charging

Electric Bicycle Charging Station – Found One!

An electric bicycle charging station installed in my city? Am I seeing this right?!

electric bicycle charging station

I was walking my puppy (or as my wife calls her, our 3 year old, 65 lb dog) the other day when I saw something out of the corner of my eye that made me stop and backtrack to check it out. “That couldn’t be…” I thought to myself. Sure enough, it was an electric bicycle charging station!

This was really exciting, as I’ve never actually seen an ebike charging station like this in the flesh before. To be honest, I didn’t even realize they existed yet.

What’s so special about an electric bicycle charging station?

To put this in perspective, and in case anyone isn’t already aware, electric bicycles don’t charge like electric cars, where you need a special, high powered charging connector that is purpose built for electric vehicle connections. Ebikes charge from standard 110V or 220V wall outlets using a charger not unlike your laptop or cell phone charger. It simply steps down the voltage to the appropriate level for your battery and has a matching charging connector, like an RCA, XLR or other common electrical connector.

That means that technically any outlet is a charging station for an ebike. When I did my 800 kilometer (500 mile) Florida road trip last year, I would “guerrilla charge” by stopping at gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants or other businesses that had outdoor outlets. I’d always ask first, and most of the time the owner was happy to let me plug in for a while.

There are two main problem’s with guerrilla charging though: A) you’ve got to find a place with an outdoor outlet, which isn’t always easy (and reason A and a half is that you have to hope the owner agrees) and B) you have to always carry your charger. The first is never a guarantee and the second is something most people don’t want to do.

An electric bicycle charging station is basically just a larger, clunkier form for an ebike charger in that it plugs right into a standard 110V or 220V outlet, just like a normal ebike charger (or phone or laptop charger). It allows anyone with an ebike to stop on by, plug in for a while and then be on their way.

This charging station was plugged into a standard extension cord

The cool thing is that DIY electric bicycle charging stations would be relatively simple to produce and operate, and they could be installed in public places like parks, pedestrian walkways, bus stops, etc as part of a municipal project OR they could be installed by businesses as a way to entice customers or profit off a booming ebike market.

Is there enough demand for ebike charging stations?

I spotted this ebike charging station in Tel Aviv, which has one of the largest proportion of ebikes in a city outside of China. The ebike explosion in Tel Aviv has been huge, to the point that the tens of thousands of ebikes whipping around the streets and sidewalks have become a major safety concern, causing the city to begin enacting a series of laws to regulate ebikes and where they can ride (seriously… for example it’s now a law that if someone age 15 or younger is caught riding an ebike, the police officer can let the air out of his tires so he has to walk it home. I should write a whole article on the effect of mass ebike adoption on Tel Aviv).

Anyways, in a city like Tel Aviv with tens of thousands of ebikes riding around, these electric bicycle charging stations make a lot of sense. The ebike market is split with two main demographics making up the majority of users: teenagers and urban commuters. One the one hand, it’s quite common to see packs of teenagers (and unfortunately kids as young as 10) riding around the streets after school. Ebikes are the new ‘cool things’ and you’re not a cool kid until your parents have bought you an ebike. Imagine the high school freedom of your first car, but in middle school… and with an ebike. The other major group of ebikers are urban commuters: people getting to work and parents dropping off kids at school. Many times a week I see a parent with two kids on a 20″ folding ebike. I even saw four people on a single ebike once, but wasn’t fast enough with my camera. But I digress.

The point is that these groups are out there using their ebikes for long distances and are frequently running out of charge, evidenced by another common sight in Tel Aviv: people pedaling ebikes with dead batteries. Commuters have the luxury of keeping a spare charger at work, but the packs of teenagers that ride all afternoon and evening (until mom texts that dinner is ready) are stuck with the juice they’ve got in the tank, so to speak. Electric bicycle charging stations are perfect for both of these types of riders! Whether you forgot to charge your ebike at work or you just want to stay out riding for a bit longer on your cruise, stopping off for a quick 5A charge can buy you those extra electrons you need.

