some battery questions

[Mr. Coffee]

I'm new here and pretty new to e-bikes, so my apologies if this is covered somewhere else.

I have noticed with my newfangled Pedego Interceptor that the battery indicator drops rather precipitously when the bike and I are working hard going up a hill. Since it is mostly downhill all the way to the Bakery, Hardware Store, Grocery Store, and Post Office (and obviously mostly uphill going home) this is somewhat concerning. The indicator quickly recovers as the route flattens out.

The other thing I've noticed, but can't quite quantify (yet) is that it seems like the bike has less "oomph" to it when the battery is drawn down a bit than when fully charged. Pedaling with full-power assist I can hit 15-18mph up the steeper hills on the way home, but it seems closer to 15mph (or sometimes less) for the last few hills.

So my question(s) are: (1) have others noticed similar things, and (2) is my suspicion that you get less power as the battery level drops correct?

 

[Al P]

Both of those observations are common. The display is showing the charge under the current riding conditions, and that will change as conditions change. I have also noticed what seems like a bit less assistance as the battery discharges, under similar circumstances. Not sure why that happens.

 

[tomjasz]

Battery indicators are just that, INDICATORS. Not accurate wattmeter. The other happing is sag. The smaller packs with less powerful cells will drop back in power quite noticeably. But even my 20Ah high power packs will have some sag once they have been drained after a few miles of use.
BTW not charging to 100% can more than double battery life! Investing in a charger capable of 80-90% charges can be a very worthwhile purchase.
I bought a $300 charger, but it was paid for by a single 36V battery and the extended life over the supplied 100% charger.