New Zapino Owner

Hi, congratulations and best wishes, may you have lots of fun with your scooter!

Is it the model with ABS brakes?

What was the ambient temperature during the drive?

Mr. Mik

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There is always a way if there is no other way!

usatracy, I just love how you manage to get to the point.....

Does the Zapino (any model) have a fan (or fans) that run

?

If not, would it be possible to retro-fit fans on controller and/or motor?

The max pay-load of 283lbs seems relatively reasonable for most populations, but not for the average USA citizen and their passengers...

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There is always a way if there is no other way!

Here are the LIGHTS from the Owner's Manual:

First flash 2 and after a pause 3 times again:
overheat protection, leave to cool.

Robert Dudley
E-Scoot Tech

All,

Thanks for the feedback!! Here are my responses:

Ambient temp: 60 deg F one day and 75 deg F the other day.

Here are the troubleshooting codes starting with the code for my issue:

2 flashes, pause, 3 flashes - overheat protection, leave to cool
3f,p,3f - probem with throttle spring, it didn't come back to throttle position
1f,p,1f - problem with brake, check brake level for kick stand released or not.
1f,p,2f - problem with connection of throttle, boken wire is loosened.
1f,p,4f - problem witih voltage,battery too low (charge)
1f,p,5f - battery too high voltage
3f,p,1f - problem with motor, overloaded
0f,p,3f - problem with motor, overloaded
0f,p,2f - the battery overload can't release enough current to motor.
0f,p,10f - motor thermal sensor problem.
3f,p,2f - problem on controller current sensor. restart the key or repair controller.
2f,p,1f - motor rotated hold back,release the motor.
2f - brake light on, brake stuck on or broken circuit.

I am not sure how to tell if the brakes are ABS. They appear to be disc but have no markings. In general the brakes work well and have plenty of stopping power. The manufacturing date for the scooter is 25/09/2007.

Adding cooling fans did cross my mind. Would that be worth pursuing?

Regarding the ABS brakes (or not): usatracy wrote:

In regards to the fans and temperatures: If you experience problems at 60-75 Deg F, then you will of course have more problems in summer if you continue to take passengers along. Better sort it out soon.
And if the problem only occurs when you are stationary at traffic light for some time, then I guess it is lack of wind = cooling for your motor and/or controller.
But I don't know if fans are a viable option, I've never even seen a Zapino.

Some scooter owners on these forums have described that their scooter needs to be prevented from running off by pulling the brakes: "it starts as soon as I let go of the break". If that is the case with your Zapino, then that is what you need to fix to stop the heat build up.

If this is part of a closed thread but you want to comment please do so via my blog!

There is always a way if there is no other way!

We have scooters manufactured the same day. My VIN plate also has 25/09/2007.
I just had a symptom that was Diag light flashed two times, repeating. Tried following the troubleshooting guide for an hour, then raised the sidestand (it was on the center stand but side stand was down). The Owner's guide did not refer to the sidestand as causing a diag blink condition. Your codes are different, but perhaps they left something out of the ownr's manual for your condition. My brakes are NOT ABS ether.

Robert Dudley
E-Scoot Tech

I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster. I just wanted to say hello and chime in here with a couple of noob questions.

The Zapinos sound pretty good. I like the fact that they're waterproof and not resistant. I am an American living in Taiwan and seriously considering a move to EV. But the rainy season over here could make it a difficult daily ride if I'm going to be stranded on the side of the road.

I'm currently on a 2-stroke 50cc for my daily commute. It sounds like the Zapino could be a suitable replacement.

However the info that alandf posted raised a couple of concerns:

1. Will riding 2 people make the controller overheat? I'm bound to ride about 40km/day and about 70% of the time with a passenger.

2. Can hot weather affect the performance of the controller?

If I make the change, I'll go all out and get the LiFePO4 as well. But I'd really hope to use this as an everyday driver and not just a hobby machine.

Just wanted to throw this idea out there to see if you guys thought a Zapino could be a practical solution here in Taiwan. I imagine some of you have seen the situation over here with ICE scooters; making the switch the switch to electric would be a welcome change.

spang.tw. the range will totally depend on many factors including total weight being carried, the terrain being traveled and the speed at which you travel and of course how many start/stops are involved. I can tell you that I have tested my scooters with a carried weight of 160kg. Performance is still very good. I have never encountered an overheating problem, but have traveled 30km often with plenty to spare in the battery. If you wanted 40km usage a day without a mid point charge, while AGM batteries will do it a better option would be the lithium. The bike will also be about 30kg lighter.

spang.tw, if you are interested in one for use in Taiwan, let me know via PM.

Tracy, there should be a flash series shown for an overheated protection condition.

http://www.feva.com.au
Fast Electric Vehicles Australia
Electric Scooters

Right on. I guess that's why I'm on here - to see what good things people have to say about different EVs and then try and make an informed decision.

I remember reading something about guinea pig vs. testing somewhere on here? Not sure if there are others riding two people on a regular basis. Due to the population density over here, being able to accommodate a passenger is a necessity. I don't even have a car.

Sounds like I'll have to do a bit more reading on exactly how the controller operates. I did a fair bit of research on the different battery options. I'll definitely go for the LiFePO4 as I think the prices are starting to come into line. The motors? Hmmm...still a little confused on the rating and actual "throughput" if that's an applicable term.

That's funny. It reminds me of a ram air system a friend once installed on an old Hyundai. Completely fabbed but functional. I guess I'll have to wait until summertime to see what kind of air flow it gets.

