Love my bike, but just wanted to be sure what I was experiencing was normal.
When I first got the bike I was able to take the highway from my house in Alameda to my work in Emeryville (about 11 miles one way) w/o issue for the entire summer and fall. To be specific, it worked fine after the first week, which I took as a problem being ironed out with regular charging. But when winter came the problem from the first week came back and that was:
Going over the maze before the Bay Bridge toll gates the battery light would come on and flash all the way down the other side and as I exited to surface streets it would continue to blink for maybe two or three minutes total and then the temp light would come on and blink like with the batt light. Finally the wrench icon would flash just once and they all would go off. It would happen on the way to work so I was still well above half a charge when this happened.
The issue never caused me problems, the bike never slowed down, and the range has been consistently 35 m.p.c. I didn't even think it was a problem since it happened the first week and then came back 6 months later and the bike never misbehaved, but then in the last month, before the rains, it started happening sooner. Before I got to the upslope to go over the maze, on the flat running behind the Oakland post office. Same symptom, but now it would go to the top of the hill and the temp light would come on for a few flashes and then they all go out.
I had assumed that the problem was the unit over-heated, and that tripped the sensor to alert me and as I went down hill and slowed to surface streets it cooled, but now it was happening earlier and fixing almost at what I would expect was the HOTTEST part of the ride. So now I don't know what to think.
Today the cycle repeated FOUR times before the top of the maze. Surely it means something...
-Randy
Could it be due to a temperature difference between sensors?
AFAIK the S-BMS does not like it if there is more than 10degC difference between the sensor measurements.
I have never heard of a sequence as the one you are describing.
Do you park in a warm garage, then start riding in cold air? Then park outside at work? That could explain why it does not happen on the way home: Battery already at about ambient temperature, so that driving will not introduce stronger cooling effect on some cells than on others.
You can test if this is the problem by leaving the Vectrix outside overnight so that the entire battery is at close to ambient temperature. The fault should then stay away.
Have you taped over the useless holes in the front of the battery compartment yet? That might also help, but it may be something completely different, anyway, just guessing here!
This information may be used entirely at your own risk.
There is always a way if there is no other way!
Israndy, please have a look at this youtube video.
My damaged battery got 42C, and my dashborard got blinking lights like you describe: first de battery light, then the red battery icon + red temp icon + yellow wrench icon.
have you checked your battery temp when the blinking lights came on?
Yip, that is the sequence, and it repeats. Sorry to take so long to get back, the rains here just don't stop. I did video the sequence, but your's is better. Mine is when the bike is moving and loops. When the error goes away I keep riding and it happens again. Sometimes just the battery light and then off. I pulled over at work and the light was still flashing with more than half the battery left the other morning and checked the battery was at 31 degrees.
Like I say, I don't know that my range is much less than new, no trouble going 30 miles, much of it freeway, if I ever feel like it's low, I just pull off on city streets on the ride home, usually I get home with a steady red light and it does the super long charge overnight and I am back to normal. It is kind of surprising on those days when the charge isn't going to take me as far, the battery looks fine and then going up a hill I will loose 4 bars. Yikes! Off to city streets. Seems like in the last year it has some times been that unpredictable, so it is likely normal...
I am just really worried about the flashing light show.
-Randy
ps. One year since I got the bike next week and my plates finally arrived! Yea California!
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I also own a 2018 Tesla Model 3 and a 2012 Mitsubishi iMiev
Hi Israndy
sounds to me like temp sensor board failure ,but would need some more info.
If you are saying that you have a temp of 31 from start up I pressume that is after charging so check that both plenum fans are working ,one is not enough you need both .
the meter looks low on your vid does the light come on when the meter is low or all of the time.
Steve Scott
Hi Steve. The video is from my bike, not randy's. It happens at low meter. When the meter arrives below mid level the bars disappear pretty fast, and the temperature rises very quickly. I try to avoid discharging to this level, but sometimes I need that range in may daily routine. Riding only at 40-50 km/h does not help, the temperature also gets sometimes over 40ºC
No problem!:-)
And the ambient temps was 30, 20 or 10 ºC...?
A picture of my bike during the phebus. After 10 minutes of precooling, the temperature was 45ºC
I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but that's your battery pack dieing. It was the same with mine. I hope you get to get the Lithium pack installed before this one dies completely or you or your dealer should find and shunt the dieing cell.
If AndY1 is right I'll just take it to the dealer and see about getting it fixed...
-Randy
______________________
I also own a 2018 Tesla Model 3 and a 2012 Mitsubishi iMiev
Did you check out those capacitors! AWSOME! Thanks so much for contributing to the thread. (huh?)
Well, the bad news was the dealer went out of business. The good news is I emailed Dana and he was able to get back to me. I hear that he is training a guy to handle the west coast of the US and hope to be one of his first customers. In the mean time I finally annotated the video I took of the bike with the lights going on and off as I drive. Since I don't believe we have another video like it posted yet I thought I would add it to our collective knowledge and hope that it spurs some action or at least helps another soul out down the road.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5qwebH9bGo
-Randy
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I also own a 2018 Tesla Model 3 and a 2012 Mitsubishi iMiev