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E-Bikes

olbriar said:
That's cool! You say bike sheds? Is this some sort of secure enclosure? I wouldn't dream of leaving my bike anywhere unless theft was impossible. My bike has a battery specific charger. I'd hate to ride with it in my pack to use at a charging station. Fortunately I enjoy enough battery life that it is easy enough to schedule charging across my sleeping hours. I wish battery transportation was popular enough here in the states that charging stations were needed.
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Yes, it's a covered secure enclosure within the school campus, where I live, and that's very secure as well. In fact we must charge e-bikes and scooters there, because charging e-bike and scooter batteries is prohibited within our accommodation. Very likely because there's been a spate of fires from charging e-bike and scooter batteries. Like this: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201804/01/WS5ac03f04a3105cdcf65158bf.html
Four people were killed in a fire at an electric bike shop in Beijing early Sunday, municipal fire department said.
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In Jinan, I think bike theft is pretty low, and I often leave my scooter parked on the street locked with a D-lock when I'm doing something. Carrying my charger on the scooter is no problem, because there's a storage basket on the front. On Sunday evening I have quite a long ride to a class I do, and take the charger, and will charge it at my destination.
 
I understand that theft is a real problem in the larger metropolises but not so in my area. I'm still not willing to risk such. Locked inside a secure area would ease my mind somewhat. It looks like the charging station is well thought out and designed. Good for them! And it's cool that there is a need so that it's profitable to construct and maintain such a facility. (somewhat jealous)
 
olbriar said:
I wish battery transportation was popular enough here in the states that charging stations were needed.
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We've had electric vehicle charging stations here for decades, though since I've never been to one, I can't say exactly what they offer. I just know that I've seen directional signs for them for many years, on the freeway and surface streets. They're blue and easy to spot.

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Do keep in mind that I'm talking Kansas and not California. You are more likely to see a sign proclaiming hay for sale than a charging station around these parts. :) Seriously, we do have charging stations but they are for autos. I don't know of any public charging station for e-bikes and scooters and the like. There is a business downtown renting e-scooters and they are docked in a rental / charging station. They aren't in the charging business per se.
 
MoodyBlues said:
We've had electric vehicle charging stations here for decades, though since I've never been to one, I can't say exactly what they offer. I just know that I've seen directional signs for them for many years, on the freeway and surface streets. They're blue and easy to spot.

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I'm pretty sure that would be for electric cars, things like Teslas, etc. I've seen them in China, on highways and in cities, basically the same places where you find gas stations. They have a special high current connection for rapid charging. The e-bike charging stations I use just have regular 220VAC outlets on them.
 
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olbriar said:
Do keep in mind that I'm talking Kansas and not California. You are more likely to see a sign proclaiming hay for sale than a charging station around these parts. :) Seriously, we do have charging stations but they are for autos. I don't know of any public charging station for e-bikes and scooters and the like. There is a business downtown renting e-scooters and they are docked in a rental / charging station. They aren't in the charging business per se.
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Here's in Jinan, like many cities in this country, there's actually more people riding e-bikes, scooters, segways, etc. than driving motor vehicles. So there's a definite need for them here, and there are bike charging businesses.
 
mikedt said:
Here's in Jinan, like many cities in this country, there's actually more people riding e-bikes, scooters, segways, etc. than driving motor vehicles. So there's a definite need for them here, and there are bike charging businesses.
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We love our autos in this country and we don't mind polluting and depleting a non-renewable fossil fuel to have that mode of transportation. It's true that this country's highways are designed around the auto industry and most cities are the same. We do have mass transit systems in place but for the most part we go from point A to point B in our autos. We don't live close to our workplaces making e-bikes and the like impractical to use. Even if we could make the commute there are few to zero bikeways to travel. I hope all that will change but it will take decades to happen if it happens.
 
olbriar said:
We love our autos in this country and we don't mind polluting and depleting a non-renewable fossil fuel to have that mode of transportation. It's true that this country's highways are designed around the auto industry and most cities are the same. We do have mass transit systems in place but for the most part we go from point A to point B in our autos. We don't live close to our workplaces making e-bikes and the like impractical to use. Even if we could make the commute there are few to zero bikeways to travel. I hope all that will change but it will take decades to happen if it happens.
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The country I'm in was mostly bicycles for much of the 20th century, and has only really had autos and highways for the last 30 years or so. :D I do have a driving license, and have driven in China, but I've got no intention of buying a car here, found there's really no need for me to own one.
 
