I upgraded to 60V recently on my Liberty town and country 643. I am running 5 22AH SLA gel batteries from battery wholesale.com As a tip for all of you here these batteries are the same size as the stock 20AH batteries.
I installed a digital voltmeter since the stock one didn't work any more. At full charge I get 67.5 volts. Let the bike sit overnight without using it and it drops to 65 volts. Is this normal or should I be worried about a short or current draw?
Also, what voltage does the bike need to be recharged at? The old meter was analog so if it got halfway down, I knew I should charge. How low can I let the voltage go when running 60v? I would like to do a range test. The farthest I have gone is about 14 miles without problems.
A quick drop back down to near 64V is very common and when you turn the bike on and start it up or turn on lights etc. expect it to drop to and below 60V rather quickly. Perhaps someone else here knows the actual percentages of what should be considered 50% 75% full etc. so I will leave it to them to answer that part. I am just not sure what actual voltage is considered the limit you should drain till.
Dave ; Tennessee
XB-600.
The voltage drop overnight increases as batteries age and get real bad after about 2 years with SLA. The smaller amp rating the batteries are, the worse it will be. Regarding how far you can go on your current batteries depends on the size of motor and how fast you go. Using 60v on your system requires that your controller be set for LVC at about 50v. You should NOT let the batteries drop below that as their life will be shortened drasticly. You should be using a 72v controller with a LVC at 50v and running 65v for the best and safest system with good speed. Power is dependent on the size of motor as long as the controller provides up to 45a.
Thanks for the replies. This has been helpful.
I typically get between 15 and 20 practical miles of range from my 60 volt setup. Dependent entirely upon throttle application and riding conditions.
It's not a good idea to do much riding around once the voltage is dropping to around 54v idle or 50v draw. Anything below that and you're going to be lowering their usable lifespan. It's not advisable for these batteries to make it below 10 volts per battery for very long.
Typical charged voltage is between 65 and 67 volts. The charger I have charges at 73 volts.
When you are apply peak draw with a non-shunt-modded controller the voltage can drop to 61V with a pack at full charge.
I've had to replace the pack once after having ridden around very frequently over the course of a year and a half. I wouldn't expect a set of batteries to last much longer than a year or two if you ride a lot, and I've estimate I rode it a minimum of 1,000 miles in the first year.
These are identical to the stock batteries.
http://www.electricvehiclesusa.com/product_p/ba-ty-12-20.htm
But if you're looking for an even better deal this eBay seller has them in packs of 4 for $140 shipped.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310130075904
These are the batteries I am using: 22AH batts They are the same size only 22AH vs 20AH. I expect a bit more range. I have done a 14 mile round trip with the accelleration voltage drawing at 58 volts and constant still at 59.9 to 60.5V. I plan on trying a 20 mile trip soon to see what happens.