Tel aviv is obviously a special case though, as not every city has swarms of ebikes like we do. I’ve lived in a few different states in the US, and I’ve never seen more than a handful of ebikes there. Back in 2012 in Pittsburgh, I was one of maybe a dozen ebike riders in the city. In Southwest Florida I’ve seen perhaps one ebike per day. I’ve never lived on the west coast but I know that in California there is a growing number of ebikes, and I think that the west coast is probably the best place to start testing electric bicycle charging stations in the US. Any city that has a growing number of ebikes is surely in for an ebike boom in the next few years, and these ebike charging stations can be a great service for the community and potentially for business owners that install them.

One ebike charging station to rule them all

The most common types of ebikes here in Tel Aviv are the 36V, 250W EU-legal 20″ folding ebikes. The picture below shows the line of ebikes sold by the largest ebike importer in Israel, GreenBike.

The most common ebikes in Tel Aviv

What do you notice about most of these ebikes? They almost all use the same type of battery, often called a “Silverfish” style battery (the Chinese often name things after animals they resemble, though I can’t quite figure how they landed on this one). These batteries are very popular here because in a city known for bicycle theft, these batteries can be easily removed and carried by the rider using their built in handle.

They have a charging port on the side, usually RCA or XLR, but their discharge port at the bottom of the battery is apparently used by this charging station for charging the batteries via the small black platform at the bottom of the charging station. I’m not sure if that’s a factory component, or if this enterprising ebike shop owner hacked off the discharge platform from an old ebike and mounted it onto the charging station to make charging easier for these types of bikes.

Charging connectors for many different batteries

This charging station offers charging rates of 5A, 8A and 10A which is possible for most batteries only by bypassing the BMS’s charging feature and charging directly through the discharge port. This allows higher power charging, but will not allow the BMS to cut off charging if a single cell group charges too high, at least on most BMS’s that I’m familiar with. This type of charging works, though doing it too often can be harmful to the battery. In theory though, this type of public fast charger is more likely to be used to put a bit of charge back into a nearly empty battery, and most people wouldn’t use a charger like this to completely top off their battery.

Another slightly more technical note: lithium batteries can be charged at higher rates when they are in a more depleted state, but are more likely to be damaged when fast charged at an almost full state. A proper fast charger will start out at a high current and slowly lower the current as the charge level increases.

I noticed that this charging station has a number of extra connectors draped over it, meaning you could charge nearly any type of battery, even if it isn’t the standard type used by most riders here. This is obviously quite easy to implement, as the electricity is the same regardless of the battery. All you need are a number of different charging connectors wired in parallel to accommodate different battery charging ports.

electric bicycle charging station

You’ll also notice from the pictures that this particular ebike charging station is a bit beaten up. I’d say “well loved”, but it looks more like it’s in need of some love. This is obviously going to be an issue for public charging stations, just like with any public infrastructure. Park benches are much stronger and beefier than any bench you’d put in your garden at home. This admittedly first attempt at a charging station has the right idea, but in a city with so many ebike users, a stronger design meant to withstand years of constant use is crucial to ensure the success of these charging stations.

Pay to charge?

The particular electric bicycle charger that I stumbled upon was coin operated, which brings up another issue all together: paying to charge. Ebike’s use very little electricity, and most ebikes with standard 350-500 Wh batteries can charge from empty to full for well less than the cost of a pack of gum. Considering the average US cost of electricity, an average ebike could charge fully for $0.06, which is about as near to free as you can get.

electric bicycle charging station

I’m not sure how much a commercial ebike charging station costs to install, but one could surely be built by a handy DIYer or Maker for a few hundred bucks. This begs the question of which is more valuable: profiting/recouping the investment of the ebike charging station, or providing a charging service in the hopes of bringing in more customers looking to patronize an establishment and get their sweet, sweet electron fix a the same time. That’s an issue that would be up to each business to decide for itself, but there is certainly a case to be made for both sides.

The future for ebike charging stations

This is only the first electric bicycle charging station that I’ve seen, but there are bound to be more in the future. Tel Aviv is a great test case to determine how often these charging stations get used and how much market demand there is for such charging stations. Pretty soon I think we’ll be seeing them popping up in various places along the west coast of the US and in some ebike-friendly cities in Europe. If you see any in your town, be sure to let me know in the comments below and send a picture while you’re at it. Until then, I’ll be on the lookout!

