I picked up a 24v Lee Iacocca EVG Ebike

[Ykick]

Sounds like a repair! Piece of old tube should be fine or next time just use a tire patch on the inside.

No matter how much electrics and battery tech improve we're still at the mercy of +100 year old tech tires and wheels. Tire/tube repair, wheel lacing, truing and tensioning will always be very helpful skills to master. That's true whether you ride with a motor or not!

 

[hodgie]

Thanks for all - great tips on batteries and gearing. I have a 36V SX. Stock. Best

 

[ez-Ebike]

I have a few hundred miles on my EVG so far. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME form of transportation. I get home from work faster than with my car in traffic. It's so much fun beating all the cars for 2 straight miles of lights, and then driving the rest of the way on quiet, peaceful bike routes surrounded by nature. 30-35 mph is plenty fast for me. Very consistent exercise too.

Recently picked up a second EVG frame off craigslist for $75. Rebuilding this one for my dad using the same components (A123 and 1kw motor). They won't be the lightest ebikes for sure, but they are excellent commuter frames! Iaccoca built like a truck!

 

[hodgie]

Yes. built like a truck. I have an 36V SX.

Someone opened a car door on me last summer. Cracked my helmet, and bent the heck out of the front rim. But, otherwise, no damage. Heavy with an SLA battery. Moving to Lithium.

Enjoy. Note: Helmet is a MUST!

 

[cor]

I do not know which state you are in, but AFAIK, California requires a helmet when riding an e-Bike (not a regular bike unless you are under 18)

 

[chroot]

I never wore bicycle helmet during the riding an ebike and I live in bay area, California. Cops never stop me at all even they stood watched me drive pass by. :lol:

But I started wear the protection helmet and pair of glove nowadays. However I spoke with several cops and they said there is no required if you are an adult except under 18 years is required wear the helmet by California law. That's it

I do not know which state you are in, but AFAIK, California requires a helmet when riding an e-Bike (not a regular bike unless you are under 18)

 

[snoutmeat]

Glad to see there's a thread running here for the EVG Iacocca bikes. I have a 36v that has been sitting in the garage for years. The battery pack was kept on the charger until probably 4 years ago when I took the bike out for a test drive with the supposedly charged battery and it crapped out less than a mile from home. OK, fine, battery was worn out. I did some research on the web and found the guy/company who bought the rights to the bike. He told me that the battery packs had been the subject of a recall and that some flaw in the design of the battery led to warped plates, short circuits, and fires. Everyone within a certain timeframe had been eligible for a free replacement battery pack. Of course, I was too late to file my claim, but he'd sell me a battery pack for $190 that would go into my original battery housing. Didn't take advantage of the offer because some other project cropped up to steal my attention. Now I'm looking at the bike in the garage again and weighing my options.

1) Found the original email from 4 years ago -- the company that took over all of EVG's assets is e-lectricwheels.com. Their website looks like it hasn't been updated for 4 years, but I'll give them a call to see what they offer these days. Their price may have changed from the $190 shipped they offered 4 years ago.

2) Nycewheels sells a drop-in replacement made up of 6 smaller batteries: http://www.nycewheels.com/36voltbattery.html
With shipping, it's also somewhere in the $180-$190 category. They describe it as a 7Ah solution (lower than the original 8Ah). Their site doesn't show specs on the cells, but a little more searching turned up this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BATTERY-EV-GLOBAL-MOTORS-E-BIKE-36V-7AH-6-PACK-EA-/310234823746#vi-content
The seller's photo is the same as the one on the nycewheels website, so I think it's safe to assume it's the same unit. His photos show that the battery pack is made up of EVX1272 SLAs. These are 12 volt, 7.2 Ah batteries. The photo appears to show 6 of them connected in series. So wouldn't that make a 72 volt 7.2 Ah battery? Or if 3 were run in series, and another 3 were run in series, then these 2 were run in parallel, wouldn't that give you a 36 volt 14 Ah battery? I'm apparently missing something on their math. If I were feeling handy with the terminal connectors and wire, I could buy the batteries separately and put one of these together on my own. EVX1272 batteries are available all over, and I could potentially get it down to $100 or $120.

