Terryc <[email hidden]> moved upon the face of the 'Net and spake thusly:
Quoted message said:Mike said:The problem is, if you actually use 500W, that is more that 20A from
your 24V batteries, and the batteries die fast. Electric just isn't
there yet.That is actually one of the problems in a nut shell. They only work
with very expensive batteries. If you use cheaper batteries, then you
need to carry about 70kg of battery weight.
I ride a 200W electric assist bike. The model I have is also
available with a 500W motor in some (other) countries.
200W is fine for gentle hills, and headwind assist, but dies in the
[censored] on steep hills. Speed is another matter I'll speak of below.
I don't need 500W the whole time. Just for two hilly bits of CBD
driving where I'd rather concentrate on the traffic than shifting
gears. My bike is a 7-speed, with gearing not low enough for human
power on steep hills.
Quoted message said:
The other problem is the 20km/hr speed.
20kmh is [censored] slow. It just sounds fast on paper.
On the flat, once you're off the mark, a 20kph-limited motor might as well not
exist, because a comfortable cruising speed for most cyclists I
encounter is around 30kmh. If I sat back on my ass and let the motor do
all the work, other cyclists would laugh at me, then run me over.
I could live with 20_mph_ (32 kph).
Quoted message said:I'd be quite happy with
something that would assist up to 10kms/hr, but assist with anything
up to 100kg load. It is dragging stuff uphill that is the annoying
thing around here (especially when home is uphill).
With 30kg of batteries, you're always dragging something heavy up
hill. :-/
--chris