Recharging during the day on tour

[Chancelucky2]

I recently bought a BMW Cruise e-bike (250 watt Bosch) and have been thinking about riding from Durham, NC to Knoxville, Tn. (350+ miles) next Spring.
I've done long tours on a non e-bike before and am planning on sleeping in motels (so can charge at night there) and I won't be adding much weight for gear.
Normal range on my bike is about 50-60 miles on a single charge. I'd rather not buy a second battery for the trip, though there is the
rather major matter of a significant mountain range sitting between the two cities. I'd expect to recharge between 40 and 45 miles in.

I was hoping to do 80-90 miles/day by starting early in the morning and stopping for a very long lunch (the Bosch charger's quite fast) to recharge the battery. If I had a Tesla (you'd think if a car company was going to make an e-bike), I'd have a map of all the fast-charge stations near me. Instead, I have no idea where I might find charge friendly places to stop. It's not a negligible amount of electricity and not every restaurant, laundromat, library, e-bike dealers, etc. necessarily has easily available outlets.

so here are my questions

1. what are the best bets for finding an available electrical outlet in semi-rural towns or roadside stops? There used to be online maps of free or open wi-fi networks. Is there anything like that for e-bikers?

2. what's the etiquette, beyond maybe just asking first? If offering to pay something, what's reasonable?

3. what kind of range can I expect above Asheville? I've never needed to go beyond Tour mode (level 2) and generally can handle most hills in eco mode + low gear.

4. Is a one battery tour a stupid idea? I might do one or two tours like this. I have no use for 2 batteries otherwise.

5. Is it possible to rent an e-bike battery for a few days?

 

[PaD]

I’ve been thinking about asking in restaurants or shops for charging during e.g. a lunch stop. I think one problem is to explain that the electricity I need really is close to neglible.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

I did libraries and pizza parlor or diner type restaurants on my Erie Canal trip last year, never had a problem. In one town I sat around outside a convenience store style gas station since ther wasn’t another option right nearby and the manager was very friendly about it. As long as you’re spending a couple of bucks, no one ever was anything but agreeable.

Town parks also tend to have power under the gazebos or similar structures, it seems. Volunteer fire departments also.

That said, it would be far better to have that second battery, preferably borrowed or rented, and my next trip I will figure out how to make that happen for sure. It always added a good level of stress to my day wondering where I was going to get the battery charged. Also, the Erie Canal is damn near a bike superhighway, everyone is used to bikes coming through and probably are pretty predisposed to whatever interaction might come from a cyclist. Your trip is a little more random, and another reason I would really want that spare.

 

[Chancelucky2]

Thanks for the suggestions PaD and Dave!
There aren't a lot of e-bikers out there, but battery rental would work well for me if it
exists. Obviously, there are issues with interoperability and possible damage or loss, but say $50/week (likely
not to be more than 7 cycles), kind of like an Air E-bike and B thing. Some reciprocal arrangement might also make sense or group
ownership of a second battery.

fwiw, the Knoxville-Durham trip includes 14,000-18,000 feet of climbing. I suspect my range is going to be very limited. I did
ride from Knoxville to Pulaski, Virginia once on a touring bike. That was one of the more demanding extended climbs, I've ever done.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I'd agree you'd have a better trip if you brought two batteries. Although you'd probably need to still charge up during the day with those kind of miles, especially if you had substantial elevation change. One trip I am considering for next year will likely need three or more power pack 500s since there is one long, unsupported stretch of about 70 miles with over 6000 feet of elevation gain.

My two big go-to places for charging while on journey are coin-op laundromats and picnic shelters in public parks. I've also charged in restaurants, and there has never been a problem -- but I ask nicely.

 

[pnop]

A spare battery will add a good bit of weight to your trip. If as you say, you are used to long trips anyway, it shouldn't be a problem if you run a little short?

Rest stops are pretty well marked on maps. That is another option. Your idea is a good one. A website that people can log into to let people know they are charger friendly. They have these for electric cars.