Review: Cycle Satiator – A better ebike charger

It’s been a long time since I’ve been excited by an electric bicycle charger. In fact, my ebike charger is usually my last thought – just something I use at the end of the day to top up my battery. But that was until I bought a Cycle Satiator from Grin Technologies, an innovative Canadian ebike component company.

I’ll start with a quick summary of my thoughts on the Cycle Satiator. For me, it was a must-buy because it allows me to charge many different ebike batteries, replacing a pile of chargers. It also allows me to dial in the charging power and time I want based on different situations – no more waiting for my battery to slowly charge when I’m in a rush to get going. The charger is a bit expensive at $295, but below I’ll show you how this is actually quite a deal and can even save you more money over the life of your battery. So if you want to learn about a great quality charger that can pay for itself, keep reading!

Grin Technologies – ebike innovators

You guys might remember Grin (or better known as ebikes.ca) from my article on the Cycle Analyst – one of their first ebike inventions. They’ve developed all sorts of new ebike technologies in-house at their headquarters in Vancouver. From watt meters to cycle lights, they’ve lent their ingenuity to a number of different ebike developments, and now they’ve set their sights on redefining the conventional ebike charger.

Grin Technologies Cycle Satiator Ebike charger

Grin Technologies hits gold again with the Cycle Satiator

The Cycle Analyst represents years of R&D aimed at correcting all the frustrating problems associated with cheap Chinese ebike chargers, namely:

Poor quality
Low reliability
Loud noise
Limited voltage range
Lack of adjustability

Let’s take a look at how the Cycle Satiator improved upon all of these areas, below.

Ebike chargers – quality matters!

Today’s lithium batteries are usually very safe, but it is important to remember that these batteries contain a lot of energy in a small package. Charging of these batteries has to be done is a safe way to ensure that the process occurs without malfunctions. Although ebike fires are incredibly rare considering the huge number of ebikes out there, those rare fires almost always occur during charging. The fault: usually a cheap charger. Here’s an interesting story from a guy whose charger burned up, convincing him to get a Cycle Satiator.

A typical cheap electric bicycle charger

The Cycle Satiator has been developed from the ground up with safety in mind. The design is highly efficient, generating much less waste heat than cheaper electric bicycle chargers. The Cycle Satiator is also 100% sealed, meaning no water or foreign objects can get into the charger. The charger has made it through all the testing, legal and regulatory hurdles to ensure that it meets all major international electronic standardizations, something that most cheap Chinese chargers can’t claim. All of that regulatory testing is expensive, and has helped contribute to the higher price of the Cycle Satiator, but this is a case of “you get what you pay for”. When you spend a bit more, you get a better, safer charger.

The regulatory logos on the Cycle Satiator make the charger safer and reliable – something you won’t find on most cheap overseas chargers!

An electric bicycle charger you can count on

That attention to quality has helped make the Cycle Satiator one of the most reliable ebike chargers out there. The charger initially rolled out a limited beta-test run, giving Grin Technologies time to work with users and ensure the Cycle Satiator performed well in diverse real-world environments and uses. I got my charger over a year ago for testing and I haven’t had one single issue yet.

I’ve used dozens of other ebike chargers over the years, and I’d say that perhaps a third to one half of all cheap ebike chargers I’ve used have failed on me at one point or another. Of course my only one year with the Cycle Satiator isn’t enough to speak about its long term reliability, but I’ve had many other ebike chargers fail in less than a year. Wire joints break, cases become brittle, electronics burn out, connectors corrode or fail, etc.

Cycle Satiator’s waterproof Singatron connector

So far I haven’t had any of those issues with the Cycle Satiator. The case is beautifully machined out of high quality aluminum – not plastic. The connectors are genuine (and expensive) German manufactured Neutrix connectors and waterproof Singatron connectors. Every detail has been considered to make sure the Cycle Satiator will continue working strong for years to come.

The Cycle Satiator – eerily silent power

I like powerful ebike chargers, meaning a high current charger that can pump a whole pile of electrons through my batteries in a short period of time. The only problem with high power chargers is that they generate a lot of heat, which means they need powerful cooling fans.

