Ezip/Izip Trailz conversion

I don't know about range, but speed will be much faster with a hubmotor, WE, crystalite, golden, or 9 continents. As long as the voltage is the same category, 24v, 36v, the pingbattery will run a zip bike fine. I don't recall if the Izips can be overvolted, but many of the 36v hubmotor kits can be run at 48v. In general more volts gives faster speeds. Range usually really improves with the lithium batteries since the same weight can be carried but the battery will have twice the ah or more. For example, my WE bikes can go 6 miles on a 12 ah sla pack, and 25 miles on a 20 ah pingbattery.

One of the better deals currently is from High Tech Bikes. They are offering a kit of an Aotema (WE) motor and a 20 ah lifepo4 battery for under $900. The battery is the same type as a ping, with prismatic cells. If your range needs are less, it's even cheaper with a 10 ah battery. I don't think you find a better deal from a USA based vendor than that.

I haven't seen a lot of zip bikes in my town, but the one I have seen was noisy and slow with the motor on the back hanging off the frame. the more expensive hubmotor type zip bikes are much nicer though, with batteries built into the frame and a much quieter motor.

A very on-point topic for me. The standard E-Zip Trailz battery is of course 24 volts, but I'd read several accounts (including on this forum) of folks upgrading successfully to a 36-volt LiFePO4 battery, with just the sort of enhanced speed and range dogman describes. I purchased a 36-volt, 16AH Ping battery for my Trailz bike, but unfortunately it's not working as currently configured. The battery itself is fine -- I was able to connect it directly to the motor -- bypassing the controller -- and it delivers a lot of power. It seems, then, that Currie Technologies has recently modified the controller (my bike was purchased in 12/08) so that it no longer accepts overvolting as previous models apparently did without modification. I've looked into substituting a controller designed for 36 volts, but I can't find one that's fully compatible -- meaning I'll likely need to replace the throttle as well. If any of the kind folks on this forum have been down this road, or can offer any insight or advice, I'm likely not the only one who'll appreciate it.

Time to revive this topic! I got a good deal on a new EZIP Trailz, and want to have someone build me a 24 volt, 10-20AH pack that is inside a standard EZIP battery case, if possible. I'd also consider two 9-10AH packs for better balance. From 2009 on they can't be over-volted without replacing the controller and throttle, but that's OK: 15-18MPH is fine with me. I just want less weight, more range and more charge cycles, without putting more stress on the bike's components. I can hope the Currie 9.6AH LiFEPO4 pack goes on sale for much less than $500 around christmas, but if I could get a better pack built for less money, then obviously that would be a good thing. Can anyone point me to a pack builder doing this kind of conversion, using quality cells like CHL?

I posted here the other day and the site ate my post whole. Here's a slightly edited post from Endless Sphere:

Re: EZip Trailz LS - 2013

Postby LeftieBiker » Sat Nov 17, 2012 7:52 am

I just got a black diamond frame Trailz from Woot.com for $380 shipped and with tax. I got both free shipping with a $5 coupon code, and next-day delivery, by sheer chance. The bike appears to be in as close to perfect shape as these things get (it had one wrong size spacer on one brake caliper) and the bottom of the crank housing tells me that it was made only about 8 weeks ago! I guess that makes it a 2013, too. The pack seems to be in great shape, and arrived nearly charged, but I left it on the charger the full 8 hours the first time, and rode it as a plain bicycle the first night I had it. It felt pretty good even unpowered, once I got the seat height right. I think the folks who claim these things weigh a ton didn't grow up riding steel-frame bikes. This bike has a lot more power than I had expected: the PAS mode alone provides about as much as I expected, so the throttle adds a real thrill! I had an even heavier Giant LA Free Sport about a decade (or more) ago, and while it claimed to be 1000 or 750 watts (I forget which, but it had a High and Low mode, with no-pedal throttle mode only available in Low) it was much less powerful than this EZIP. I can cruise up hills that had me panting and my legs hurting (admittedly, I have a lousy cardiovascular system and leg problems) with ease. If only the weather were warmer!

My plan is to eventually get the 9.6AH Currie lithium pack unless I can get one custom built for less, but with a good SLA pack that doesn't make the bike feel too heavy, I can wait for an after-christmas sale. After my disastrous luck borrowing to buy a $1450 bike that arrived broken, I still can't believe that I was able to get something this nice for a price I can actually afford. I've ordered one of those Cateye headlight-taillight-computer box sets, a folding bar-end mirror (although I'd prefer a more traditional bar mount), and a set of pannier bags to both let me carry stuff and at least partially disguise the bike from casual scrutiny by Law Enforcement. That's right: I live in the only state in the union (NY) where E-bikes are illegal...

Has anyone else in the US encountered this? I was emailed a return shipping label for the Prodeco Phantom that arrived broken, and Fed Ex picked the bike up (after going to the wrong part of state on the first attempt). A few days later - yesterday - they returned it here, saying that since the number on the HazMat label (it has a lithium battery pack) no longer matches the number on the main shipping label, they can't ship the bike. Wouldn't it have been helpful if we had been told this when we arranged the pickup, or when they picked the #@!!@ thing up? Anyway, it appears that to return a bike with a lithium battery, you have to get not just a new shipping label, but new Hazardous Material paperwork from the dealer or manufacturer. I'm not sure how this will be resolved. The gods curse me.

It is helpfull for me

I still haven't gotten new shipping labels to send the Prodeco Phantom back - it seems the company doesn't know how to do it legally with the lithium battery accounted for, or actually can't. I made the mistake of replying to an email while half-awake today, and said I'd be willing to buy the pack and charger for $250, keeping them here and having it deducted from my refund. They countered with $330. The problem is, I'd forgotten that I can't over-volt my Trailz to 36 volts, and so can't use the pack. Would anyone here want to come to Upstate NY and buy a virtually new (scratched but never used, just charged) 12AH 36 volt pack with built-in BMS and charger, for $350? They go for about $550 retail. This site isn't known for fast responses, but if you're interested, please answer tonight.

Does anyone have any idea of how well the 9.4AH RMB lithium pack for the E/IZIP bikes is working out? I want to get one, but the reviews for the smaller 6AH pack were mixed, and I don't want to spend $450 on an Iffy piece of tech. It has a built-in BMS at least, but I want to get at least the three years it's guaranteed for out of it, with no problems if possible.

Oh, and I would also be interested in having an EZIP-compatible pack, with BMS and charger, put together for me. Either the same capacity at a lower price (but still high quality) or more capacity for the same price. Any of you battery manufacturers interested in trying a prototype for an aftermarket EZIP/IZIP battery pack? I think the two lithium options offered suffer from two little extra range in one case, and too high a price with unknown reliability in the other.

I've been emailing with Mr. Ping about having a pack put together by him, and it looks promising. One possible snag, though: I assume I need to come up with the empty battery case. I got what seems to be a good SLA battery set with the bike, and don't want to sacrifice it - I want to keep it as a spare. Currie doesn't sell empty packs, and I can't find anyone else who does. So does anybody here have an EZIP 24 volt battery pack with dead but not leaking batteries, or, better yet, an empty case to sell?