Hello All, new here! Just got me a second-hand eZip 750 and I'm very excited! Being that I'm a tinkerer, I'm already wondering if there's a way to increase the range of the scooter to possibly 12-16 miles. I'm not too worried about breaking the sound barrier w/ a 20mph scooter. I'm thinking that the way to go is to get a set of batteries with higher amp-hours. Is this correct? I think the stock one gives 10 amp-hours so one with 18 amp-hours would give me an 80% increase in range, correct? Well, it's probably not that simple so that's why I'm here. Thanks in advance!
Oh yes, one more thing to add: I haven't tested the range yet, but the gauge goes from green to yellow after about 30 seconds of use. Does this mean that the battery is on its way out? I went about 3 miles yesterday and the light went down to red for a while but didnt seem to lose too much steam. Its a bummer if I spent all this money and I already need to get some new batteries...Luckily it's just for fun so I don't need the range at the moment.
The leds on the Curries simply monitor voltage and cannot be viewed as much of fuel gauge. It will dip under load all the time. You could always load test your batteries to get a better handle on their condition. Nothing bigger fits in the compartment of the 750 but I doubt if you would really want to ride this 20 miles anyway. You could probably fit one 18 A/H battery inside and one somewhere on the deck if you were committed to this. Have fun with it as it's not a real car replacement.
JTH/Amp Brothers Electric Cycles/MI
Thanks jthmi!
I already purchased two batteries on eBay. I guess I'll see if it does the same thing or not. In all honesty, you're right that I probably won't want to sit on this thing for a couple hours, but it's nice to know that you have that option just in case. My plan when I get the new batteries is to charge them right after use (thinking about just keeping it on the charger 24-7 since it's a Currie charger and should shut off at max) and be careful not to drain the batteries to empty. In your opinion, is this the best way to prolong the life of the batteries?
I also realized that the higher the ah rating, the bigger it is, which won't work in my case since I like to keep things as stock looking as possible--no batteries installed anywhere but inside the tray.
Is it dangerous to ride the eBikes in the rain or are they generally built to be water resistant. Obviously you wouldn't want to ride in torrential rains, but I just want to know if I should resist using it if there's an inkling of rain in the sky.
On another note, how do I remove duplicate posts? I noticed that I must have hit the submit button three times...
Currie eZip 750 Electric Scooter
Well, it looks like you figured out the duplicate post problem; I don't see any.
At our normal pack voltages, rain isn't a problem. I wouldn't submerge it, but riding in the rain is not an electrical event.
If you are not sure if the pack is good (and a used battery operated device probably has bad battereis - that's why the PO dumped it), check the individual battery voltages UNDER LOAD after the pack is mostly discharged. If one battery is dropping below ~ 10V, replace them all.
Mark
Thanks Mark! Regarding the duplicate posts, it's still there as far as I can see.
Good to know about the water resistance of these scooters.
I'll have to buy one of those load testers to see what the deal is. I bought the scooter from a guy who worked at Best Buy not too long ago and it was apparently a floor model, so I think we all know how that story goes. I should have done my research to check the battery in a more scientific matter before I shelled out the cash, which was more than I wanted to pay for a tired battery.
If my current battery does end up being in good condition after load testing, can I store my new batteries until I need them, or will this substantially reduce the life of them? I'd hate to have to keep them on a trickle charger while they're waiting to be used.
Currie eZip 750 Electric Scooter
Well, I took the scoot for a little range test and I did 5 miles in about 45 minutes and got sick of riding the thing. It was still going pretty strong after 5 miles so I'm thinking my battery is okay after all. I may end up selling the new battery that I receive because I don't think I'll be able to sell an old battery.
Currie eZip 750 Electric Scooter
I've wondered the same thing. I have heard that SLA's have pretty good shelf life, with a low self-discharge rate, so you might get away with "topping them up" avery few months... I would ask over at Endless Sphere; they seem to have more technically oriented regulars.
Mark
Thanks MF, I'll do that.
Currie eZip 750 Electric Scooter
I have a Schwinn s750 which is the same basic scooter made by Currietech and licensed to Schwinn.Mine has two 12 volt 12 Amp Hour (AH) batteries and runs at 24 volts. If yours is 24 Volts as mine this will be helpful. I've gone through a couple of changes to increase the range. I first changed my batteries from 12AH to 15AH found at ( http://www.techbatterysolutions.com/eZip-750-Battery-p/1319.htm )choose the upgrade to 15AH set. The package with a coupon is $72 delivered. Since I actually use my scooter for transportation to work this didn't give me the range that I needed. I then bought a second set of batteries and mounted them behind the seat . I connected them in series parallel and literally tripled my range and my battery life.
It's not a good idea to leave the batteries on Currie's charger more than a few hours after Green, because it's not going to shut off from Float mode, and will eventually "cook" the SLAs. Charge them to Green plus one hour, or whatever the manual says. (But if the manual says to "cycle" the batteries fully, IGNORE IT!)
The LEDs actually are fairly useful, once you understand them. The voltage drops under load, but how much it drops and how well it recovers is how you tell how "full" the batteries are. If it stays Green under light loads, you're fine. Once it drops to Yellow (or Red) under any load, it's time to recharge. If you get a solid yellow light under no load, the pack is indeed dying.
Hey folks,
I have an eZip 500 and am needing some help figuring out a battery range issue. I am a tech and have installed 3 different sets of 12v 10ah batteries so far and...they all send the scooter meter into the red VERY quickly (and on flat ground). I get no where near the range I used to and I can't figure out what is going on. Has anyone else had this issue?
I checked the battery plug and wires for heat after use - hoping to find a bad connection going to the motor controller. Nothing so far. Wondering if maybe my motor is on its way out or if there's too much friction on the chain.
I use this because I have a walking disability and it gets me up some hills to my car (I live in San Francisco). I only go 10 blocks in it in a day, at most. Seems like it should be able to handle that no problem (and the old batteries have lasted over 2 years).
Any help much appreciated!