mikedt said:
The country I'm in was mostly bicycles for much of the 20th century, and has only really had autos and highways for the last 30 years or so. :D I do have a driving license, and have driven in China, but I've got no intention of buying a car here, found there's really no need for me to own one.
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Our current transportation is definitely a product of the two countries evolution. There is merit in both modes of travel. I hope the US will feel the need and in the next 30 years be more accommodating for E-vehicle travel. I see problems with funding for it however. My roads and highways are chiefly funded by a heavy tax that is levied on gas consumption.
I don't know where the money will come from to construct and maintain a bike system.
 
Ouch! Sorry about that Mike. Not knowing what I'm looking at for sure.... Are those lead acid batteries placed in a series? What is the total voltage of your power source? What sort of longevity can you expect from your new battery pack? Tell me more about it when you have the chance. I'm curious.
 
olbriar said:
Ouch! Sorry about that Mike. Not knowing what I'm looking at for sure.... Are those lead acid batteries placed in a series? What is the total voltage of your power source? What sort of longevity can you expect from your new battery pack? Tell me more about it when you have the chance. I'm curious.
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Yeh, it's four lead-acid gel batteries in series, 12V 22Ah each, 48V total. Packed into a case that slides onto the bike. I have been riding for over three years since new. I had really noticed that the available power had gone down in the last few weeks when riding. So I did figure the batteries were on their last legs and needed replacement.

Cost of new batteries was 450 yuan(CNY) about $65(USD). So it's not really much of an "ouch" for the wallet. :) They are the type of gel battery designed for cyclic charge/discharge use, as opposed to float-standby, which you find in an uninterruptible power supply(UPS) or emergency lighting.
 
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Excellent on the price and typical life for lead acid. 48v is nothing to sneeze at either. If not for their weight, your battery pack is a lucrative option for bikes. My 52v lithium replacement is around $800 and that my friend is an OUCH.
 
olbriar said:
Excellent on the price and typical life for lead acid. 48v is nothing to sneeze at either. If not for their weight, your battery pack is a lucrative option for bikes. My 52v lithium replacement is around $800 and that my friend is an OUCH.
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Yeh, that is very OUCH! I wonder what sort of lithium cells that uses? Perhaps it's like regular and commonly available 18650 type cylindrical cells, in a series-parallel arrangement. If it is, perhaps the pack could be rebuilt yourself, for much less cost.

Tesla cars use 18650 type lithium cells, about 7,000 of them. :D

The battery pack on my bike, is really intended to be easily rebuilt by any bike shop, to have the internal gel batteries quickly replaced and just needs a couple of screwdrivers do it. Hopefully they do properly recycle the old batteries, and not just dump them in the ground.
 
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Rest assured, when the time comes for a replacement, I'll manage my way into the sealed battery pack exploring my options. :) It's the American way to dispose and replace and it is designed with that in mind. I'm all but convinced that I will find 18650 cells within with nothing special that can't be duplicated. The pack will have to be salvaged for it's design marries it to the bike. I won't be the first to attempt a rebuild. I anticipate countless Youtube how to's when the time comes.
 
I very much suspect Juiced does use standard sized cylindrical lithium cells, welded or soldered together, and in a heat-shrunk package. That's what I've seen Li-Ion powered bikes use here, as well as segways and hoverboards.
 
Yep. E-bike short for electronic bike. I almost worked in some riding time this afternoon. It was a beautiful day. One call led to another and I ended up mowing leaves all day instead.
It was nice being outside but not nearly as fun as it would have been on the bike.
 
With the temps rising to the absolutely crazy range today, I had to dust off my Juiced bike for a ride today. Man it felt great to be riding again and I rode hard enough and long enough to get a bit of burn on the legs. All good stuff. My bike performed flawlessly after it's three month vacation. I can't wait until the weather is consistently in the comfortable riding range. It's going to be a fun summer for sure.
 
olbriar said:
With the temps rising to the absolutely crazy range today, I had to dust off my Juiced bike for a ride today. Man it felt great to be riding again and I rode hard enough and long enough to get a bit of burn on the legs. All good stuff. My bike performed flawlessly after it's three month vacation. I can't wait until the weather is consistently in the comfortable riding range. It's going to be a fun summer for sure.
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You can always move by me and ride all year round, LOL
 
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