Here in WV every state park has free car charging stations. I have to imagine they would also be bike charging friendly.

 

[6zfshdb]

Try talking to your dealer. Perhaps they can offer some suggestions.

I've recharged at a couple of McDonalds in my travels. Many have setups for customers to charge their phones & computers.

I know they aren't cheap but there are several reasons to consider getting a spare battery. If you like your bike and keep it long enough, you may wind up replacing the battery anyway at some point. Buying one now may save some money in the long run since they aren't likely to get any cheaper. It's also insurance in case the OEM battery is discontinued in the future. This is why I bought a spare when I got my bike. It also came in handy on one occasion. I was leaving on a ride and realized I forgot to charge my main battery! I broke out the spare and was good to go!

 

[Chancelucky2]

I'm less worried about the weight than the money. Bosch batteries start at about $500. I got the bike new for $1399.
Now if I bought a second battery and could rent it out :}

 

[Chancelucky2]

Thanks for the suggestions!
It does occur to me that an e-bike dealer might do quite well renting batteries. They can always use idle/used batteries on their demo bikes.
A lot of Pedego dealers rent their bikes; renting batteries might be pretty easy for them.

I wonder if this site might be a good place to build a list of charger friendly places.

 

[Kapiti Blue]

A second battery purchased to occasionally extend range does have a daily purpose. Alternate it regularly with the original battery to extend the service life of both.

 

[6zfshdb]

I'm less worried about the weight than the money. Bosch batteries start at about $500. I got the bike new for $1399.
Now if I bought a second battery and could rent it out :}

It's a shame these batteries cost so much. It often amounts to a third the price of the bike.
Do you know someone with a bike that uses the Bosch battery? They often fit more than one make & model. Maybe you could split the cost of a spare with him or even borrow his for your trip.

 

[rich c]

Thanks for the suggestions!
It does occur to me that an e-bike dealer might do quite well renting batteries. They can always use idle/used batteries on their demo bikes.
A lot of Pedego dealers rent their bikes; renting batteries might be pretty easy for them.

I wonder if this site might be a good place to build a list of charger friendly places.

That would be a hell of a list! We have members from all over the world!
One caution about taking a long break to fully charge a single battery. It's not going to be good for the muscles! They will get cold and starting back up will be a lot tougher.
Anything is possible on a long trip. Watch the movie Straight Story. It's about a 73 year old Alvin Straight who rode his 1966 John Deere lawn tractor 240 miles across Iowa and Wisconsin to visit his brother. Great movie, real story. Nothing about bicycles, but a lot about life!

 

[Chancelucky2]

Straight Story is a very fun movie. These days, they'd probably could have put the guy on an e-trike, though the lawn mower was better visually. Odd to think that Sissy Spacek, the adult daughter in the movie, is now playing grandmothers.
mmmm..... IT Happened One Night on e-bikes, Rain Man on e-bikes, Bullitt with E-bikes. James Bond on an E-bike, Mad Max, Breaking Away....

I wonder when there will be a movie that prominently features e-bikes.

 

[rich c]

Straight Story is a very fun movie. These days, they'd probably could have put the guy on an e-trike, though the lawn mower was better visually. Odd to think that Sissy Spacek, the adult daughter in the movie, is now playing grandmothers.
mmmm..... IT Happened One Night on e-bikes, Rain Man on e-bikes, Bullitt with E-bikes. James Bond on an E-bike, Mad Max, Breaking Away....

I wonder when there will be a movie that prominently features e-bikes.

Not a full length movie, but 60 minutes did one on Ebikes, LOL http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cbs...es-mechanical-doping-in-professional-cycling/

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Where to charge? Anywhere that they'll let you. Your charger draws 110, so any typical socket will do. Coffee shops etc. are really used to people plugging in their laptops and phones, so no worries. I'm guessing a friendly diner would be willing also.

The issue to my mind is more about time than place. It takes a while to charge a large battery.

