Recent content by eTouringOldie

This thread is about charging an e-bike using solar panels, not a plug-in charger. For that purpose, my timing is driven by the weather and position of the sun. Plus, for plug-in charging, the rate difference is insignificant unless you're charging like 100 bike batteries. I have a 48V / 22 Ah...

So, after quite a bit more research and phone calls, I've come up with this: https://www.amazon.com/ATEM-POWER-Monocrystalline-Foldable-Batteries/dp/B08Z7BKHX5 and one of these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B74HF4X3 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5HPPZDP (there are many others with similar...

Yes, and I eventually found several others.

LFP == LiFePo4, correct? Dang, wish I’d looked into this sooner as I already have a 22 Ah Li-ion battery. Seems like there are trade-offs between the two chemistries. The lithium ion batteries are going to be lighter, the LFP batteries are going to be cheaper, but mounting the LFP‘s will be a...

Oh, I absolutely plan to carry an AC charger. Interesting idea about using the solar charge controller to charge from a car. I imagine the solar vs AC charging ratio might vary wildly from trip to trip, destination to destination.

Do LFP batteries have advantages over Lithium ion batteries? Power to weight? Charging time? Usable cycles? Also, at a quick glance I’m not seeing 48V LFP e-bike batteries. None of the 48V unit seems to be made to mount on the frame.

Yep, probably 10 - 15 lbs with controller and cables. Good news is that thanks to your suggested search string, I did find several 'boost' charge controls, including the exact item which would be included with the Sun200 from 'ElectrifyBikes' -- only $60. I get that this is sort of a...

Yes, that's one of the kits I've looked at. Those panels are at the max size I can imagine handling (41 inches long dimension when folded). But I think the controller that comes with it only outputs 18V, so it won't charge a 48V battery, will it? I guess you're saying that kit plus a boost...

No, after a long chat w/ Renogy, it turns out they don't have a portable charge controller which will work with my requirements (12 or 18V PV, 48V battery).

Foldable seems like a requirement given that I’ll be transporting it on the bike or trailer. A 2 * 5 ft sheet is gonna act like a sail and really affect my ride. Plus, it makes the rig wider and if it’s not in some rigid frame (more weight) it’s gonna get flexed which can’t be good, and probably...

The battery is a case with a bunch of small lithium cells inside.

Yep, the cost certainly got me over here when I saw that the panels are worth between $200 and $300 (ish), but I had no idea what a charge controller might cost. But if the panels are close to (or more than) $300 and the controller is another $200, then DIYing isn't going to help me that much...

Thank you for that info. I guess you're saying that, given your riding habits, the battery discharges faster under real-world conditions than it charges from your AC charger. And you're also saying that charging is non-linear. If your battery is drawing 300 watts, then that's about 6 amps...

That's the actual question I'm trying to figure out. I mean once I nail the charge controller, it shouldn't be too hard to find compatible panel. I just notice that many/most of the charge controllers I see can't step-up the voltage, only down, and none of the panels I see produce 48V. And I...

Thank you -- nice to know I'm not completely insane. Funny, when you mentioned angle and tilt, I immediately thought of telescope setups which automatically track a spot in the sky to focus on an object as the earth rotates under it. As for 'leave it for 8 hours', hard to say. As I mentioned...