Portable Battery Power for Charging without a nearby outlet

[Jordie]

Hey,
I'm interesting in a bike that does not have a removable battery. This creates a challenge because my bike parking area and the nearest outlet are nowhere near each other.

So, I'm starting to exploring portable charging solutions. Does anyone out there use a battery power bank that they fill up at home and curry down to their bike parking area?

 

[Blue Bill]

Problems would be weight, size and time. A portable battery that could charge another battery would have to have a higher capacity (charging is not 100% efficient). Its cost (unless it was a very heavy SLA battery) would probably cost as much as a bike that didn't have a removable battery. You'd also have to leave it there for the several hours it would take to charge, is theft an issue?

Which bicycle is it?

 

[Jordie]

Ah thanks for the tip. I was hoping a power pack like this might do the trick. I haven't figured out how much of the bike battery this could replenish.

The bike I'm interest in is the ODK from Juiced Riders.

 

[Brian(J)]

Hey Jordie, Nice spot on that remote charger.

The bike you picked has a giant battery and that remote power box you found might offer it 1/4 of a charge. It is very hard to calculate the amount of power it will be able to transfer, but look at it this way, you are buying a 15AH 48volt battery on the bike, and the core of the Duracell unit is a 26AH 12volt battery. The 26AH rating is the 20 hour rating, you will be pulling the power over about 4 hours so better derate to 20AH.

So that 12 volt battery has 1/3 the energy of the bike battery. (Bike = 15AH x 48volts = 720 watt-hours. Charger battery = 20AH x 12volts = 240 watt-hours.) Now add the conversion losses and you end up with about a 1/4 charge. Of course you could perhaps buy 3 more of those $75 22lb batteries and hotrod them together somehow for a full charge. Maybe mount it all on a handtruck so it can be moved.

 

[Admin]

The bike I'm interest in is the ODK from Juiced Riders...[/MEDIA]

Hey Jordie! I realize in the review this bike is listed as having a battery that is "not removable" but frankly, I think removing it would be a better bet than trying to buy a separate battery for charging. With a few tools and a bit of time you can definitely take the pack off (I have not tested this but I have taken pictures and looked at the pack fairly close).

Before you buy this ebike I'd suggest contacting the founder, Tora via email at [email protected] or via phone at http://www.juicedriders.com. He's fairly responsive and it would be worth confirming that the pack is at least moderately easy to remove before pulling the trigger on this. It's a creative idea to use portable battery power but I just don't think it's practical. The battery will be safer and last longer if you take it inside (keeping it away from vandalism and extreme temperatures. Depending on your place of charge you could also try using an extension cord but this could become a liability if someone trips or gets electrocuted. Just my thoughts... this is not professional advice or legal guidance here