Hi,
I am new to this forum.
I live in Finland and am trying to find a solution to work/home daily trips.
EGo seems to be a possible solution. Nevertheless, our climate here is quite harsh so I need to pay attention to it when planning all of the stuff.
One of them are tires. In order to drive in snow/ice I need spike tires. Tried to find some for 20" but I managed to find only up to 80kg max load which is definitely far away of what is needed (around 140kg). No spike tires for 20" can be found for up to 110-120kg which again confuses me, what kind of tires do they supply with the eGo to manage with such "heavy" loads. The pressure in them in original package is supposed to be up to 100 psi.
Is anyone of you having some winter experience driving with the eGo? What kind of tires are you using for ice/snow drive? Any problems with having them flat too often because of overload?
I have 3 years experience with pedelec (Ezee Sprint) and electrically it works fine. Im having tires flat every 6 months, I assume because of overload though the wheels are 26" so the tires for it are supposed to handle up to 120kg which is not going over as the bicycle is 30kg.
Still, I had couple of other problems with it and it shows not to be a solution for a longer term. That's why i am looking for some other one.
I noticed some topics about snow building up in the belt drive so I though I could get some help/opinion in these things.
Thanks!
babo
Hi there Babo
You'll have half the range at 0 celcius with the lead acid batteries. If you were happy converting it with a lithium phosphate pack the ego might work ok , remember to check the minimum temperature on the battery spec though. you should get much better range aswell.
Re the sprint.Getting good quality puncture resisant tires good tubes, good rim tape and also slime seems to work for some people, I ride my bike in winter and it works fine, but it has nimh batteries which don't lose much capacity when cold.
Hi NickF23,
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, I know and am aware of problems with SLA batteries. I am not a big fan of them either :)
Have some experience with both NiMh and SLA and I would rather take NiMh or LiOn but they are terribly expensive, at least here in Finland.
I tried a year ago to find a new battery for Ezee Sprint and the nearest I found was UK where from the delivery expenses were more than the battery itself. It came out I need to pay for it more than 400£. It wasn't worth of it. I tried to find a cheaper replacement pack but then the customs + delivery costs and I always ended up with insane price.
Then I installed SLA on it and it worked but yes as you mention they are sensitive and terribly heavy.
Considering temperature I somehow got a feeling that wind was worse than the temperature. This SLA sensitivity of capacity to the load current is terrible. If the wind is blowing into the head the capcity out of it drops substantially so lower speeds should be used in that case.
Nevertheless, I don't have much options, pedelec didn't solve my troubles with commuting (specific usage) and I need something else. EGo allows me to take cheaper batteries and I have a solution for recharge on both ends of the trip so it shouldn't be of an issue + if I need more batteries it can carry it (unlike other bicycles, load limit if SLA's are taken). Buying LiOn of around 40Ah would be so expensive that I don't want to even imagine.
There is a new model of EGo (at least they advertise it in France, on USA official pages there is no info about it nor any response to my e-mails asking about things) but its price is double, so it comes out that batteries for it (LiPo) are >1500€. If they last 2 years the price per year becomes >750€ which is ridiculous.
Thanks again for the reply, it is good to see someone else is also considering using batteries for pedelec in winter :)
hmmm, sure sounds like a tricky situation. A couple more ideas that may be of use. There's a guy who sometimes says he imports lifepo4 batteries who lives in finland see http://www.fevt.com/news also, you could use a standard ego with a lifepo4 (something like ping battery on ebay) pack in parallel with the standard lead acid pack. couple of advantages of this setup is the lifepo4 doesn't have to be the high discharge rate type which are pricier and also it will substantially improve the range of the lead pack by sharing the load thus lessening the peukert effect. I sometimes see used and ex-demonstartor ego's on ebay going cheap.
Good luck with your project.
Nick
Hey Babo
I can't help much with the snow and ice riding advice. Frankly I think it's nuts to ride anything with only two wheels on icy roads. That said I can help you with a lot of eGO experience and knowledge.
First the stock tire are BMX tires made by Kenda The model is "kickzumbutt" Rated at 231 lbs load each at 100psi. There are others that are used on eGO's too Maxxis is one of my favorites. The Sla batteries in eGO's do suffer from loss of range in cold weather. Expect 6 to 8 miles max when it's really cold. The batteries are big enough that if you can keep it in a warm environment overnight they will hold that heat for some hours after venturing out. If you charge at work the charging creates some heat in them too.
I put a battery heater on one eGO which works very well and gives summer range in the coldest desert temperatures. It is powered by the mains when the bike is plugged in. The eGO has lots of torque which may be a problem on slippery surfaces.
