vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
dear all sorry for my spelling i have dyslexia i am new to this website hello to all i have been interested in elec. scooters for as long as i can remember and have owned aprox 7/8 elec. scooters vectrix been the latest and should be the best well i am very inded the speciall batteries they put in them should be fool proof as the type of people that buy them will be from all walks of life and with all the elec. scooters that i have known all you do is plug in after charge unplug then ride . how straight forward .but with the vectrix soon as you receive the new scooter you have to do 5 complete discharges well what a palaver as other people say what you called discharged someone may called over discharged and this new scooter has had damaged done to it indirectly how silly the vectrix display droped to zero from showing 6 bares i had to push to the farther in-laws aprox 3 miles i was absolutely buggerd having to push after all these years of having electric scooters was ridiculous as i could usually predict the range left in the scooters but with this super fandango scooter that i have had to save up for and had to explane to my girlfriend how good it was and the same to her dad they was very optimistic to say the least so i bought it any way cos i have fath in electric scooters. but i think what should happen . is the company should contact every scooter owner and tell them we need to revamp and check your batters levels and do the necessary thing to get your scooter to haw it should be i/e censers an battery checked and software installed and all fans checked and the proper cooling system installed and set in stone not change the cooling tenprichar cos the scooter is too hot or because the day is too hot or because the regen breaking has had a lot of stick and made the motor hot so needs to cool down for hours and hours before any repeat any charge can be put in scooter how does the fans affect the range if the scooter is running with them on when scooter is in motion and was this calculated in to the range i/e the total range for this vectrix scooter is 68 miles at 25 miles does this mean this is wrong and is this with the fans on and the main dip head light on as all combined i should imagine this will take all the useful regen breaking and wast it ?????? i love the scooter but come on vectrix you need more techies working for you as there are people who love there scooter and are willing to do almost any thing to get the scoots on the road and getting the range that is publisided i have hade scooters that say what the range is and guess what they actully atainable i/e i have a emax 110s scooter and the first day i got it i went out on it and and traveled when fully charged 55miles and no red light insite wow the supplier said that was great well i told hei that the emax 110s was easily do 60 miles with bit to spaire but had problems with it and under warranty was sent new brain was up great used for aprox 4/6 months but noticed not as fast as used to be i/e full throttle on flat 28/29 mph not so good thats on of the reason( why i purchased vectrix ) this scooter of a lovely man who had to sell due to ill health and weight of scooter and with only 300 miles on the clock he said to me listne i only manage to go 30 miles on this scooter i thought to my self no way i liked the man and thought scooter was pricey but thought i had better not tell the girlfren of the milage as she would say i was stupid as i currently had a scooter and was achieving good range but my cbt tester said it was too slow for the roads so the vectrix it had to be and the way i can drive thought the official miles that vectrix calmed was good and perhaps i could get 75 miles well was i wrong or what . as bad publicity to see well i am 40 years old but i have seen loads of over fifty years old riding on the net how many hart attack to do something ok my chest pains wasn't too bad ?? then you have to discharge at least once a month as been told by vectrix the
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Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
Hi Kevin
I use my Vectrix V1 for commuting 26 miles from North Kent into London. Part of the journey is 18 miles of dual carriageway where I am typically travelling at 50mph with occasional bursts to 62mph for an overtake if necessary. The rest of the journey is in town at each end. I would say, given the number of bars left on the battery gauge, that I arrive with some 8 - 10 miles left - that is based on travelling at town speeds approximately 30mph. Across my entire commute I have worked out the average range is 2.1 miles per battery charge bar - 17 bars means a reachable range of 35.7 miles. But remember, that is strictly for my specific journey and riding style. It will be different for another rider with a different type of route.
The range you get really does depend on the overall use you make of the Vectrix. If you are travelling, like me, on high-speed roads the range will be much less than if your entire journey was on roads with lower limits or in town. I do think that you'll get optimum range if you travel on 40mph roads and keep to the speed limit. Better still if on a 30mph road, except that those are often littered with traffic controls where the stop/start puts an additional strain on the range possible.