3) I'm surprised that there's not a 12V battery that's 1/3 the size of the original battery so I could put 3 of them in the original enclosure. With 6 batteries inside the enclosure, it seems like a lot of the space is taken up by the plastic battery cases...if there were a solution that's twice as wide as the EVX1272, then that's more room for lead and electrolyte. I'm sure Nycewheels has investigated this because they do have a 3-battery solution...but it puts 2 batteries in the original enclosure and a 3rd battery on the rear rack with new wiring to wire everything together (it's also visible at that nycewheels link above). That one is sold as 12 Ah -- a 50% bump in capacity over the original.

4) I've read about the fact that SLAs really only provide something like 50 or 60% of their rated capacity...so if I'm going with the EVX1272 solution, I'm really able to use something like 4 or 5 Ah? That doesn't sound too impressive. That makes me start thinking about other solutions like RC batteries or a Ping battery. Ping (http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-36V-LiFePO4-Battery-Packs/Categories) has a 10Ah 36V pack that's 1/3 the weight and 1/2 the size of the SLAs. This would give me an increase in capacity over the original battery, but it appears that maybe it doesn't have the same ability to discharge at a high rate as SLAs? They say it's for use on "up to 400w motors", and the LE has a 500 watt motor, so maybe I'd need to bump up to the 15Ah solution (which says it's for up to 600w motors). The smaller pack is $318, and the bigger one is $423, so a much bigger initial investment than with the SLA solution, but potentially a much better solution in every way (lighter, double the original capacity, and recharges many more times than an SLA)...but it's 2x or 3x as much money as the SLA solution, so it's more of a commitment.

5) I could conceivably put together an RC solution that would fit in the original case and provide improvements similar to those of the Ping battery.


What I'm hoping for: a solution that will fit inside the original box, provide at least as much performance as the original, and be super-cheap. As far as I can tell, it's a "pick any 2 of those criteria" situation. Thoughts? (and what's up with the specs on that EVX1272 solution? What am I missing -- if you look at the pictures, it sure looks like 6 12v batteries in series...)

Thanks!

 

[DCMotorworks]

in that e-bay ad the 12v sla battery in the 1st pic is a misprint (or just false advertising). the six batteries in series in the 2nd and last pic are 6v 7AH. expect a range of 7 miles in turbo mode, 10 to 12 miles in economy mode with that setup.

DC

 

[snoutmeat]

I think I have figured out the deal with the Ebay seller...some people have described filling their EV Global 36V boxes with 2 12v batteries and 2 6v batteries all in series; the EVX1272s are the perfect size to be the 12v batteries in such a system -- they're the same dimensions as 2 of the 6v batteries side-by-side. Maybe the Ebay guy is actually selling 2 12v and 2 6v (despite the 6 6v batteries shown in the picture)? Doesn't make much difference, I guess...the end result is 7Ah.

 

[snoutmeat]

So here's my perception of my current choices:

1) Sealed lead-acid batteries. Essentially the same technology as this vehicle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Electric (note that the linked vehicle is 105 years old). Pros are that they're relatively cheap ($150-$200) and that everything on the bike remains stock. Cons? Everything else. 7Ah is really more like 4-5 Ah. They weigh a lot. Discharging too much reduces their life. Leaving them partially discharged for an extended period shortens their life. And some reports indicate that at least some models are wearing out within a year.

2) RC lithium batteries. Pros: the ability to create exactly the bike I want depending on my desires (range, weight, cost, etc). Cons: the RC world looks like it's for the hardcore tinkerers who like to do everything on their own and continuously fine-tune their system. I was that guy with desktop computers, cars, motorcycles, etc....but these days I have little free time and want to spend the time I do have riding, not tinkering. It looks like some guys spend thousands on their setups...but end up with some incredible rides. These batteries also sound mighty temperamental...like "Happy Fun Ball" from the old Saturday Night Live ad.

