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Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

jacquesmattheij.com

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Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#91

Post by jacquesm »

aeharding wrote: post #69
jacquesm wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can charge your batteries up to 60% when you store them for a longer time rather than 100%, then charge to 100% just before you need them. That will keep them around that much longer. Better still if you can avoid discharging them below 15% soc.

Makes sense for seasonal and recreational riders. We both ride year round though almost daily for transportation. As for discharging below 15%, Bosch's firmware is pretty smart about this. It keeps a reserve that's used for powering lights for a few hours after the assist cuts off.

Yes, that's at 5% state-of-charge, which is a bit low. If you charge up to 100% and discharge to that cut-off point you will get 300 to 400 cycles out of your battery. If you go from 80% state-of-charge down to 20% then you can get thousands of cycles out of your batteries. That's one of the reasons I designed that pack as large as it is: to stay within the 80-to-20 range on a 100 km trip.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#92

Post by horsawlarway »

jacquesm wrote: post #70
0des wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can't. These bikes are DRM'd to the hilt and any attempt at hacking them will cause the bike to brick itself This does not match reality at all. E-bikes are some of the most modify-able and hackable devices out there. Most of the parts are interchangeable, and a decent portion of these bikes are assembled piece by piece. I can change the acceleration profile of mine at will, via bluetooth. Amperage limits, batt…

Oh, sure, I'm making it all up. I just spent two months picking apart the Bosch e-bike system, I think by now I know what I'm talking about but feel free to prove me wrong and show me how you're able to get your battery to talk to a Bosch controller without using a Bosch BMS. Hint: you won't be able to, the key is embedded in an NXP processor that has it's fuses blown (both sides, controller and battery) and any kind…

I mean... I'm not on a Bosch E-Bike?

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#93

Post by mtreis86 »

TacticalCoder wrote: post #27

We really need a terminology to differentiate better between pedal-assist only e-bikes ("pedelec") and electric motorbikes. A "bicycle" that can accelerate without the need to pedal at all is an electric motorcycle, no matter if you put pedal on it or not. I see the two as totally different things: I've tried pedal-assist e-bike and they're great. But... Although I have nothing against motorbikes I'm not cool at all…

I see it more as a matter of power produced, I'd probably use 1hp or 750w brushless or something thereabouts as the line to draw. With most pedal ebikes you go faster by pedaling anyways.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#95

Post by jacquesm »

anon776 wrote: post #88

The biggest issue I have with getting more than 20 miles out of my e-bike is the controller. The manufacturer of the controller set it to shut off when the battery pack hits 42v. (using a 52v pack) Sucks pushing a bike up a hill when you know you still have ~15% capacity remaining.

That's to increase the life-span of the pack. At 15% max discharge the pack will live much longer (orders of magnitude) than if you were to ride it down to zero. This is precisely why I over dimensioned my pack.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#96

Post by [deleted] »

QuercusMax wrote: post #86
jacquesm wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a pedal assist e-bike. There are people that cheat and that install throttles so they can move without pedaling but that's a great way to get your vehicle confiscated. A typical ride has me providing 40 to 60% of the Joules and the remainder comes out of the battery. If there is a very heavy wind up (not rare here) that might drop to 30/70 and if I have a tailwind it is the reverse. The bike has a nice stats…

My wife just bought an ebike (from RadPower) that has both pedal assist and a throttle that doesn't require pedaling. You can also adjust the amount of pedal assist so you can "feather pedal". Who's going to confiscate this bike????

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#97

Post by YXNjaGVyZWdlbgo »

jacquesm wrote: post #89
YXNjaGVyZWdlbgo wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh... I worked with something really similar but only for decoration purposes. I guess it's rigged enough to give the construction stability but it's still very prone to punctures. Do you think it would withstand a rock chip at higher speeds also do you prefer the high mechanical stability for a battery package? I don't really know if I would prefer it to warp at impact or break like hpl.

Rock chip no problem. Side impact by a car: big problem, but then I would have problems anyway, so my solution is to drive super defensively. Cities are the risky areas once outside of town it's safe to make some speed. The battery box is also protected by the frame triangle, which is fairly strong.

Nice the rock chip would have been my main concern otherwise defensive driving is probably the best course of action. Well done.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#98

Post by jacquesm »

orforforof wrote: post #79
dQw4w9WgXcQ wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the speed of motorcycles without the sound awareness, what could possibly go wrong? My overall experience is that E-bike riders generally have decent cycling manners, it's the scooter and unicycle riders that seem to think they can just crank their walking speed up to 30mph and go everywhere a pedestrian would. I usually just give them a firm "heads up next time" when I get buzzed by an electric motor whine at 20…

I used to ride a motorcycle, now I have an ebike. They seem equally safe to me, which is to say neither are safe at all if there are other people on the road. The only solution is extremely defensive driving/riding, assume no one (including pedestrians) can see you. This attitude has been embedded deeply in the motorcycle culture and is the best way to all-around responsible riders -- and it needs to be propagated to…

100% agreed, defensive driving is the key, and a good part of that is to know when to slow down: when there are other cyclists near you.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#99

Post by oppositelock »

QuercusMax wrote: post #86
jacquesm wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a pedal assist e-bike. There are people that cheat and that install throttles so they can move without pedaling but that's a great way to get your vehicle confiscated. A typical ride has me providing 40 to 60% of the Joules and the remainder comes out of the battery. If there is a very heavy wind up (not rare here) that might drop to 30/70 and if I have a tailwind it is the reverse. The bike has a nice stats…

My wife just bought an ebike (from RadPower) that has both pedal assist and a throttle that doesn't require pedaling. You can also adjust the amount of pedal assist so you can "feather pedal". Who's going to confiscate this bike????

It depends where you are. Most EU countries forbid throttles, but they're ok in the US as long as your under 1000W motor output (Federal laws), but local laws can make this stricter.

I've built several e-bikes, for fun, and like the author of this article, I've got a long range one, but only with about half of his battery capacity, which is enough for me.

Re: Show HN: Long Range E-Bike

#100

Post by hendersoon »

QuercusMax wrote: post #86
jacquesm wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a pedal assist e-bike. There are people that cheat and that install throttles so they can move without pedaling but that's a great way to get your vehicle confiscated. A typical ride has me providing 40 to 60% of the Joules and the remainder comes out of the battery. If there is a very heavy wind up (not rare here) that might drop to 30/70 and if I have a tailwind it is the reverse. The bike has a nice stats…

My wife just bought an ebike (from RadPower) that has both pedal assist and a throttle that doesn't require pedaling. You can also adjust the amount of pedal assist so you can "feather pedal". Who's going to confiscate this bike????

Depends on your country, really. Throttle ebikes are legal in the USA so long as they don't go faster than 20MPH on throttle alone.

And really speed is what matters here. Who cares if it's pedal-assist or throttle so long as you aren't going markedly faster than normal people without any motor at all? There's no safety concern.

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