I do find that in the colder weather that we are experiencing right now that the range has dropped off by a few miles, but not as much as I had expected.
The new software is supposed to ease the requirement for the owner/user to think too hard about the battery. I normaly charge and forget, allowing the system to take care of itself. Last week it performed its first full cycle charge where it does the Equalising Charge after the normal charge. I'm sure this will have happened previously, given the amount of use I put it through, but it was the first time I noticed it since the software update. I tend to do nothing special to help the Vectrix, it is my commuter hack.
Having it from new in July I have found it to be completely reliable except for a puncture, not the V's fault. It has got hot once where the yellow spanner and BathOt appeared on the display. I backed off my speed for a while and it went away, allowing me to continue my journey - this was on the old software.
You say that you got better range from the Emax 110s scooter - I do not know that model - saying that was at speeds up to 30mph. The higher performance of the Vectrix will have a higher consumption of battery power. Even though the Vectrix batteries are [probably] larger than the Emax, the greater weight and higher speeds used will cause the battery range to be no better than the Emax.
Somewhere there will be a formula that will explain how many Amp/hrs it takes to push a certain weight at a certain speed and that will show why the faster/heavier Vectrix does little to no better than an Emax :)
So what kind of riding do you put your Vectrix through? Is it more aggressive or faster than my daily commute?
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
Come to XM3500li, LFP battery ensure of high speed and longer range,and don't have low temperature problem at all !
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
hi danny . i have had vectrix for approx. 5 weeks my first time fully charged up and speeds ranging from 25 mph to 40 mph and the odd occasion up to top speed for few seconds just to see if it would do the claimed top speed and yep top speed was attained 62 well went just over was surprised as got there quick . so went looking for a extension lead out on my 1st range test but all that was attained was 30 miles range and that was with lots of careful regen breaking . and very few inclines but i tried to pick a pretty flat roads . so few days later rode scoot and with more careful riding i only managed 34.5 miles so went no more than versus speeds up to 40 mph so approx. riding 35 mph this was to see what the total distance i could travel .so was surprised when the fuel gauge/ segment bars still sowed ether 5 or 6 bars and range left 8 miles but when starting to go up a very gentle incline the bars/ increments just dropped off with nothing showing i was gob-bed smacked and the red light showed (batt) . i had to push the scooter 3.5 miles this wasn't good and i was very upset to say the least as i had to swallow my pride and ask my father in law if i could charge scooter at his house . but over the few weeks i have been going to and from work and only sticking between 25 and 40 in places and scoot just wouldn't go above 31 miles range . my emax 110s scooter will/limited to 30 mph so when i managed 60 miles i was traveling approx. 25 mph and when ever possible i would do 30 mph and lots of free wheeling with the down ward hills thought this is pretty good but really these speeds on north yorkshire moors is a little slow not mention dangerous on occasions bit hairy but was attainable i may of got in an extra mile but who want to push it.!!! if ya get what i mean. but don't no if ya seen ma ov blog but spoke to a nice man steve scott from vectrix and has come to look at my scooter and said that i have died cells and sensors and i need new software i wouldn't mind loosing some of that instant power but keep top speed as i want to take my bike test on it and i do believe you have to attain a top speed of 62 mph for a while but normally i will be sticking to around 25 to 35 mph so watch this space . as i passed my cbt test on my other scooter electric emax110s scooter but was really too slow can't wait for the scooter to be sorted out and go traveling good range. As in my other motor dare i say it ( car ) i try when been told to go for rides i have managed to do 78 mpg not bad well it was going to Lincoln and also don this to newcastle not bad for a convertible 1.4hdi pluriel but lets not talk about that..!! my girlfriend made me do it ok and the mother in law as well what a wast of diesel !!! :)
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
Hi Kevin
As I was reading your post I started to think about possibility of dead cells in your battery and from what you say the Vectrix chap (Steve Scott) would know better than anyone. I presume they are going to sort this out for you under the Vectrix 2-year warranty on the battery? Then you should see your range go up to more like what I see depending on your speeds.
