Bolt on ebike kits

[sharpstick]

We took our Revos to Burningman in 2019. They worked great, but the range was not nearly enough, so we need additional batteries. I don't see 100wh batteries on their website now. Will the 200 wh ones work? They told me that 3rd party batteries won't work. The 200 ones need a larger holder, but I don't see that on their website either. It looks like TSA has a 100wh limit on carrying them on planes. (And they allow 160 ones with permission.) We fly to Burningman. Should I just give up on them and get some other brand? It looks like the only other quick install ones are Rubbee and Swytch. (Not interested in your opinions on how ebikes are evil. We're just old farts who want to be able to make it to the trash fence and back without collapsing.)

[Elorrum]

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[Canoe]

You're going to have to either figure out, or find someone who already has figured out, what their battery pack actually is. As in, it's voltage, Ah, hence Wh, and where the BMS (battery management system) is. The BMS should be in each battery pack and transparent to the charging and use, but some 'proprietary' designs do some weird things sometimes, to save money or make their components proprietary.

As long as the actual specs match what's required (not just the superficial specs), I can't think of any reason why a third party battery pack made for those would not work. I'm very suspicious when a manufacturer doesn't publish their actual specs.

For example, my pack, which I built myself, is 10Ah @48 VDC, for 480 Wh. Plus the BMS has both charge and discharge rate (amp) limits.
100, 160 and 200 Wh just sounds stupid small.

But, with the air carrier restrictions, you're between a rock and a hard place.

[Token]

But, with the air carrier restrictions, you're between a rock and a hard place.

UPS will ship hazardous goods, so that’s an option for a “hold for pickup” in Reno. Several UPS stores in Reno.

Also, there is a difference between an installed LiIon battery in a vehicle and shipping just the battery alone or multiple batteries.

[Canoe]

I believe the issue was as Carry-On, or in luggage going in the hold.
What I used to take on-board, wasn't allowed since then. But I haven't check since Covid started.

[sharpstick]

Generic charger brick, 29.4 vdc, 2.0 a. Battery pack has LED lights, USB port for charging phone(?). Sticker says: 24v, 100wh, 250w.
They charge up okay, will hook up and test to see if they hold charge okay. (My bad for not charging regularly since 2019.)
Worse case, I suspect I can dissect the packs, wire in heavy wire and plugs and plug generic battery packs, using the existing pack as go between batteries and drive unit.
Pretty sure 200wh worth would last all day. Late night ranger shift last time, the 100wh pack got me about halfway through the night.

[Elorrum]

Watt hours = amp hours x voltage

If these batteries are correctly labeled in watt hours, be sure to always wear decent shoes for walking.

I think you mean battery capacity in amp hours of 100 or 200?

250 watt 24v motor, 10.41 amps.

Your charger is rated 2A … I think your charging generator time is another big time element to figure for large batteries.

[Canoe]

Astoundingly, those batteries are in Wh: 100 or 200 Wh.
At a nominal 24 VDC, that's a really tiny 4.16 Ah or a somewhat small 8.3 Ah.
Not a lot of energy stored.
Three guesses why that's obscured on their web site.

Sharpstick:
Unless you're leaving out a lot of detail on dissecting Li packs as you're familiar with them, it's not as straight forward as it seems.

And it's not a matter of how much charge they'll hold, but if enough of the charge it had when last ignored remains. If one cell has dropped below the Vmin, that cell is bricked, and therefore the pack is bricked. There's a few scary means of trying to boost a bricked cell (CELL, not pack) - not for the faint (and a few that are safeish to try with the correct tools and a safe place to do it), but "kick-started" cells often have reduced capacity after that, so the entire pack has reduced capacity. So for both capacity and reliability, you're usually better off identifying and replacing the bricked cell. Oddly, if you've bricked one or more cells, you're sitting on an opportunity to replace all of the pack's cells with newer higher capacity (Ah) cells. Whatever will fit in the packaging, or enlarge the packaging for more. What's the type/chemistry of those packs?

Beefing up connections et al, doesn't really matter. The extra charge is simply extra charge. It won't result in a higher voltage and won't be drawing more current. It will take longer to charge (with more charging heat, more time required to lose that heat before using), and will run for longer before it's discharged. Since the playa is a somewhat hot environment by times, I'm hoping the BMS in their battery packs have a high-temperature shutoff.

p.s.
Depending on how hard vs. soft (dunes, serpents, dust ponds, etc.) the playa is, a soft playa year will use up more of your or the batteries energy in getting you around.