3) A Ping or FalconEV pack. Cons: 3 or 4x as expensive as the SLA batteries, and I'm not quite sure what's involved in splicing one of these packs into my bike. Pros: everything else. Weight, capacity, environmental friendliness, recharge cycles, tolerance for being stored partially-discharged, etc. I think the best-case solution would be to slip the battery pack into the existing battery case (the thing with the handle on it and has the integrated charger -- though of course I wouldn't be using that charger) because then I wouldn't have to cut/splice in a new battery connector and could revert to SLAs in the future...not that I'd want to, but I prefer solutions that are reversible. Not sure if a Ping pack fits inside that case or not...and this solution might leave the horn, headlight, and taillight functional? This really seems like the best solution for someone who wants a better-than-new EV Global bike and wants a solution that's simple, straightforward, invisible, and relatively bulletproof.

So for me it sounds like a LiFePO4 pack is the obvious way to go...it's just too bad that the cheapest option is $500 and stores roughly 3x the energy of the original. I'd love to see a 7.5 AH that's half the size of the 15 AH for a little more than half the price, because this would theoretically get me more range than the original SLAs, and then upgrade later by adding a 2nd in parallel if I wanted to extend my range.

 

[KevXR]

Looking at a used EVG Ebike. Took me a while to figure out the LE, LE Touring, and SX models. How do I tell if it is 24 or 36v?

Do they have a key?

The battery is dead. Any good way to test the motor and controller, other than packing a 36v pack? Two 18v Ryobi batteries for a test?

Anything else to look for problems?

Thank you

 

[dnmun]

if there is no charger with the EVG bike. ask them what happened to it. see if they have a bill of sale or can tell you where they bot it. with no charger it is likely to have been stolen. just like with laptops on CL. they steal the bike but not the charger.

 

[KevXR]

if there is no charger with the EVG bike. ask them what happened to it. see if they have a bill of sale or can tell you where they bot it. with no charger it is likely to have been stolen. just like with laptops on CL. they steal the bike but not the charger.

I actually lost my charger when I loaned out my scooter, but yes I am highly suspicious of someone without the items that would remain at home.

 

[DCMotorworks]

you can look at the tag on the heinzmann hub motor to tell its voltage. there are two tags. one will read 24v 400w or 36v 500w. Stock, the evg's had decals on either side of the battery compartment which had the voltage as well. if you are just looking at a grainy picture on craigslist or an auction site and can't make out the decal or motor tag, from what I have seen, all 24v bikes had frames which were painted to match the front fork and plastic side covers whereas all 36v models have a silver colored frame (rear triangle portion) no matter what color the fork/plastic bodywork is.

I have seen one EVG which had a keyed on/off switch instead of the usual switch located on the top of the throttle/power led cluster. I don't know if this is just rare or it had been modified. some bikes also have a locking battery compartment.

the charger is located internally, inside the battery box.

DC

 

[KevXR]

I picked up a 36v eBike today. It showed fully charged, so I rode it around on full power.
I'm 210 and made it about 6 miles. Clearly, this is a pedal with power and cost when possible ebike.
Peaks out at about 17 mph on fast (Kind of boring) and 12 mph on conserve (kill me please).
Should be a good first ebike. Previous owner said it has a new battery.

 

[KevXR]

Added a speedometer to it and took it for a ride. I went up a fairly steep hill, that eBike does pretty well!

Needed fixes:

MOTOR CUT OFF SWITCH ON BRAKE LEVER
One of the brake cut out switches does not work. I cannot for the life of me figure out how they work. The working one looks just like the non-functioning one. Also, I lost one of the screws that holds on the switch. Off to the hardware store.

SEAT WIGGLE
The seat wiggles. It has an annoying left to right wiggle. I tightened up the bolts, but it still wiggles. Anyone else have to fix this problem

 

[DCMotorworks]

The brake cut off is a hall-effect type switch activated by a small magnet on the brake lever. It has to be lined up perfectly to function, but you said they both look the same so It is probably in line and just broken. I don't think I have had one fail yet tho. I have had the plug wiggle loose from the controller a few times.

Come to think of it, the 1st E-bike I ever bought was sold to me as "not working". turned out that the brake cut off switch was just mis-aligned and was therefor sending a false "brake on" signal to the controller and shutting the power down. I remember the diagnostic process, after putting in some fresh batteries, went something like " huh, he was right. it doesn't work. wait, why is the brake light on?"

