Carrera Crossfire-E Cutouts?

[redcup1999]

I have now done about 400km on my Crossfire-e - in that time it has cutout 4 times.

Halfords solution seems to be to check the connections and see how it goes.

My partner's bike also cuts out.

It's an annoyance rather than a critical fault, but if I had bought a new car, I wouldn't put up with it cutting out at random times every 100km. (and it does seem to be genuinely random - not just after we have been over big bumps, or only when in sport mode up big hills or any other constant factor).

So my questions are:
1) Has anybody got a Crossfire-e that has NOT experienced a battery cutout?
2) Has anybody managed to get their bike fixed by Halfords? If so, what did they do?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

The problem is not random. There's no computer in the bike generating random numbers so that when it gets a particular one, it cuts the motor. There's an exact cause for your problem. You need to make a pattern out of the circumstances in order to find the cause.

The display takes a separate supply from the battery independent of the controller. If the display goes off and needs to be switched on again, its connection to the battery has been disrupted, which means a connection fault or intelligent decision by the battery.

If the display doesn't go off, but the motor cuts, the controller has made an intelligent decision to cut the power based on parameters that it's monitoring.

If you have to switch off the battery and switch it on again in order to restore power, the problem is within the battery and due to the BMS making an intelligent decision to cut powervbased on parameters that it's monitoring.

Which of those three situations apply to your bikes?

The fact that the power can be immediately switched back on eliminates many of the common problems you get with electric bikes.

Reasons for battery cutting power:

Faulty connection to display or controller.
Over-current detected
Cell voltage too low detected
BMS over temprature
Faulty switch on battery

Reasons for controller to cut power:
Over temperature in controller or motor
Hall signal missing
PAS signal missing
Throttle signal outside normal range
Battery voltage too low detected
Brake switch on

Over-current situations are likely to happen during going up steep hills. Over-temperature can happen shortly after going up steep hills because it takes some time for the heat to travel to the sensor.

 

[redcup1999]

Thanks for the reply.

The situation is always resolved by pressing the battery button - so the problem would appear to be within the battery. The BMS is detecting some kind of problem and powering the battery down. It's a shame there don't seem to be any kind of error codes stored that can be seen by the user.

The battery will always power back up when the button is pressed, but may cut out again within a few seconds of starting pedaling - this process may have to be repeated up to 7 (in my experience) times to get a proper restart going.

It does not happen only in "sport" mode - it can also happen in "eco" mode when theoretically the level of assist is lower. It also does not happen only when going up a steep hill. The manual says that there is "tell tale" on the display if the bike detects an overheat state in the system - it will limit assist and flash up a warning on the display if this happens - not just shut the battery off completely.

I can speculate further, but that was not the purpose of my original post.

What I am really trying to establish here is if other owners:
1) Have a bike which has never cut out
2) Have had any luck with Halfords resolving the problem.

 

[cyclebuddy]

What I am really trying to establish here is if other owners:
1) Have a bike which has never cut out
2) Have had any luck with Halfords resolving the problem.

If you check Halfords own website, there're currently 63 reviews for the Crossfire E, and just about every second or third review reports this "battery cut-out" problem...
The resolution there appears to be to use Velcro or a strap to hold the battery more firmly into/against the bracket/frame and stop it jiggling about.

 

[KeithMac]

At least one person on here has had to strap his battery down to prevent the bike cutting out, and plenty more have reported the problem..

You could use some electrical insulation tape to temporarily strap it to the frame and see if that improves matters.