Before I bought a Cycle Satiator I was using a medium power 48V 4A charger (about 200 watts). It worked pretty well, but the cooling fan could be heard from any room in the apartment and drove my wife crazy. It left me trying to schedule my charging for when I had the place all to myself.

The Cycle Satiator is even more powerful, giving you the option to charge at up to 8A, about 350 watts. Despite this, it has absolutely no cooling fan. Instead, the designers aimed for high efficiency to reduce waste heat and used a well designed heat sink allowing the Cycle Satiator to passively cool itself, no noisy fan needed. At 95% efficiency, the Cycle Satiator is the most efficient ebike charger out there and leaves very few excess watts to escape as heat.

The Cycle Satiator – silent and beautiful

Now that doesn’t mean the charger won’t get hot. Sometimes I’m surprised at how warm the case feels during charging, but that’s a sign that it is working well, as the case is built into the heat sink and helps transfer the heat from the charger out through the case for passive air cooling. It certainly doesn’t get too warm to hold, and I just make sure to not leave the charger under anything that would obstruct the airflow around the case. Basically, don’t stack a pile of jackets on it then charge at 8A.

Ironically, I used to know my battery had stopped charging when the white noise of my ebike charger’s cooling fan in the background suddenly cut out. Now, I actually have to check the Cycle Satiator’s screen to see if the charge cycle has ended. It’s the same volume when it’s charging as when it’s unplugged – silent.

Charge every ebike battery you own

One of my favorite features of the Cycle Satiator, and the reason it’s the only charge I use now, is the fact that it can charge batteries of different voltages. My daily driver ebike has a 52V battery. I also use a 48V ebike on occasion. My wife’s ebike is 24V, though I have a 36V battery that I sometimes put on her bike when we go cruising and she wants a bit more power.

I used to have four different chargers for these batteries, but now I only have one – the Cycle Satiator.

The Cycle Satiator’s high quality Neutrix adapter (unfortunately sold separately)

To charge all of these different types of batteries, the Satiator can come with an optional adapter, shown above. The adapter works for a few of my batteries with the same type of connector (anderson powerpoles), but I made a few more adapters to charge the other batteries in my collection.

The process of making a custom adapter is very simple – you just need to solder the connector that matches your battery to a short piece of wire connected to an XLR connector that matches the Cycle Satiator’s DC output. Grin Technology has pre-made adapters that you can buy (I have the one pictured above, it’s great) but I’ll also be writing up a how-to article showing how to make your own custom adapters as well.

The many adapters I’ve made for my Cycle Satiator

The Cycle Satiator also allows you to create profiles for each of your batteries so you can quickly choose which battery you want to charge and adapt the charger for any pack. And you’re not just limited to lithium batteries either. Sure, Li-ion packs are the majority of the market, but you can also charge a lead acid and NiMH packs as well!

Cycle Satiator’s profile setup page

The first version of the Cycle Satiator only went up to 60V, meaning you could charge a battery up to 52V (14 cells, which charge up to 58.8V). That covers almost all of the ebike community. However, some custom ebike builders like to push the envelope of power and speed, meaning they use higher voltage batteries, from 72V and higher. Grin Technology has recently released a second version of the Cycle Satiator that can charge up to 103V, though the original version should be enough for most ‘normal’ ebikers out there.

“Satiate” your battery for longer life

The Cycle Satiator admittedly has an odd name. The “satiate” part comes from the unique ability to dial in an exact battery charge voltage and undercharge your battery as much as you’d like.

Why would someone want to undercharge their battery? Recent research in lithium batteries has found that charging a battery to a point less than 100% can increase the cycle life (the number of recharges you get before the pack dies) of the battery.

The chemistry here is fairly complicated, but the simplified version is that the higher the charge level of a lithium cell, the faster a non-reversible reaction occurs on the electricity conducting material inside the cell that inhibits its transfer capacity over time. So basically, the longer a battery is at 100% charge, the worse it is for the health of the battery. Charging to just 90% means the battery doesn’t sit around all day in that fully charged state that slowly degrades the battery.

