Overheating?... Overvolting?... Oversomething? ... Help...

[bikerboy79]

Hi Guys. Ok I have a problem with my ebike. So when I go on a long journey on my return where I'm near the end of a big hill climb I get loss of power, battery icon flashing with no bars in it, followed by an error message (532) on my bosch purion display. Then I have to wait 15 to 20 minutes before the error message goes away and the ebike returns to its normal state.
It seems like overheating or possibly the "recovery effect" i've read about elsewhere. This malfunction doesn't happen when I go on a short journey. It only happens when I go out for maybe 2 hours or so and when I return there is this huge hill I have to climb, when im near the summit, surely enough I get this error. Almost every time I'm out for more than 1 and a half hours. I've even opened up the covers to have a look at all the wires and connections and everything seems fine. Any ideas guys?
The bike Isn't old I purchased it back during the first lockdown. (April this year)
Any feedback would be kindly appreciated. It really is frustrating as I'm constantly on the lookout at the display and changing assist levels to try and stop it from malfunctioning. Ruins the ride.

 

[Nealh]

It depends on the battery SOC after 1.5 - 2 hrs riding and how depleted the battery is.
Do you up the PAS level to climb the hill ?
If so then the extra current supplied could be causing battery sag if SOC is already low, if so then the BMS will trip the LVC threshold and cut out. Quite normal under the circumstances if this is so.

 

[richtea99]

Just to help (not having a dig, Neal ) :
- PAS: Pedal Assist System (but can also be 'Sensor' in other posts)
- SOC: State of Charge
- BMS: Battery Management System
- LVC: Low Voltage Cut-off

 

[Fordulike]

I dream of having enough juice for a 2 hour ride. I agree with Nealh, probably battery sag with the battery near empty. Then a rest of 15 mins allows it to recover somewhat.

 

[bikerboy79]

Hi guys, Yeah well well this "Cut off" has happened even with 5 bars, and its also happened when its been on 1 bar. The max is 5 bars BTW. So i can actually make the malfunction happen by just turning the assist level full. (TURBO) and then climbing a few big hills and really get the motor working hard then the shut down occurs and when the bike goes back to its normal self the battery icon shows full charge.

 

[bikerboy79]

Just to add I do ride with on either eco or tourand even off when going downhill. Hence a 2 hour ride being possible.

 

[Fordulike]

Should be still under warranty, I would get it looked at before it expires.

 

[WheezyRider]

Hi guys, Yeah well well this "Cut off" has happened even with 5 bars, and its also happened when its been on 1 bar. The max is 5 bars BTW. So i can actually make the malfunction happen by just turning the assist level full. (TURBO) and then climbing a few big hills and really get the motor working hard then the shut down occurs and when the bike goes back to its normal self the battery icon shows full charge.

How cold is the battery? When the weather gets colder there is often a noticeable drop in battery performance.

 

[bikerboy79]

How cold is the battery? When the weather gets colder there is often a noticeable drop in battery performance.

When I got the bike back in summer, it would do its malfunction more often, but now, during winter, I find that it goes longer and harder. I can tell there is quite a big drop in power just before a shutdown. So I'd ease off the pedals and put in in eco. So I find it is working better in the colder days.

 

[vfr400]

How old is the battery? It sounds like it's sworn out.

 

[bikerboy79]

The battery came with the bike which was purchased back in April this year. I bought it online(regretfully) otherwise I would've just cycled it to where I purchased it and told them to fix it. Would it be possible to take the battery to a bosch dealership and ask them to run a diagnostic on it?

 

[vfr400]

The battery came with the bike which was purchased back in April this year. I bought it online(regretfully) otherwise I would've just cycled it to where I purchased it and told them to fix it. Would it be possible to take the battery to a bosch dealership and ask them to run a diagnostic on it?

Yes. You'll have to pay for the test, but if the battery is less than 80% within 2 years of purchase, you get a new one.

 

[bikerboy79]

You know, I actually think its a faulty battery, Looking back when I got the bike, I was wanting to start riding it straight away. But I was told the first thing I need to do is charge the battery 100 percent. And i remember, it had 3 bars when I first turned it on, and it took from 10:30 in the morning to about 3:30 in the afternoon and this is from having 3 BARS to begin with. And now every time I do charge it, it does take a very long time, I usually leave it overnight because it takes so long. Reading the manual on the bosch website it states 4.5 hours to fully charge. however mines takes waaaay longer than that. Do you know how much it costs for the diagnosis?

 

[vfr400]

£10 here, otherwise whatever they think they can get away with. The tester is automatic, so about a few minutes to connect and deal with the print-out.

Ebike Battery Test

 

[GLJoe]

You know, I actually think its a faulty battery,...... it took from 10:30 in the morning to about 3:30 in the afternoon and this is from having 3 BARS to begin with...

Almost certainly a faulty battery.
Take it back to the dealer, describe the problem, If the diagnostic test doesn't pick any issue up, then just get them to try it (by the sounds of it, just send it to them discharged and ask them to time how long it takes to charge up!).
They should get you a new one.

 

[Andy-Mat]

You know, I actually think its a faulty battery, Looking back when I got the bike, I was wanting to start riding it straight away. But I was told the first thing I need to do is charge the battery 100 percent. And i remember, it had 3 bars when I first turned it on, and it took from 10:30 in the morning to about 3:30 in the afternoon and this is from having 3 BARS to begin with. And now every time I do charge it, it does take a very long time, I usually leave it overnight because it takes so long. Reading the manual on the bosch website it states 4.5 hours to fully charge. however mines takes waaaay longer than that. Do you know how much it costs for the diagnosis?

It certainly "smells like a faulty battery", as my Grandfather used to say when something was not quite right, but not always a battery....!!
Andy