Cyclotricity problem

[Annie B]

Hi
Have recently bought almost new Cyclotricity bike.I live on top of the Malverns and went electric because the hill back home is very steep and after a day out on my bike rather too much of a climb.Unfortunately the bike has suddenly decided to cut out going up the steep hills.
The battery has been fully charged and the lights show it still is almost full.All the electrics cut out once starting up the hills.Has anyone an ideas why this should h

 

[Nealh]

A link to the bike ?
Did you select low gear as not to stall the motor ?
Did you select a higher assistance level for more power ?
How far had you ridden before attempting the hill climb ?

 

[Annie B]

I selected 2 to start with changed to one.I had ridden down the hill to the shops on this particular occasion.Not far around a mile all downhill really.

 

[Nealh]

Not a lot to go on really.

Almost new, was this a used 2nd hand buy from some one or the company ?

 

[Annie B]

I bought it almost new from an older lady who rode it once and said she was too terrified of the mad cars on the road to go out again.She had lost the receipt and ihve had it a year.so probably no comeback with Cyclotricity

 

[sjpt]

Could be a dead battery if it has sat for a year without being used or kept a proper charge level.

 

[Annie B]

Someone else said that.Why would the lights record battery as full do you think?

 

[Nealh]

Reason why I was probing for questions and some details.

With any power cut out the battery is the first item to look at, ideally we need some battery values. An older battery not used or cared for will degrade and have a short life, the saying goes use them or lose them.
Ignore little led lights and how many as they don't give us much more info then a few bright lights that light up. You need a voltage meter that can give you a voltage reading or borrow one, place the battery on charge for a voltage reading from the discharge connector/pins of the battery after the initial charge and about two hours after the charge.

 

[Nealh]

There is a remote possibilty the battery voltage is out of balance and needs balancing, if it charges ok we can rule out a very low cell group voltage.
Ideally as mentioned above some meter readings after charging will be a start to see where the issue might lie.
Ideally we would like to see 41.5 - 42v after charging how ever led lights aren't accurate and all led's will remain lit with voltage down to about 40v, so led's aren't an ideal way to presume a battery is in good shape.

 

[sjpt]

Someone else said that.Why would the lights record battery as full do you think?

When a battery is dead (or very tired) it will still charge to full voltage and all the lights will get lit. However, as soon as you try to draw current from it the voltage immediately sags. That happens a little even with a new battery, but with a dead one it sags so much it gives almost no power and the batter management will cut it out completely.

 

[Nealh]

Before deciding if a battery is very saggy or past it's best, one would try and prove the point by rigging up a temporary voltage source to see what does happen to the voltage in use or in a test with wheel off the ground.

 

[Andy-Mat]

Before deciding if a battery is very saggy or past it's best, one would try and prove the point by rigging up a temporary voltage source to see what does happen to the voltage in use or in a test with wheel off the ground.

Also, its possible that the controller is setup to "try" and supply more current than the battery can supply, probably due to its age and possible lack of maintenance.
Setting a lower current (if possible), may stop the problem, and after a few full charges and discharges, might bring the battery back to life again.
I don't know this controller, but many can be re-programmed for a lower maximum current draw.
Sadly, it may also possibly be a warning that the battery is almost finished as well....
Hopefully you or someone else here knows the setup procedure...
Andy

 

[Nealh]

I only know of the KT's which can have their current toned down by the user other's like Lishui can be programmed by a dealer if the controller has a data cable.

 

[Annie B]

Reason why I was probing for questions and some details.

With any power cut out the battery is the first item to look at, ideally we need some battery values. An older battery not used or cared for will degrade and have a short life, the saying goes use them or lose them.
Ignore little led lights and how many as they don't give us much more info then a few bright lights that light up. You need a voltage meter that can give you a voltage reading or borrow one, place the battery on charge for a voltage reading from the discharge connector/pins of the battery after the initial charge and about two hours after the charge.

 

[Annie B]

Hi Neal
I have tested voltage now 3 times.Before charge was 38. Volts on charging 41.volts then after two hours ,it was 37.volts.
Does this indicate any problem with the battery?

 

[Nealh]

Yes the battery has had it Annie, once charged is should maintain that charge there after and at 41.5 - 42v. Losing 4v in a couple of hours is very bad.

Just in case it's a balance issue (highly unlikely) you could try leaving it on charge for a two or three days to see if it gets any better , but it needs to be left somewhere safe and dry for this like an outhouse, shed or a covered BBQ and not in or too near the house.
Once it has finished the main charge drawing 2 - 4a depending on the charge rate the BMS balances at lowly 30 - 50ma which can take hours or days depending on how far out any balance is.

 

[Annie B]

Yes the battery has had it Annie, once charged is should maintain that charge there after and at 41.5 - 42v. Losing 4v in a couple of hours is very bad.

Just in case it's a balance issue (highly unlikely) you could try leaving it on charge for a two or three days to see if it gets any better , but it needs to be left somewhere safe and dry for this like an outhouse, shed or a covered BBQ and not in or too near the house.
Once it has finished the main charge drawing 2 - 4a depending on the charge rate the BMS balances at lowly 30 - 50ma which can take hours or days depending on how far out any balance is.

Ok Thanks Neal. I usually charge the battery in the house. I havent got a charge point outside.Is there a reason why it should be charged away from the house? I can ask a friend to charge it in her garage if needs be.

 

[Nealh]

Safety reasons you don't want a short burning your house down use an extension lead, the cells are aged and knackered there is no knowing if a short may occur.

Tbh though a 4v discrepancy in two hours is very bad and self discharging that much it needs to go for recycling, Good cells will stay within 0.05v of each other or if a bit out of balance 0.1v, so it goes to show how far out 4v is.

 

[Annie B]

Safety reasons you don't want a short burning your house down use an extension lead, the cells are aged and knackered there is no knowing if a short may occur.

Tbh though a 4v discrepancy in two hours is very bad and self discharging that much it needs to go for recycling, Good cells will stay within 0.05v of each other or if a bit out of balance 0.1v, so it goes to show how far out 4v is.

Right.ok understand.Better to burn down the garage or shed I think.

 

[Hubby]

Hi Annie,
Maybe this comes too late for you, maybe it's of no use, but i thought you might be interested in this YouTube vid on Reviving a Dead Battery
H.