Would the Vado 3.0 have enough range for me?

[RolandSchitt]

I'm not sure about the higher range of Juiced CCX. Yes, Juiced has a larger battery but it also has the energy-hungry 750 W motor, rear-hub in addition.

The CCX has 2.2x the battery capacity (it's basically the same as having the Vado 3.0 battery PLUS the 600wh battery), so even with a difference in efficiency it's hard for it not to win out by a pretty wide margin. Well, if you're going at similar speeds anyway. If you're using the CCX motor to go 20-25mph then that's a different story haha.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

That's why I ride Vado 5.0 with 2x 604 Wh batteries on really long rides. Now ask the CCX to do long mountain road trips with high elevation gain... (Chances are you'd fry the Bafang motor).

 

[Art Deco]

The CCX has 2.2x the battery capacity (it's basically the same as having the Vado 3.0 battery PLUS a 600wh battery), so even with a difference in efficiency it's hard for it not to win out by a pretty wide margin. Well, if you're going at similar speeds anyway. If you're using the CCX motor to go 20-25mph then that's a different story haha.

IDK about that machine, but I think I was quoted the same range (40 miles) on my small battery Como as a 750 watt rear hub bike with twice the battery. YMMV.

 

[RolandSchitt]

PS - I think I'm pretty settled on getting a 3.0, buying the 600wh battery, and trying to find a buyer for the original 460wh battery (unless the LBS can work something out for me).

The 5.0 just isn't a practical choice for me right now, so I think this is the best blend for my budget and range needs.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Roland, just keep and rotate the 460 Wh battery. You'll get longer life of both batteries and in time you might carry a spare with you for very long range.

 

[linklemming]

I'm not sure about the higher range of Juiced CCX. Yes, Juiced has a larger battery but it also has the energy-hungry 750 W motor, rear-hub in addition.

From riding both Brose equipped bikes and my Juiced CCX for over a year now on the same trails, for the same average speed, the difference in power consumption is negligable. Im aware that if you go to the extreme and add alot of climbing, the CCX would be less efficient. My typical rides (for this comparison are 4-6% rolling hill with and average elevation gain of about 1k ft in 20-30miles.

Hub motors get more efficient at speed

 

[RolandSchitt]

Roland, just keep and rotate the 460 Wh battery. You'll get longer life of both batteries and in time you might carry a spare with you for very long range.

Thanks. This was on my mind as a back-up plan, but maybe it should be my plan A. I don't necessarily mind spending a little more if I know it'll get me a longer life out of the bike.

Plus, as a bonus, the extra money I'm putting in isn't really money that I'll lose if the bike is stolen (unless it were stolen on a dual battery day!)

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Your observations linklemming must be correct since the energy expenditure for the same rider and conditions/route only depends on the motor efficiency, and the differences are not big. Hub-drive motors might feel more efficient as these force the rider to ride at almost constant speed with continuous pedalling while the load on a mid-drive motor is variable.

Roland, I follow that strategy for my Giant Trance E+. I simply could not buy the version with the 625 Wh battery so I settled on the 504 Wh option. Yet I bought the larger battery soon and now I'm free to both rotate the batteries and use one of them as a spare on long trails (with a lot of elevation change when I'm in mountains).

 

[linklemming]

The CCX has 2.2x the battery capacity (it's basically the same as having the Vado 3.0 battery PLUS the 600wh battery), so even with a difference in efficiency it's hard for it not to win out by a pretty wide margin. Well, if you're going at similar speeds anyway. If you're using the CCX motor to go 20-25mph then that's a different story haha.

It is a pretty big difference coming from someone who owns two brose mid-drives and a CCX.

While not a Vado, my iZIP Moda E3 is a class 3 brose equipped mid-drive with 500wh battery. If I do a ride all in eco, I can squeeze out 60 miles but dont do that much as its not enjoyable. If I run it in turbo the whole ride and keep the average speed above 17mph, Im not likely to make it 20 miles and it took quite a bit of human effort. My Juiced CCX can do about 50 miles with the same average speed with less human effort.

Many reasons to pick the Vado over the CCX but trying to argue range/efficiency seems silly.