The snow build up in the drive belt is an issue. Powdery snow is the biggest problem here. The final drive can be converted to a chain fairly easily if you have parts available locally. That would solve the snow build up issue. I've read of people installing various brush type solutions to keep the belt clear enough of snow. I don't ride in the snow at all. So I don't have first hand info hon that issue. THe cold and range is pretty easy to get around though. We have lows near 0 degrees F here and it isn't a problem with a battery heater installed.
Aerowhatt
Thanks to all for more than useful replies! :)
I think the solution at the moment would be the battery warmer and for the future improvements the Nick23's suggestion with battery combination (SLA+Lipo), very good point.
Now, when I have more data for tires it is easier to continue searching through.
I had no clue that the battery warmer even exists on the market. I tried to find one and found quite many but when I narrow down more I end up with the only one at http://www.padheaters.com/battery_heater.html
When I read it through they are not supplied with any thermostat. I understand that is possible to calculate what power you need for what time and for which temperature but I would rather have something which would heat it up to 20C and keep it there on whatever the outside temperature is.
Aerwhatt, are you using one of these mentioned not-thermostat solutions or you have a better one I still didn't manage to find?
Thanks!
Sorry, to AerOwhatt and not Aerwhatt like I wrote wrong :(
I did some investigation and found terrarium thermostat (Hydor Hydroset Thermostat) which have the probe detached from the body so can be put wherever needed and have good temperature scale setting (5-35C).
Seems that might solve my "problem" in controlling the temperature using those pads for heating the batteries.
Will need to also investigate the belt snow build up solution, thanks for info!
babo
I used a heater that draws about 35 watts. It came without a thermostat. Like you I wanted it to turn on and off as needed. I used a "snap disk thermostat". These are as small as a coin and about 1/4' thick. They are mostly used to control fans and dampers, etc., for heating and cooling systems in buildings. They are avaialble in all kinds of temperature ranges. They are very durable and have a much higher electrical rating than needed for a battery heater. Covered by a small square insulation material and placed on top of the battery under the strap which holds the battery pack down.
It's worked reliably for 4 years now and really makes a huge difference in winter usability.
Aerowhatt
I am getting an EVD (50ish mph scoot) and have found studded snow scooter tires that are the right size for it, here's where the insanity kicks in, wear snow-skates (mini skis) and ride feet on the ground so you have cornering power and straight line stability even on ice. I imagine it could be similar to a racing tuck on skis. Sounds like something we need to test in a parking lot first though.
Yep, that's insanity kicking in alright. :)
My EVD with LFP is giving me low voltage warnings since the temps dropped below about 50F, but it's still running ok. I've ridden it on two days with the temp a little above freezing, but I don't think I'll ride when the temps get into the 20s. But you go right ahead, and make sure someone gets pictures.
My electric vehicle: CuMoCo C130 scooter.
Hi,
I changed the tires to the winter ones and placed the wheels back. I noticed one thing on my bike which doesn't fit to the manuals instructions.
In the manual it says:
"9. Reinstall the rear wheel and fit the belt loosely around the rear
wheel pulley. (Washer placement: On the right side of the axle,
the washer is between the wheel pulley and chassis. On the left
side of the axle, the washer is between the tension adjuster and
the axle nut."
On my eGo the left side has 2 washers while the right one has only 1. On the left side I don't have an option but to put 1 washer between the axle nut and tension adjuster and the other one between the wheel and the chassis. On the right side I have option to put that 1 washer on either places as it is only 1. I put them like I found them, on the left side on both mention places and on the right side between the wheel and the chassis. In this way, like it was when delivered, the wheel has washers on either side of it between itself and the chassis.
While putting the wheel into the place I had to slightly widen the chassis in order to put the wheel with 2 washers in. The distance between 2 sides of the chassis would be EXACTLY for the wheel with 1 washer, like mentioned in the manual but wasn't delevered like that.
All works fine but I am just thinking if the whole thing was incorrectly set in the factory though perhaps it doesn't have a big difference how the washers are put (they do mention them). The belt is riding closely to the middle of the pulley so it is not necessary to adjust that part with washer placements.
I was thinking if I should perhaps move the left washer between the wheel and the chassis out and put it to the right wheel between the axle nut and the tension adjuster. That way the wheel would slide into its place without the chassis needed to be very sligtly widened and the washer placement would fit to the manual.
1. Do you think this whole operation is necessary and have any sense to bother with?
2. Did you notice the max speed decrease due to temperature+tires? I had around 36-37 km/h 2 months ago. Now, when the temperatures are around -5 to -15 degrees C I get 33-34 km/h max, so around 10% lower. Not only is the temperature lower (still didn't install the battery heater) but I have too more clothes (perhaps also a bigger stomach due to Christmas eating :-D ) and also the tires are different, winter ones, with spikes which I am sure make higher traction so I am not surprised if the speed goes a bit down but would be good to hear if someone else also has the similar experience or I did something wrong when setting the washers :-D
Thanks!
Babo