doing in setting this up. Harry I'm sure you got this and setting it up is similar to using a bench top power supply. But one thing to note is that he is using a power supply as a source, not a battery.
Honestly depending on differences in efficiency I think I'd still go with the AC inverter for its multipurpose use. For $30 it might not be the most efficient piece of hardware and could be worse than an AC inverter

 

[Art Deco]

Thanks. I will get some sleep and think on this.
BTW, I will probably pay an electrician to install anything and fish any wires thru the coach when he upgrades the converter and inverter for solar. .

 

[Gionnirocket]

Thanks. I will get some sleep and think on this.
BTW, I will probably pay an electrician to install anything and fish any wires thru the coach when he upgrades the converter and inverter for solar. .

Keep in mind that in addition to installing and setting up the wiring... It's the setup of the output on the converter that needs to be understood and adjusted properly before charging. You don't want to overvolt the output and a 12v battery isn't the most stable input source either.

 

[6zfshdb]

This may not be the best thread for this, but it's the fit fit I see. There is a thread containing the words "ebike" and "van" but it got lost in the weeds long ago.
So here is a ES link that I can't judge the technicalities of ...

Using ebike batteries to power your RV or travel van

Many years of my life I have spent living in vans. My first travel van was an old 2001 Honda Odessey that I outfitted with a bed to sleep in. I put over 200,000 miles on that van and traveled all o…

www.electricbike.com

And what I don't understand is how to setup DC to DC charging from the Van's 150+ amphours of 12volt to the bikes 36volt, and if it's even worthwhile, or if just running an inverter to get 110 volt and plugging in the charger is better. I don't intend to run the generator for hours at night to charge the bikes .

I can understand wanting to stay all electric since it's the "green" way to go but at what cost?? It's made worse by the fact that DC to DC conversion and inverter technology are not very efficient.

We have friends with an RV whom we meet occasionally to ride our e-bikes. Their RV has a built in generator and like you, they are loathe to run it all night to charge batteries. On one trip, I loaned them our tiny Honda 750W portable generator which we use occasionally to power our OEM bike battery chargers. It's so quiet, you can put it on a picnic table while eating and hold a normal conversation. They put it on the ground next to the RV and it could barely be heard inside.

Even though it seems stupid to have two generators in an RV, they bought one anyway just to charge batteries overnight. The Honda also has a 12V output which they use to top off the RV batteries at the same time.

 

[Art Deco]

I can understand wanting to stay all electric since it's the "green" way to go but at what cost?? It's made worse by the fact that DC to DC conversion and inverter technology are not very efficient.

We have friends with an RV whom we meet occasionally to ride our e-bikes. Their RV has a built in generator and like you, they are loathe to run it all night to charge batteries. On one trip, I loaned them our tiny Honda 750W portable generator which we use occasionally to power our OEM bike battery chargers. It's so quiet, you can put it on a picnic table while eating and hold a normal conversation. They put it on the ground next to the RV and it could barely be heard inside.

Even though it seems stupid to have two generators in an RV, they bought one anyway just to charge batteries overnight. The Honda also has a 12V output which they use to top off the RV batteries at the same time.

I have never owned a generator other than the onan that came with the rv and although it seems quiet compared to many I hear at campgrounds, it's under the bed and much too loud to sleep thru. Ok if you are cooking, I guess.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I can understand wanting to stay all electric since it's the "green" way to go but at what cost?? It's made worse by the fact that DC to DC conversion and inverter technology are not very efficient.

We have friends with an RV whom we meet occasionally to ride our e-bikes. Their RV has a built in generator and like you, they are loathe to run it all night to charge batteries. On one trip, I loaned them our tiny Honda 750W portable generator which we use occasionally to power our OEM bike battery chargers. It's so quiet, you can put it on a picnic table while eating and hold a normal conversation. They put it on the ground next to the RV and it could barely be heard inside.

Even though it seems stupid to have two generators in an RV, they bought one anyway just to charge batteries overnight. The Honda also has a 12V output which they use to top off the RV batteries at the same time.

If you spend on a good high frequency sine wave AC inverter they can be very efficient >90%
For me the the downside of a generator is having to deal with gasoline as much as the noise. But I definitely agree with you on the small Honda generators... They are amazingly quiet.
@Art Deco ...also keep in mind with the DC - DC converter is that you lose the safety feature of your charger in that it shuts down at full charge. There are ways to manage that like my DIY solar charger hack... But it's definitely more hands on with every charge

 

[Art Deco]

Keep in mind that in addition to installing and setting up the wiring... It's the setup of the output on the converter that needs to be understood and adjusted properly before charging. You don't want to overvolt the output and a 12v battery isn't the most stable input source either.

The old converter is an issue. Newer units use an inverter that is supposed to be more efficient. Other than the AC and microwave ( and the ebike chargers ) everything is 12 volt or propane.