Charging ebike batteries off grid

[BrianS]

I am wondering if someone can help me with an ebike battery question.
We have a pair of Seago ebikes with 36V 10.4AH Samsung batteries and are going to France for a couple of weeks and, late in the day, we have decided that it would be nice to take them with us.
We haven’t booked any campsites and are hoping to use the plentiful aires that seem to abound over the channel.
I am looking at ways we might be able to charge the ebike batteries whilst not connected to the mains and have got entirely confused looking at inverters and power banks!
Is there a simpler way whereby we could use some sort of charger that plugs into the van’s 12V circuit does anyone know please?

 

[Guigsy]

eBike batteries contain a lot of energy. You say they are 10AH each, but that's at 36v. So the pair of them are the equivalent of 60AH of van leisure battery energy. That's a lot of juice! If you're not using the bikes much and you just need to top them off every couple of days, you might get by? If you use them a reasonable amount though, you're going to need several hundred watts of solar, or a really powerful DC charger that you can charge them while the engine is running.

To charge them, the most efficient way is to get a 12v DC-DC charger. Alternatively you can use your existing mains chargers and plug them into an appropriately rated invertor. Going from 12v DC up to 230v AC and then back to ~36v DC will lose you a few percent efficiency, but in the grand scheme of things...

 

[BrianS]

Thank you for your reply Guigsy - much appreciated! After much (many happy hours!) deliberation, forum chats, etc, I contacted a mate (from days gone by who is a bit of a leccie whizz) for advice and he has only just got back to me. He suggested taking the simple route of buying a 12v charger so I have splashed the cash on one of these which should be arriving tomorrow so will soon know if it works! Amazon product ASIN B09N43WDZL

 

[orridge]

Thank you for your reply Guigsy - much appreciated! After much (many happy hours!) deliberation, forum chats, etc, I contacted a mate (from days gone by who is a bit of a leccie whizz) for advice and he has only just got back to me. He suggested taking the simple route of buying a 12v charger so I have splashed the cash on one of these which should be arriving tomorrow so will soon know if it works! Amazon product ASIN B09N43WDZL

yes thats what use just need to ensure you order the version with the correct adapter for your specific batteries.

 

[Guigsy]

Thank you for your reply Guigsy - much appreciated! After much (many happy hours!) deliberation, forum chats, etc, I contacted a mate (from days gone by who is a bit of a leccie whizz) for advice and he has only just got back to me. He suggested taking the simple route of buying a 12v charger so I have splashed the cash on one of these which should be arriving tomorrow so will soon know if it works! Amazon product ASIN B09N43WDZL

That'll work. Just be aware that charging one bike battery from flat will take a large chunk out of a standard 100AH leisure battery. Remember that with lead-acid leisure batteries, you can only use about half of the capacity before you risk damaging it. Watch the voltage on the leisure battery and make sure it doesn't drop too low.

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[LesW]

Some info in this thread.

Do I need inverter and 2cnd leisure battery to charge ebikes. Norfolk fitter needed!

We have just ordered ebikes. Our first choices were all out of stock but we are content with what we are getting. I'm now sorting insurance, a method for carrying them on our T5 (vertical rear door) and, importantly, charging them. We currently have one leisure battery and no inverter. We have...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[suavecarve]

Someone will come along in a minute with more knowledge than me and tell you that a 12 volt charger will work but you run the risk of burning out and causing a fire. NB it is not me saying this as I dont have a clue, however I also dont have a 12 volt charger !

Battery management is your answer (on the basis you dont have an inverter and sufficient battery recharge) then you have to look at the alternatives.
Bosch do a recharging system but yours arent Bosch so noting the local area you are travelling to and finding out where the e bike recharge points are, or the facilities in cafes or libraries or even tourist information who will charge your battery for you would be a starting point. Follow that up with looking along the bike paths in that area and you will also find bike recharging points. Sports centres are another place to look for free recharging points

They are about, (in europe) you just have to find them. Tourist information locally is the best starting point (with battery charger in hand)

Best of luck

 

[pagey]

Why don't you just pull on to an aire with elec available put a couple of euros in and charge the bikes up so easy just charged ours up after 2 weeks in Germany

 

[Guigsy]

Why don't you just pull on to an aire with elec available put a couple of euros in and charge the bikes up so easy just charged ours up after 2 weeks in Germany

If you're just popping into town and back, you don't tend to use a lot of juice. So topping up the batteries at an EHU once a week will probably do it. If you're touring up in the hills daily though...

 

[nicholsong]

Have you got a B2B?

If so, charge when driving then the B2B will probably keep up with what is coming out of the leisure batteries to charge the bike ones.

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[huck999]

Check with Wisper bikes. They sell a 12v charger (takes a few hours longer) and may advise on adapting plug to fit your battery
Wisper

 

[BrianS]

Why don't you just pull on to an aire with elec available put a couple of euros in and charge the bikes up so easy just charged ours up after 2 weeks in Germany

That is certainly part of the plan but, looking at "All the Aires" book, not that many have EHU points. I am guessing you have found the aires to have EHU points more often than not? We need to have a back up hence buying the 12V charger ;-)

 

[BrianS]

Check with Wisper bikes. They sell a 12v charger (takes a few hours longer) and may advise on adapting plug to fit your battery
Wisper

Thanks for the tip but I had already ordered the charger from Amazon - arriving tomorrow - hopefully!

 

[BrianS]

Have you got a B2B?

If so, charge when driving then the B2B will probably keep up with what is coming out of the leisure batteries to charge the bike ones.

Not sure but the leisure battery has its own charger for when the engine is running plus we have solar.

 

[Jamesh]

Why not take your 230v charger and find a pub enroute plug in whilst you have a beer??

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[nicholsong]

Not sure but the leisure battery has its own charger for when the engine is running plus we have solar.

So you do not know if you have a B2B?

I think you need to know more about your charging system and its capabilities before deciding on a charging regime for the e-bike batteries.

 

[BrianS]

So you do not know if you have a B2B?

I think you need to know more about your charging system and its capabilities before deciding on a charging regime for the e-bike batteries.

Good point well made ;-) We don't have a B2B but it is on the "to do" list!

 

[jumar]

Make sure you take your Mains Charger with you, you may be needing it.....we use our bike most days, we need to re-charge after every ride, it takes careful planning, where to park-up and having enough afternoon sun to replenish two large batteries....but it works for us.