Don't worry about the new software - when the battery is fully charged you will get the same power delivery as does the old software. But as the battery voltage drops the software starts to limit the rate of acceleration, but not the top speed. Since the new software I have often come home along the A2 doing 50mph - 60mph (depends how cold it is and how quickly I want to finish the journey when I near home) and before I leave the dual carriageway to get home I am seeing 4 - 5 bars left but the Vectrix will still happily get 50mph, although it does struggle to reach 60mph on an incline. As I leave the A2 and return to town roads I am quite able to reach the 40mph limit quickly, and the power delivery is fairly strong down through to four or three bars. At three bars the battery light comes on, the range display becomes meaningless :) At zero bars and zero range the bike seems to have another 2 or 3 miles left in it, although that has only happened once to me a week or so ago when I left it for over 5 days in the garage without topping up the charge before use!
I think you'll find that the replacement batteries and new software will give your Vectrix a new lease of life :D
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
Ive never owned a Vertrix so i may be talking out of turn, but in electric bikes Ive made Ive found NiMH to be the WORST of battery types.
2009 Vectrix's are moving to LifePO4 I believe - they know that NiMh has had its day.
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
hi danny and thanks . i have few questions i wonder if a the batteries in the vectrix should be toped up lets say after about four days of not using the scoot .? if they was lead acid or gel acid no probs but with these new type nickel metal hybred batts would it do any damage i/e just needed a quick hour charge ?? as if you need full range after not using scoot for a wile as said as i think these have a small drain on them ? have you noticed anything i am not talking about leaving it plugged in all night i now that its best to unplug straight after a full charging has ended. as there are small drains when plugged it so is best to unplug to be economical as possible.. after all that is one of the reason to buy a electric scooter
. when spoke to technical man he said that he could put in this software in that would limit the total top speed to 50 mph as i had to decline this offer as said to him that i needed to go to 60 mph as hopping to do my bike test over the next few months and legally the scooter if in the category that it is then i would not pass but .!! but after i pass my bike test ??? keep fingers crossed i have no problem with the top speed been 50 i think as really never been doing these speeds any way over the last six years riding just electric scooters as most of them struggle to do over 30 mph altho i did have one that did 45+ mph few years ago .i have on a sunny day taken my son on the back of my old scooter it was a evt 40000e i fitted think it was 27 solar panels to it they was from a you i/e boat flexei from a real plain and small solar panels looks like them that attach to the lights you find in the garden. with extra gel battery fitted and several cut off switches the evt was only made for 30 miles range tops i put my 9 stone son one back and me 14 stone thats 23 stone. extra weight battery all wiring solar panels ect ect i recon scooter caring extra 24.5 stones a lot !! we managed to go to york 30 miles range and left our scooter near the river in the push bike part with only the sun to charge the scooter we left it to charge for 3 hours to trickle and i mean trickle. reason 3 hour as son was bored and wanted to go home so off we set homeward bound we got pulled over be the speed cops cos as he said it looked like we had stolen it we hadent of corse . as we was riding on the path its a push bike and pedestrian walk as well but used this lane as the duel carriage way cares was fling past up at 50/70 mph so wanted us to be safe the evt gave up the goast at 60 miles wow have i set a world record ??????? probably not anyhow enagy was free that day i/e sun and we had to push the scooter the few milaes back home with free food along the way i/e we eat raspberries from a bush i have a video i will post soon if i can find it its funny think my son said i should utube it !!? so i recon mybe just maybe my next expedition will be to take the girlfriend to scarborough thats the seaside to you and i . just as soon as VECTRIX company pick up my scooter and replace the batteries and the sencers and do a memory dump and reinstall new software and hpfully look at the gearbox making slight crunching sound been told it just needs bedding in but skeptical about that sound ..?? i recon the way i can ride we could achieve 74ish miles range obvousley take a extention lead and with a few shekels in my hand and bowing down with my flat cap and with the ( cheek of an orphan on speed ) i recon i might get vectrix charged over there ???? i will be doing this at speeds of approx 25 to 50ish also feathering the throttle i/e going going steady lad with the throttle and using regen weare ever possible and dont no if you no but i have managed to switch off the front dip-headlight 35 watts ouch so just the leds stay on front and back so very little wastage urm carnt wait to get in shape think im gonna get in shape for this marathon i/e drop 1 and half stone at the mo ??? as asda says evry little helps and il have to get the girlfriend to loose weight as well. every little helps speek very soon kev