Ben, the terrain is definitely a factor. As I mentioned before, I'm looking at using this as a daily driver. In addition to added weight from girlfriend, I'll have to maneuver around the constant construction and pot holes in Taipei. The suspension in EVs look pretty solid, but I'm guessing that I'll be facing bumpier roads than those in AU or US.

It only worries me because I don't want anything to get jarred loose. I can turn a wrench but I'm not a real whiz when it comes to shop stuff.

But perhaps this is the kind of opportunity that will allow me to learn more about this growing niche and gain some new skills? Oh yeah environment blah blah blah.

All the conversion vehicles are wicked in the member gallery.

The flash sequence 2 pause 3 is indicative of the overheated motor condition. I have seen it in action when testing in China. Bikes were subjected to continual very steep (mountain goat) track hill climb. Up and down repeatedly till motor overheating protection kicks in. The flash sequence was apparent in the fault condition as tested. This was tested on a nice 36-37c day..

Interestingly though, we could not get it to happen on this model. It would not overheat. Other setups did after a number of continual efforts up and down and up ... ... I have not had it happen in real world riding even with 160kg on board.

http://www.feva.com.au
Fast Electric Vehicles Australia
Electric Scooters

All,

Thanks for the comments,

Here is some feedback,

Responses to general questions:
1. I do have a 2007 Zapino without ABS and www.erider.cn written on the motor casing.
2. My tire size is 8.5 x 10
3. I used a GPS to confirm my speed and found that at a speedo reading of 30 MPH I was going about 28 on the GPS and at about 45 MPH I was going around 34 MPH on the GPS (may be off a little bit due to eyes watering when I looked down at the GPS .

Specific feedback on the overheating condition:
1. The scooter does not need the brake to hold it back from moving when at a stand still.
2. I am not getting the 0f,p, 10f troubleshooting code for motor thermal issue.
3. I am curious as to how Ben was able to ride a Zapino under stressful conditions without the overheating issue.
4. Immediately after I was safely off the road, I touched the outside of the motor and the controller and they both were slightly warm but not hot.
5. The passenger does not interfere with airflow around the controller.
6. I am seriously thinking about hooking up the computer fan to the controller. Question: Where would I put the fan since the controller housing is completely closed in.

I can answer that.. The bike I rode in China was mine. Fresh out of the factory. It was the first of it's kind, built to my specs... Read prototype. They have improved since the prototype as you would expect. So what I rode in China was a FEVA DeJaVu 3000a not a Zapino as such... It is not the same as yours, because you have the previous model Zapino anyway, different manufacturer to my DeJaVu. I think you will find your model is 2500w which peaks at 3000w give or take.. DaJaVu is 3000w motor which peaks at 4100w+. I love this scooter. Having said that.. The older model Zapino that you have should not overheat in real world riding unless there is a fault somewhere. You would really have to be stressing it. Oh and my speedo is more accurate than you have too.

FEVA DeJaVu 3000a specs:
Retro styling
3000w motor (peaks at about 4100w)
Choice of AGM or LifePO4
Choice of motor spec. Higher Torque (65km/h) or Higher Speed (70km/h+)
ABS dics brakes front and rear

http://www.feva.com.au
Fast Electric Vehicles Australia
Electric Scooters

I have the same model of Zapino that you have.
1) the motor is supposed to 3000watts. Mountain Chen posted a picture of his motor which has the erider cast on the hub and the file name is 2500_motor.jpg. I suspect the comment about it being 2500 with max of 3000 to be accurate.
2) tire size is 3.50 X 10 Kenda. I am replacing with 100/90 X 10 Michelin S-1.
3) my speedo is off 26%. I measured with GPS and a radar sign when the indicated speed was 30mph. Both my devices showed actual to be 22mph. At an indicated speed of 47mph (max speed) my GPS showed 34.7 actual. The odometer is not so bad. I drove 19.2km indicated, 10.32 by GPS. The conversion of the indicated 19.2KM to miles = 11.93miles.

Robert Dudley
E-Scoot Tech

I think the FEVA link in Ben's post should be http://www.myfeva.com.au/ .

http://www.feva.com.au

and

http://www.myfeva.com.au

Should both work. Don't they?

http://www.feva.com.au
Fast Electric Vehicles Australia
Electric Scooters

Both of the links in your POST work but the link in you "signature block" does NOT!

Hope this helps,
Chas S.

Moderator Captain

Not sure what happened. I am sure it was working when I put it there to begin with. I tested it.. Anyway.. I have changed it now and seems to be working again.

Thanks guys.

http://www.feva.com.au
Fast Electric Vehicles Australia
Electric Scooters

All,

Its been a long time since I provided a status of my situation because I wanted to complete all the follow up activity. So the original issue was early and random motor shut down on my new 2007 Zapino. The suggestion from USAtracy was that it was possibly the controller and to contact Zap directly for resolution. I did work with my local Zapino dealer and they, along with the Zapino reps confirmed that the controller was the most likely problem. However, instead of sending out a replacement controller, we replaced the entire scooter with a 2008 model. The Zap folk wanted the scooter back for failure analysis. The new scooter had a few issues that we had to work through. I wanted to list the issues for information only and maybe to help someone else that may come across the same issues.

1. The new style charger tripped two different GFCI outlets while charging. I traded it in and the new one did the same thing. I ended up adding a nonGFCI outlet in my garage and it works fine.
2. The throttle randomly cut out. I found that the 3way switch located under the seat had one of the pins not completely seated. I removed the switch and that seemed to solve the problem.
3. The rear wheel had a significant wobble. It appeared that the rim was not concentric with the motor. Zap sent out a new motor and rim. Once replaced the wobble disappeared.

The scooter has been working fine ever since and I am really enjoying its performance. Thanks for all the support.