According to Grin Technologies, charging to 90% instead of 100% capacity can increase the life of the battery 1.5x, and charging to 80% capacity can double the life of the battery. Obviously the downside here is that you have less range due to not fully charging the battery, but the added lifespan of the battery is worth it for many ebike riders.

Charging your battery to only 80% or 90% makes it last much longer!

If you plan on having your ebike and/or battery for many years, the cost savings of doubling your ebike battery’s lifespan can more than cover the cost of the Cycle Satiator. For me, I tend to go through batteries fairly quickly, building new ones and selling my current ones. That means I don’t benefit as much from the added cycle life of undercharging. But for most people that have a battery for its entire useful life, this could be a big deal.

Make it an on-board ebike charger

Due to its 100% sealed design, you can mount it directly to your ebike and turn it into an on-board ebike charger. I’ve tried this with other ebike chargers and it’s always failed due to cheap components and an inability to completely seal off the charger. But the weatherproof and shockproof design of the Cycle Satiator finally makes an on-board charger a reality. You no longer have to remember to bring your charger with you on a long trip. Simply charge anywhere you can find an extension cord!

Personally I never mounted my Cycle Satiator on my bike, partly because then I couldn’t use it to charge all the other batteries I have for other bikes. I did use the convenient mounting holes to screw it to the leg of my desk though, which kept it out of the way but accessible as well. A charger with mounting holes, what an idea!

Digital screen

Do you ever look at your ebike charger, sitting in the corner humming away, and wonder how far its charged your ebike? It’s hard to know until it stops — it’s either charging or it’s done. But with the Cycle Satiator, you always know exactly how far along your battery is thanks to the digital readout on the charger. Not only can you see the instantaneous voltage of your battery, but you can also see exactly how much energy has been pumped into it, showing you exactly how depleted your battery was.

The Cycle Satiator pumped 4.39 AH into my battery in about 2 hours.

The two-button interface can be a bit confusing at first, but you quickly master it. There aren’t that many options anyways, so it’s hard to get lost in the interface.

Cycle Satiator’s force start feature

One aspect of the Cycle Satiator that caught me off guard was related to its force start feature. Basically, if the charger detects that a battery’s voltage is below the minimum voltage for the battery profile selected (for instance, you try to charge a 24V battery using the 36V or 48V profile) it will not start the charging process. This is an important safety feature, but it can occasionally cause a problem. Some BMS units will actually cutoff the discharge leads from the circuit when the battery reaches its minimum safe charge level. This means the Cycle Satiator will actually see a low voltage, usually between 0-10V.

Hold the bottom button to force start charging

To force the Cycle Satiator to start charging the battery (once you’ve confirmed that your battery really is the proper voltage for the selected profile), simply hold down the lower button while the battery is plugged in and the Cycle Satiator is stalled on the “Please connect battery” screen. That’s it! Your Cycle Satiator will now start charging, which immediately gets your BMS to click back on once it senses a voltage above its minimum safe level.

Always up to date

Another great feature of the Cycle Satiator is that you get free updates for life. Grin Technologies has already released a few updates to the firmware to improve the functionality and add features.

You might be thinking, “What do I need to update a charger for?” Consider this: battery technology is always developing and improving. One year from today we could have an entirely new type of battery that requires a different charging profile. Any other charger would be obslete, forcing you to buy a new charger. But not the Cycle Satiator, it’s ready for the future!

For that matter, updating and programming the Cycle Satiator is quite simple. You can make all of your profiles on the device itself, though the two button interface makes this process a bit slow and uncomfortable. In addition, you can do all the setup and profile creation you need on a simple computer program available from the Ebikes.ca Cycle Satiator page in the “Downloads” section. The program runs on Windows, Linux and Macintosh, so you’ve got all your bases covered.

Cycle Satiator programming software – “Satiator Suite”

Grin Technologies also developed a really cool charge simulator that is available for free on their website, even if you don’t have a Cycle Satiator. It allows you to test charging profiles on different batteries and customize everything. This can give you a good idea of how your charging times and performances will look in different conditions. Once you have a profile the way you like it, you can even download it and add it to your own Cycle Satiator.

