Regen braking and a fully charged RadPower battery

[thorsten]

My fully charged RadCity4 descended a hill and the battery malfunctioned at the bottom of this half mile hill. Bike display went dead and was unable to get any life at all out of the bike. Pushed it home and the battery shows fully charged when hooked up to the charger but nothing when the on battery test button is pushed. Have there been reports of battery and/or controller issues when in a similar situation?

 

[scrambler]

It sounds like an overcharge safety may have tripped.

 

[thorsten]

Any idea if that would be a controller or battery item on a RadPower bike? I was assuming that whatever overcharge protection that existed had failed.

 

[scrambler]

You need to speak with Rad

 

[AHicks]

Have you "reset" the battery by removing it then re-installing?

 

[thorsten]

Have you "reset" the battery by removing it then re-installing?

Yep

 

[Tars Tarkas]

My fully charged RadCity4 descended a hill and the battery malfunctioned at the bottom of this half mile hill. Bike display went dead and was unable to get any life at all out of the bike. Pushed it home and the battery shows fully charged when hooked up to the charger but nothing when the on battery test button is pushed. Have there been reports of battery and/or controller issues when in a similar situation?

I don't know, but it could be the connections between the battery and the battery mount -- or any other connection. The contact surfaces of all of the electrical connections are susceptible to failure due the the tiny bits of corrosion. Invisible little bits of patina can cause this kind of failure. The solution, if this is what's happening, is usually a dab of dielectric grease or contact spray (Amazon or any hardware store) coupled with brushing with something like a toothbrush and/or connecting and disconnecting the battery or other connections a couple of times.

Could be, even probably is something else, but this is just about free and easy to try.

TT

 

[thorsten]

Have you "reset" the battery by removing it then re-installing?

When the battery is off the bike and is connected to the charger, it shows fully charged. When the charger is disconnected and the "on battery" charge state button is pushed, all lights light in extremely rapid sequence (less than .5 seconds) and go dark. Charging fuse has been replaced. Reinstallation on the bike does nothing to change the battery response e.g. no display, no charge showing on battery indicator lights.

 

[AHicks]

When the battery is off the bike and is connected to the charger, it shows fully charged. When the charger is disconnected and the "on battery" charge state button is pushed, all lights light in extremely rapid sequence (less than .5 seconds) and go dark. Charging fuse has been replaced. Reinstallation on the bike does nothing to change the battery response e.g. no display, no charge showing on battery indicator lights.

Time to get the voltmeter out. Step one - is there any voltage coming from the battery?
Step 2 - is that voltage making it to the controller......

 

[thorsten]

Time to get the voltmeter out. Step one - is there any voltage coming from the battery?
Step 2 - is that voltage making it to the controller......

Step 1 - No, other than the instantaneous voltage that illuminates the "on battery" charge state lights as described previously, and then no voltage.

 

[AHicks]

I have absolutely no trust in any info gained from those little panels. At best, they are inaccurate.

To go much further, you would need to break the warranty seal, and I'm not going to encourage you to do that. Best to hang on and wait to see what RAD says. If they decide to replace the battery (no surprise) DO NOT dispose of the one you have. There's near a 100% chance it can be repaired.

 

[thorsten]

I have absolutely no trust in any info gained from those little panels. At best, they are inaccurate.

To go much further, you would need to break the warranty seal, and I'm not going to encourage you to do that. Best to hang on and wait to see what RAD says. If they decide to replace the battery (no surprise) DO NOT dispose of the one you have. There's near a 100% chance it can be repaired.

I am not experiencing the same level of customer service that others claim to have gotten from Rad. That is why I thought I would try the assembled knowledge on this list. These types of forums have proven invaluable to me in my previous life as a flogger of 70's vintage Italian motorcycles so I thought I'd give you guys a try. Thanks for the interest.

 

[Crane-o]

I am not experiencing the same level of customer service that others claim to have gotten from Rad. That is why I thought I would try the assembled knowledge on this list. These types of forums have proven invaluable to me in my previous life as a flogger of 70's vintage Italian motorcycles so I thought I'd give you guys a try. Thanks for the interest.

Tried both fuses ?

 

[rich c]

I am not experiencing the same level of customer service that others claim to have gotten from Rad. That is why I thought I would try the assembled knowledge on this list. These types of forums have proven invaluable to me in my previous life as a flogger of 70's vintage Italian motorcycles so I thought I'd give you guys a try. Thanks for the interest.

Getting instant response is difficult this time of year, in a normal year. But most eBike companies are still struggling to handle the pandemic surge. I'm sure they will get back to you very soon. https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002324673-Battery-Fuse-Replacement-Guide

 

[thorsten]

Yep

 

[thorsten]

Getting instant response is difficult this time of year, in a normal year. But most eBike companies are still struggling to handle the pandemic surge. I'm sure they will get back to you very soon. https://radpowerbikes.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002324673-Battery-Fuse-Replacement-Guide

There has been lots of communication but no resolution. It appears that I own an expensive piece of garage art with 147 km on the odometer.

 

[se-riously]

Step 1 - No, other than the instantaneous voltage that illuminates the "on battery" charge state lights as described previously, and then no voltage.

To be clear, the keyshole is in the "on" position, the battery is off the bike, and you took a voltmeter to the battery terminals to measure if there's any voltage?

 

[Tars Tarkas]

There has been lots of communication but no resolution. It appears that I own an expensive piece of garage art with 147 km on the odometer.

• What did Rad suggest that didn't work?
• Have you tried all of their suggestions?
• Did you check the voltage with a volt meter or are you saying there's no voltage because the light blinks off?
• Did you try cleaning the battery contacts and applying some dielectric grease?

TT

 

[thorsten]

To be clear, the keyshole is in the "on" position, the battery is off the bike, and you took a voltmeter to the battery terminals to measure if there's any voltage?

Yes, I did.

 

[thorsten]

• What did Rad suggest that didn't work?
• Have you tried all of their suggestions?
• Did you check the voltage with a volt meter or are you saying there's no voltage because the light blinks off?
• Did you try cleaning the battery contacts and applying some dielectric grease?

1. a list of things.

2. Yes

3. Voltmeter

4. No. The problem is obviously internal to the battery.

I have done only what Rad has told me to do at this point since it is warranty issue.