And the price really is negligible. $0.25 for my 17.4 Ah battery, at my local rates, charging from 20% to 95%, which is good for around 60 miles if I go around 14 mph and do most of the work myself. That's on level ground. Mountains would change that.

I think that if I started each day with a full battery, and then stopped for an hour every so often during the day to put some juice in the battery, and then learned that I was wrong and figured out a better way to do it, I could get a full day's ride in.

Consider this: you don't necessarily need the same size battery. Juiced Bikes, which is what I own, has an 8.8 Ah battery, roughly half of my current battery. It would take a lot less time to charge, and it would be a whole lot lighter. I'm going to guess that it would give me about 40% of the range as the 17.4, so 24 miles. Start out the day with both charged up. Use the smaller battery first. Switch to the large battery after 20 miles. Recharge the small battery at the lunch stop. Switch to the small battery when needed, for a total of around 100 miles. Could even put some juice back in the large battery at an afternoon break, for more range.

I might want a charger that produced 4 amps instead of 2, to maximize charging time. The Luna Charger has options from 1-5 amps and costs $100. Worth thinking about isn't it?

 

[Chancelucky2]

It's a shame these batteries cost so much. It often amounts to a third the price of the bike.
Do you know someone with a bike that uses the Bosch battery? They often fit more than one make & model. Maybe you could split the cost of a spare with him or even borrow his for your trip.

My only e-bike friend in the area is a she and she bought a Cannondale with a Shimano Steps system. I suspect there are a fair number of people with Bosch e-bikes and batteries though. Maybe there'll be someone on this board who lives in the Triangle.

 

[Chancelucky2]

It's a shame these batteries cost so much. It often amounts to a third the price of the bike.
Do you know someone with a bike that uses the Bosch battery? They often fit more than one make & model. Maybe you could split the cost of a spare with him or even borrow his for your trip.

Does it really lengthen the life of the battery to alternate? My understanding was that cycles are cycles with lithium ion batteries. The only reason they'd last twice as long is that one would be using them half as often.
I've seen batteries improve a lot during my adult life. I think working well in a wide range of temperatures, recharge speed, and number of cycles (though 400 or so isn't bad) for the cost of the battery are the biggest issues. In the laptop world, 6 hours of continuous use or enough to get through a full day of work without recharging was sort of a benchmark. With cars it's about 200 miles, though 100 miles e-range was once considered the magic barrier. I guess there are e-bikes that will do 100 miles, the distance one can reasonably cover in a single day. I just didn't happen to buy one of them :}

 

[PaD]

Speaking of batteries
Batteries can cause a lot of problems
Today while I was at the Specialized Concept Store on the other side of town ( nice ride on a clear autumn´s day) and talked about getting an extra battery for my Vado someone helped me solve my concern regarding winter storage of the bike. All I have left is the charger at home and the display that I always remove when parking the bike outside.
Don´t pity me, I could have done it differently. I locked it of course but not onto something solid. Was only in the shop for 10 minutes. I have insurance and will most likely get a better part of the money back.

 

[Chancelucky2]

Speaking of batteries
Batteries can cause a lot of problems
Today while I was at the Specialized Concept Store on the other side of town ( nice ride on a clear autumn´s day) and talked about getting an extra battery for my Vado someone helped me solve my concern regarding winter storage of the bike. All I have left is the charger at home and the display that I always remove when parking the bike outside.
Don´t pity me, I could have done it differently. I locked it of course but not onto something solid. Was only in the shop for 10 minutes. I have insurance and will most likely get a better part of the money back.

Really sorry to hear about your bike being stolen! I'm a little surprised that a bike dealer didn't have a place for customers to lock their bikes up. I hope you get a suitable replacement soon or that they recover your Vado intact.

 

[larry-new]

Here's a thought...I have a spare battery, and will of course be bringing it along for longer tours.

How about a cross route, leaving off the low battery (used to get from home to the cross) and charger...using the second battery for the loop (about the same usage/distance), coming back to the cross, picking up the charged battery and using it to get home?