Cycle Satiator charge simulator available at www.Ebikes.ca

Conclusions

To summarize, I’ve been very happy with my Cycle Satiator. I’ve been using it for over a year now and it is working flawlessly. It’s every bit as good as the day I bought it.

The construction and quality is top-notch. It’s got a small form factor and it’s absolutely silent.

Sure it’s a bit pricy, but as I pointed out above, I believe this price is well worth it. The Cycle Satiator has the capability of a box full of other chargers, all in a small package. Not only that, but it can actually help your battery last up to twice as long, easily paying for itself over the life of your battery.

If you’re going to pick up your own Cycle Satiator, I recommend purchasing it directly from Ebikes.ca here. There are some resellers online but I like to give my money to the company that invested the dollars and brain equity into developing good products. Plus by buying directly from Ebikes.ca, I always know that they’ll have my back if I ever have a problem – their service is the best in the industry.

Do you have your own Cycle Satiator or want to learn more? Let me know in the comments below!

Should I Use An Onboard Charger On My Ebike?

No matter how much range your electric bicycle has, eventually you’re going to have to charge it. It’s the achilles heel of every ebike, being tied to its charger like a junkie needing his next fix.

If your ebike has a removable battery then the process isn’t so bad – simply slide out the battery and bring it to your charger. But if your battery is fixed to your ebike, on the other hand, charging can be a real pain. A potential solution is to mount an ebike charger “on-board”, which has a number of advantages and disadvantages.

Why mount an onboard charger?

An onboard charger makes it much more convenient to charge your ebike’s battery, especially when the battery isn’t removable. Instead of trying to snake the charger or extension cord through a window or around your house, you can use a smaller extension cord to go straight from the outlet to your ebike, no matter where you’ve parked.

An on-board charger also gives you the freedom to charge anywhere you can find an outlet. One of the biggest problems with electric cars is “range anxiety” which is the act of worrying about always being within range of a charging station. By mounting your charger on-board, all you need to charge your ebike is an extension cord and an outlet. Suddenly any coffee shop, book store, or restaurant is a charging station. Your city just got a hundred thousand ebike charging stations! Just remember to as you ask if you can plug in your extension cord first – not everybody’s outlet is a public charging station.

An extension cord is easier to hide in a bag or basket than a bulky ebike charger, giving you more freedom when you’re out on a ride. And if you ever forget to bring an extension cord but still need a charge, many places will already have one that you can use for a quick top-off charge. Service stations and gas stations are a great option for a quick charge, just ask if they’d mind you borrowing a cord and plugging in for a few minutes.

Onboard charger disadvantages

But an on-board charger isn’t without its disadvantages as well. Chargers get hot while they operate, especially higher power chargers. If the charger is hidden in a bag or other enclosure on your ebike it could begin to overheat, causing problems and even posing a potential fire hazard. This risk can be mitigated by making sure the charger has room to breathe.

On-board chargers also pose the risk of debris and other foreign objects entering the charger through the vent ports. One of the biggest issues is the potential for road salt, used during the winter in cold areas, to enter the charger and destroy the components inside. I’ve seen this exact problem happen multiple times.

One way around it is to install a flap of material over the air ports on your charger. While riding, the flap will remain down and cover the exhaust port. During charging, the air exiting the charger will lift the flap up and out of the way. Just make sure to use a light enough material that the exhaust air can still lift it. And don’t cover the air intake, which could cause the charger to overheat.

The best method is to point the exhaust port forward, that way the intake is pointing to the rear and less likely to pick up foreign objects. Of course you can also look for a lower power ebike charger to use instead. Low power ebike chargers don’t require a fan and are completely sealed. These chargers are great for on-board chargers but will take a little longer to charge your ebike.

This low power charger is completely sealed with no vents that would allow foreign materials to enter

Another issue with onboard chargers is battery drain. Leaving the charger connected to the battery all the time can slowly drain the battery. There are two ways to solve this problem. The first method is to unplug the charger from the battery when not in use. Depending on where you’ve mounted the charger, this option can be less appealing. Also, one of the advantages of having an on-board charger is not needing to repeatedly connect and disconnect it from the battery, so this method totally removes that advantage.