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
i have just had a thought the regen breaking is it posable to damage the gear box using it i/e if going down the mother of all hills and using it fully .?? or what about if the traffic lights changed quick and only full regen is used quickly will it damage it ? and nobody has said with regen breaking that if slight long inclines is it better to feather the throttle with tiny amounts of regen this incorporates a little freewheeling with the vast weight of the scooter /downward momentum . good question me thinks
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
I keep a very lazy regime of looking after my Vectrix. When it gets home I plug it in immediately and leave it in overnight. Same at work, when I get there I plug it in immediately and don't go near it for the next 8-1/2 hours of my working day. So in a 24 hour day there are only really 2 hours that it is unplugged, and that is when it is being ridden to and from work! I know that is not very "green" of me, but I don't have the time or inclination to nip out to the garage after 4 hours to unplug it. I read that others have used timers to achieve the same effect, but that will compilcate matters with the new software that will perform an additional 4-hour Equalisation Charge each 12 hours of use!
As regards the new software - I don't know why your Vectrix man is saying that the new software limits the Vectrix to 50mph. Unless he is talking to you about something different from the current mainstream software!! I had an update to the software performed in November and the Vectrix has been running at the same top speed as previously, the only thing I observe is that the rate of acceleration drops off as the battery charge drops, so when I am 20 miles into my 26 mile commute the acceleration is about 75% of what it was at the beginning of the ride. By the time I am down to the last 3 bars the acceleration is about 50%.
If you leave the Vectrix plugged in over a long weekend or several days of non-use the battery charge still drops - the charger is not smart enough to see the voltage drop and top it up again. So what I tend to do is in the evening before I am due to commute to work I unplug the Vectrix, leave it a few minutes, and then plug it back in again to cause it to perform an "opportunity charge". I have done this an hour ago, ready for tomorrow morning, and the reported battery voltage is 104v, the charger is charging in CC mode and should top the battery off back to 125v before closing down for the night.
You said about an extension lead - be careful of these. Vectrix do advise you not to use an extension lead as the usual domestic leads will not carry the full current and can cause a drop which can in turn cause issues with the Vectrix and its batteries. I have made up a special lead using a 5 metre cable suitable for electric cookers, it will carry a maximum current of 6.2Kw (well over the charger's max load of 1.5kW). The parts were bought from Wickes for just under £15. Also, make sure if you are using an extension lead that it is not left coiled up, coils generate heat and can cause an electrical fire. My dear old father in law used a lawn mower a few years back with 50% of the extension lead still coiled on the reel, it got hot, melted, and if not for the RCD circuit breaker it would have caused a localised fire in the reel!!
To your question re Regen braking - I'm no expert but would have thought that the Vectrix designers would factor in the ability to perform maximum regen braking on long downhill stretches. It is beter not to freewheel if possible as that is a certain loss of control, there should always be a control on the wheels whether driving or braking. That said, even on my long hill the Vectrix has not exceeded 62mph (100kmph) - so I'm thinking that its own natural friction, even without regen, causes an element of braking to take effect. But I would not grow to rely upon it!
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
NiMH is my least favourite battery technology (from the experiences Ive had)
When will vectrix be moving to Lithium?
Re: vecrtix range poor i/e total.distance 34.5 miles
Keven
Can you remove the speed restrictor on your emax 110s. I think is has a top speed of 37mph with out it.
Greensaver Batteries just informed me that they are making a new battery, the SP60-12, for the emax scooter. I am sure it is the battery in you emax 110s scooter. Nice to here it performs so well. It is the same size as the SP-68-12 battery but is 8 pounds lighter. The information for the emax 110s scooter is at this link for those not familiar with this scooter.
http://www.e-max-scooter.com/products/e-max_110s.php
Eric Fisher
www.SiliconeBatteriesUSA.com