And ya, I have had one of those stock suspension seat posts wiggle side to side. was annoying. I think just tightening up the collar helped a bit? There is also another Allen key adjustment on the bottom of the seatpost shaft that sets suspension preload. I honestly can't remember if I was able to "fix" it or I just tightened everything up until the wiggle AND nearly all the suspension was gone. Anyways, I tend to keep my suspension seatposts pretty tight as a rule. I find the "floaty" feeling to be disconcerting and even fully tightened they still manage to smooth out the unexpected seriously hard bumps which is all I really want from them.

I've picked up a few of these EVG's over the years (currently own 5) I think they are really solid well laid out frames to upgrade w/ a brushless motor and some lithium batteries. My main 2 commuters started life as the original 24v models; upgraded to 48v 1000w and 1250w systems with 16 12AH headway cells stuffed into the battery compartment. My "winter project" has been converting an EVG SX to 72v 40 amps with 10AH of LiPo (probably won't routinely commute on it but I am keen to get into the "40 mph club"). The extended frame geometry of the dual crown(?) SX fork gets rid of the over 30 mph hands off shimmy that the regular forks exhibit. not exactly a big problem with the otherwise capable regular suspension forks tho as I generally tend to keep at least one hand on the bars when traveling at over 30 mph.

I want to be clear tho, even as I have modified/upgraded nearly all my EVG's, a fully functioning 36v LE or SX in totally stock kit is actually a pretty nice ride IMO. A hair more speed would be nice, and obviously dumping the SLA batteries for LiFePo (or LiPo) as soon as ones budget allows for it is constitutes a huge upgrade but still, simply because I wanted to keep the electrics totally stock on at least one of my EVG bikes, I ended up adding an Xtra-cycle cargo extension to my one remaining non-modified 36v LE and TBH? 17.5 mph (with all that sweet old school brushed Heinzmann torque) seems plenty fast enough to go pick up some groceries or um, lumber or w/e.

DC

 

[KevXR]

Thanks for the reply.
I'll check the brake controls again. See if it is the connection on the other end.
The seat, I'll probably replace. The wiggle is just annoying.
It's a SX and a pretty nice bike. The forks seem pretty stiff, might need cleaning. Another "To do" item.

If I get another bike, it might be with a "Commuter Booster".
Though I enjoyed going up a hill like Lance Armstrong, fast and cheating.

 

[KevXR]

I have been playing with the EV eBike. For now, I will stick with the SLA batteries. I like the simple, plug in charging. Has anyone created a 5 or 7ah backup 36v pack for the rear rack? It would be nice to have as a reserve if the batteries fell short on a ride.

 

[sharkmobil]

That battery box is perfect for 8 6s5000ah packs, which might give you 44.4v@20AH or 88.8v@10AH depending on your preference. Allowing some breathing room. If you wanted to be real meticulous about filling all that battery framespace, go with 24 6s2450mAh - 1300WH, not many bikes can carry that amount of energy stealthy and gracefully.

 

[bumper]

I just picked up a 36v LE! $200. All stock. SLAs are showing some degradation, but I've done 2-3 mile rides with no problems. Fully charged it goes from green light to the middle light (yellow?) then the yellow and the red one light up. Finally, the red light by itself lights up. Haven't drained it all the way down. Impressed with the torquiness of this motor. Also, the horn and the front light work great.

However, the high pitched whine has to go. I think it attracts too much attention. I will swap it out for a 36 volt lifepo. and a brushless quiet hub. I'd like to keep both the battery and controller in the front box protected from the elements. 2 questions:

Anybody gotten a 36v pack that will fit neatly in the battery box? Vendors? I don't think Ping has one that will fit.

Like someone suggested, I'll sell the parts separately. How are you guys breaking up the bike? Battery, rear hub, controller, various bits/pieces.

I'm not technically proficient so I'd like to have everything be as close to plug and play as possible.

 

[KevXR]

FYI: There are EVG parts and a frame being sold on eBay. Not me, but if you wanted a frame or parts...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/E-Bike-EVG-Ebike-LEE-OEM-New-Beautiful-Cranberry-Metalic-Frame-with-Vin-/321257248145?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4acc6c9591