Battery problem with Freego

[wightrider]

Earlier this year I got the batteries replaced in my case by Insat and all has been well. When the bike is not in use I leave the battery on it and just do checks every few weeks by plugging in the charger which shows a green light so I know all is well with it. I went to use it today and the indicator on the top of the battery was showing nothing. The charger is showing a green light immediately. I took out the fuse to test it and it is showing continuity so it's not that.

Has anyone else experienced this or offer any advice please? The bike was running fine when last used so I can only assume the cells have an issue? I guess a wire could have come loose inside but I haven't opened it up to check it as yet.

 

[JuicyBike]

Earlier this year I got the batteries replaced in my case by Insat and all has been well. When the bike is not in use I leave the battery on it and just do checks every few weeks by plugging in the charger which shows a green light so I know all is well with it. I went to use it today and the indicator on the top of the battery was showing nothing. The charger is showing a green light immediately. I took out the fuse to test it and it is showing continuity so it's not that.

Has anyone else experienced this or offer any advice please? The bike was running fine when last used so I can only assume the cells have an issue? I guess a wire could have come loose inside but I haven't opened it up to check it as yet.

Have you tried switching the battery on with its key and then charging?

 

[wightrider]

Just tried that and no change.

 

[JuicyBike]

If the battery is within warranty then send it back. If not, might be worth looking for a loose wire from switch.
Wouldn't advise delving deeper...

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The bike was running fine when last used so I can only assume the cells have an issue? I guess a wire could have come loose inside but I haven't opened it up to check it as yet.

You shouldn't assume anything. Simple measurements will tell you where the problem is. Check the voltage on the charge socket (2 outer pins) and then check the voltage on the battery output terminals.

There's normally two fuses on a battery: charge (5A) and discharge (20A). Which one did you check? The charge one is sometimes inside the case.

 

[wightrider]

Thanks for your responses. I've checked the voltage at the bottom of the case and it reads 0 Volts for for all key positions with and without battery attached. Have checked both fuses and both show continuity. I haven't checked the charger output though. That said I can't get any voltage at all from the cells and I would expect at least something small. Is there a voltage regulator or other hardware controlling charging and flow inside the case? I'm wondering whether this is wrongly telling the charger that the cells are at capacity?

 

[Nealh]

Your battery needs to go back to Insat so they can have a look as it should be under warranty, open it up only once warranty has ended.
Chargers are generally reliable but you do need to check the output first to rule that out. Next is the battery output, if is as you say 0v then an internal fault is responsible but needs opening to find out could be or could not be a loose wire a switch could be the issue. Your next step is to contact Insat first.

 

[wightrider]

Just spoken to Jemmy at Insat, he reckons it's a not uncommon cell imbalance which happens when they are wired in series. The cell nearest the Battery Management System is normally the cause as it can be charged whilst the rest aren't and it fools the BMS to tell the charger it's all fully charged. The other possibility is that it may be the BMS itself. I'm always amazed at Jemmy's depth of knowledge. I'm sending the battery back to Insat tomorrow for some " reworking"

 

[wightrider]

Thought I'd better update this thread. I did indeed send off the battery to Insat where it was discovered that the BMS had failed. Unusually my bike had an electronic BMS as opposed to the common mechanical one and Jemmy had to order the specific type from China which delayed things and by the time I got the battery back the season had moved on to the darker, colder and wetter part. Top marks to Insat though for putting it all right. I gave it a real test in January this year and it's running and charging fine now albeit with a tempera mental pedal rotation sensor which I've cleaned up so fingers crossed that will be ok. My original plan was count the miles I commuted on the bike and to convert this to money saved on fuel which I could then redress against the original purchase cost (it was a cheap ex-hire bike in excellent condition).But then fuel dropped down to 99p a litre and the original battery pack died, was replenished then the BMS failed. With courier costs each time it all adds up so I think I will be having to do lots and lots of commuting to claw this back!
So there is the little moan but there is a positive side. I love using my electric bike and given the option to give up on it or keep it running it was an easy decision. It gives a different dimension to cycling, I travel further and quicker and its a great intermediate for improving stamina before getting onto a regular cycle. The strange thing is that after using the electric bike for a while I find it easy to ride a regular cycle mainly down to the big difference in weight. So whilst some say "its cheating" I must be working out quite well. I can still outpace my teenage son.....well last year anyway.

 

[wightrider]

Yet more battery issues unfortunately. I've kept the battery topped up but it hasn't had a lot of use. Went to use it last week and it cuts out under load despite the charge indicator on the battery and handlebars saying it's full. What we have here (in my opinion) is the reoccurrence of the BMS's inability to judge the state of overall charge in the pack. It must be checking the first cell, seeing the voltage is slightly low and then cutting the power to the motor because it thinks its protecting the cells from over discharge. The problem is I'm paying for couriering the pack back and forth for the same old issue which I am terminally bored of now. I can't rely on this set up and I'm back on my regular bicycle now which I am getting more and more fond of.
It's been an interesting experiment trying electric bikes but I've thrown way too much money on it for not a lot back. Don't get me wrong, its great fun but enough is enough.
Maybe I'll try discharging the pack completely somehow and then recharging it to see if that may help as I have £200 of virginal batteries sitting there doing nothing.

Trying to get the enthusiasm to give Insat another call.

Tune in next time folks for more E-bike moans LOL!