Before thinking about the extra battery I will let you know the costs involved. 12V 9A SLA batteries are retailing for $50.00 each and you need 4 batteries. An extra 48V 3A SLA Smart Charger is around $100.00. Diodes $5.00. Wiring (includes power output cable, charge jack and interconnect wires) $5.00. Spade connectors for the interconnect wires (small package of 10 pcs) $3.00, if you do not have a crimping tool add $20.00. Also you will need Scotch's Industrial Strength Mounting Tape to hold the batteries together $5.00.

So the total for just the parts is $318.00 or $338.00 (with crimping tool). Also you need a high wattage soldering iron and solder, add $50.00 if you do not so $388.00. All this is before taxes. And you need the required knowledge to complete the project. If you do not have the knowledge then add another $50.00 for the labor $438. So after taxes the battery pack will cost around $500.00 at standard retail pricing. But if you shop smartly around you might be able to knock off a $100.00 or $200.00 off of this price.

If you are willing to spend this money you will still have to add an additional labor fee for the technician to re wire your E-Bikes electrical system to work with this new battery pack, unless you have the knowledge to do it yourself.

Ken Finch

An off the shelf Motorino battery pack would have to be modified to add the diodes to prevent the main battery pack from discharging through the smaller pack. Also remember your E-Bikes wiring for the secondary battery has to be modified to remove the battery switch and make the second battery wiring in parallel with the main battery packs wiring.

Ken Finch

Your Motorino's design for a second battery includes a switch to choose the main battery or the secondary battery. But not both together at the same time. Motorino and Daymak uses this setup because it is easier and cheaper to design and implement.

And it's still a bad approach... All batts should be in service all the time, not some carried only as dead weight. By employing all the batts all the time the load is spread out over all the batts. Reducing the load on a battery increases battery life and with lead acid, produces more Ahs (range) and higher RPMs (voltage/speed) when the Peukert factor (voltage sag) is reduced.

Dead weight on a vehicle only slows acceleration, increases braking distance and shortens range.

Tks
LloK

Thanks LloK. The Peukert factor (voltage sag) is what I had reduced with my setup to the point it is virtually non existent till both battery packs are halfway discharged (usually 20 to 30 minutes of non stop WOT riding). If I use throttle management then it could be 45 to 60 minutes before the battery meter starts to drop under load. But when the battery meter does start dropping under load I still have quite a bit of power left and quite a bit of range left. Now if I can just solve the overheating diodes problem it would be perfect.

Ken Finch

Before thinking about the extra battery I will let you know the costs involved. 12V 9A SLA batteries are retailing for $50.00 each and you need 4 batteries. An extra 48V 3A SLA Smart Charger is around $100.00. Diodes $5.00. Wiring (includes power output cable, charge jack and interconnect wires) $5.00. Spade connectors for the interconnect wires (small package of 10 pcs) $3.00, if you do not have a crimping tool add $20.00. Also you will need Scotch's Industrial Strength Mounting Tape to hold the batteries together $5.00.

So the total for just the parts is $318.00 or $338.00 (with crimping tool). Also you need a high wattage soldering iron and solder, add $50.00 if you do not so $388.00. All this is before taxes. And you need the required knowledge to complete the project. If you do not have the knowledge then add another $50.00 for the labor $438. So after taxes the battery pack will cost around $500.00 at standard retail pricing. But if you shop smartly around you might be able to knock off a $100.00 or $200.00 off of this price.

If you are willing to spend this money you will still have to add an additional labor fee for the technician to re wire your E-Bikes electrical system to work with this new battery pack, unless you have the knowledge to do it yourself.

Ken Finch

Most excellent. The pricing is what I had figured. I plan to do the work myself. Are there any detailed instructions/diagrams out there to walk a person through doing this?

From what I gather the diodes over heating is due to them not being paralleled correct? Does that mean if you buy 2 diodes of the same rating they may not parallel?

Ken, outkasland

I don't know the Motorino bike well, but if:

• it is physically set up to accomodate 2 battery backs (48V, 20Ah)
  
• both battery packs are the same (e.g. 20Ah)
  
• battery pack wiring is then reconfigured to be connected in parallel
  

would there be any need for diodes at all? I'm not sure why they would be needed.

So after taxes the battery pack will cost around $500.00 at standard retail pricing. But if you shop smartly around you might be able to knock off a $100.00 or $200.00 off of this price.

Also might want to compare any upgrade project with just replacing the whole pack... this 48V 20Ah pack:
http://www.evcomponen...

at $699US plus shipping and taxes(?) and labour(?) means that you get a pack rated at over 1000 cycles (rather than SLAs that are usually rated at only 300 cycles), a pack that is much less affected by cold ambient temperatures, and despite the same nominal Whs, will deliver more actual watts than the SLAs because of almost no "sag"... Oh yah, and the vehicle would be a little lighter as well.

If the pack can be made to fit in the existing battery compartment of course...

Tks
Lock

So after taxes the battery pack will cost around $500.00 at standard retail pricing. But if you shop smartly around you might be able to knock off a $100.00 or $200.00 off of this price.

Also might want to compare any upgrade project with just replacing the whole pack... this 48V 20Ah pack:
http://www.evcomponen...

at $699US plus shipping and taxes(?) and labour(?) means that you get a pack rated at over 1000 cycles (rather than SLAs that are usually rated at only 300 cycles), a pack that is much less affected by cold ambient temperatures, and despite the same nominal Whs, will deliver more actual watts than the SLAs because of almost no "sag"... Oh yah, and the vehicle would be a little lighter as well.

If the pack can be made to fit in the existing battery compartment of course...

Tks
Lock

By chance do you know what is in the battery? Is it lithium?

I have good news!

I contacted the dealer I got my bike from and they enlightened me on the battery system my bike has. Motorino is in fact not cheap like Daymak. They do not use a switch for the power. When the second battery pack is plugged in the motor draws equal power from both so it isn't hauling a battery that is not being used. There is actually a cord in the bucket underneath the seat to plug the an additional battery, (the one I will get in the spring is the 48V 14AH). To charge both batteries I use the one port that is used to charge the main battery so I don't even need an additional charger.

They were able to confirm that over all performance is increased a fair bit and the range is increased to 80-90km :)

So glad I went with Motorino.

Thanks LloK. The Peukert factor (voltage sag) is what I had reduced with my setup to the point it is virtually non existent till both battery packs are halfway discharged (usually 20 to 30 minutes of non stop WOT riding). If I use throttle management then it could be 45 to 60 minutes before the battery meter starts to drop under load. But when the battery meter does start dropping under load I still have quite a bit of power left and quite a bit of range left. Now if I can just solve the overheating diodes problem it would be perfect.

Here is a sort of clear description of the Peukert Effect and the difference between SLA and Lithium packs rated at the same aH.