A better method is to install a switch between the ebike’s battery and charger. The switch will open the circuit to the charger any time you aren’t charging the bike. When you are ready to start charging, simply plug in your extension cord and flip the switch. When you’ve finished, turn the switch to its “off” position and unplug your extension cord.

Lastly, you need to consider the extra vibration the charger will be experiencing. electric bicycle chargers weren’t generally meant to take the bouncing around and shock forces of daily riding the way your other ebike parts can, so you’ll want to mount it accordingly. It is important to mount the charger in a way that allows for some form of shock absorption.

I like to mount a thin piece of foam between the charger and the frame. If you go with foam, just make sure not to completely surround the charger – it still needs room to breathe! Another option is to use a bag to hold the charger, since the bag will absorb most of the forces during riding.

On-board chargers come with a series of issues that need to be addressed, most importantly heat dissipation and battery drain. When you take of these issues though, an on-board ebike charger can be an elegant solution to increase your range and make charging a much more pleasant process.

photo credits 1, 2, 3

Electric Bicycle Frequently Asked Questions

Electric Bicycles have been quickly becoming a common sight in cities across the world. The more people see electric bicycles zooming around their communities, the more they want to know about them. Here is a collection of many common questions about ebikes to help you get a better general understanding of this awesome form of clean, green and fun transportation. Don’t see your question answered here? Ask a question in the comments at the bottom of the page!

Q: Does an electric bicycle charge when you pedal it?

A: No. It doesn’t. That wouldn’t make much sense. You see, the goal of an electric bicycle is to assist you, not for you to assist it. Most ebikes are capable of putting out at least three to five times the power of an average leisure rider. That means to charge an ebike by pedaling enough to go one mile, you’d have to pedal the equivalent of three to five miles – not very efficient. I

t’s much more efficient to charge an electric bicycle with any wall outlet, just like a cell phone. Some ebikes DO have regenerative braking though – which charges the battery by capturing some of the energy normally lost during braking. This will usually only return about 5% of the energy you’ve used back to the battery, i.e. you’ll can travel about 5% further with added ebike regenerative braking.

Q: Can I get shocked by using an electric bicycle?

A: Probably not. The chances are about the same as being shocked by a blender. Sure, it can happen due to a freak accident, but short of that, you don’t really have to worry. In the hundreds of ebikes I’ve built and thousands of ebike riders I’ve interacted with, I’ve never met anyone who was shocked while riding an ebike.

Sure, electric bicycles have powerful batteries that can be dangerous if you go poking around in them with a knife or screwdriver, but left to their own devices electric bicycle batteries are generally quite safe.

The one exception to this answer might be during a DIY electric bicycle conversion. The chances of receiving an electric shock are still incredibly low, but anytime you are messing around with a big battery and plugging wires into things, accidents can happen if you don’t know what you are doing.

If you make sure you have the proper guidance during an electric bike conversion, and don’t try touching bare wires together for fun, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

And as a rule of thumb, the “lick it to see if it’s still good” rule for 9V batteries doesn’t apply to ebike batteries, in case that needed to be said.

Q: How do I charge an electric bicycle?

A: To charge an electric bicycle, you simply plug it into any wall outlet, just like you would charge a cell phone or laptop computer. The charger is about the size of a laptop’s charger, making it easy to store in a backpack. Some people even mount their chargers on their ebike so they always have their charger with them. All they have to bring is an extension cord and they can charge their electric bicycle anywhere they can find an outlet, such as a gas station, library, public electric car charging station, friend’s house, etc. With outlets all over the place, an electric bicycle charging infrastructure already exists all over the world!

Q: I see a lot of places to buy electric bicycles but I also know there are DIY electric bicycle conversion kits available. Which is better?

A: This answer depends on what you are looking for. If you can afford to buy a retail electric bicycle and want to start riding immediately, that’s probably your best option. If you’d rather customize your ebike to fit your exact requirements, save money, and have some time to plan it out, not to mention some simple handyman skills, the DIY route can be much more appropriate for you. Both options have their merits. I personally much prefer building my own electric bicycles, mostly for the cost savings and ability to get exactly what I want in an ebike instead of compromising for the specs of retail ebikes. I actually wrote a how-to book all about DIY ebike conversions.

photo credits 1, 2