Charging ebike in the boonies

[buckland]

I am not Dr electric, but I do have 2 eBikes. I have the 1000 W Renogy inverter in the camper on 2 LiFePo4 Battleborn (so 200 Ah). The batteries for the 2 bikes come off so I charge them in the camper ((either while driving or at night...it's very quiet). I too have a front receiver where I put the bikes after I have gotten off highway and am in the boonies ... They, I found, cause a lot of wind resistance in the front. So for Highway I put them on the rear hitch mount. Then once moving between camps they are on the front out of the way. Mileage was noticeably lower with them on front. I find water will find its way in so the less one temps fate the better. Inside and dry.

PS If the batteries won't come off the bikes (in frame) I'd wire up from bikes to the electrics inside ("extension cord")

 

[Lighthawk]

Thanks Buckland!

That's great advice. The Specialized bikes don't allow for off-bike charging, even though the batteries are removable.
I suppose I could run an extension cord from inside the camper to the bike, but I'm not sure my little 100AH battery can do the task without the truck running.

 

[TacomaAustin]

I use a Bluetti power station to charge my electric bike battery. The Bluetti then is recharged via the camper's solar panel.

 

[Vic Harder]

Andy. this sounds like a workable solution. 1000W inverter is overkill for what you need, but not a bad idea. I'd use a quality welding extension cord, or at least a good contractor 12g wire extension cord. If that's not possible, it isn't the end of the world, because your bike battery charger really is not drawing a lot of power (so not great losses, since you are "transmitting" the power at 120V, not 12V).

Mount your inverter as close as possible to the house batteries. Mine are 36" away, and I used 2g wire for my 3000W pure sine wave inverter.

I agree w Rob (Buckland), the bikes on the front are noisy, really affect fuel economy and increase buffering a large amount. Plus hard to see around. Still, handy to have that front mount!

 

[Lighthawk]

Thanks guys, after mulling over the feedback I'm leaning towards installing a 110v outlet on the overhang of my Hawk with a pigtail plugged into the inverter directly inside. This will eliminate an "extension cord" to the front, and give me a convenient spot to plug in the bike charger while in camp.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X8YQ19D/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A38HM17VEBNXI7&th=1

I looked at 1000w inverters by Victron 800va and Renogy 1000w which is a hundred bucks cheaper and includes #4 cables x 36". The cables should be less than 18" long when I mount the inverter against the front wall of the camper. The Renogy unit is an inch thinner and inch and a half more narrow, with two outlets compared to one outlet on the more expensive but nice Victron. As noted I have a Victron DC-DC charger and battery monitor. I'm not sure why I would need another device on my phone app.

I've decided against charging the bike while driving and instead plan to recharge from my modest 100ah house battery. I probably won't recharge the 700w/42v bike battery very often, maybe every three or four days, pulling down my 100a/12v battery.

I'm estimating it will cost me 8-12ah, but then we'll probably drive somewhere and replenish the camper battery with our DC/DC 30a charger. Instead of charging the bike while driving (risk of wet, wind resistance), I'll use the house battery as a reservoir to be replenished by my truck electrical system.

Maybe there's a more elegant way to get this done. I haven't even seen the bike or the charger yet.

 

[buckland]

Yes I found the single Battleborn 100 Ah would charge the 2 batteries but then I'd be w/o enough juice for the rest of the camper's needs. So hence the second battery. That said if I drove while charging the DC DC charger would help. I am to go on a long trip this winter with the 2 bikes and will watch the smart shunt to see how it all plays out. Good luck!!

 

[Lighthawk]

Mount your inverter as close as possible to the house batteries. Mine are 36" away, and I used 2g wire for my 3000W pure sine wave inverter.

I'm looking at the 1000w inverter mounted about a foot away from the battery. It has 4g wire leads, and it seems like I should install an inline fuse near the battery. What size fuse would be appropriate?

 

[Vic Harder]

I'm looking at the 1000w inverter mounted about a foot away from the battery. It has 4g wire leads, and it seems like I should install an inline fuse near the battery. What size fuse would be appropriate?

My 3000W inverter uses a 300A fuse. You could use a 100A.

 

[pvstoy]

If you have the room might consider a circuit breaker than a fuse. Breaker you can turn it off or on and reset the breaker if needed. Fuse you have to remove and test and have spares.

 

[Lighthawk]

Thanks Patrick. That's an excellent idea. When Zero Declination did our Victron DC/DC charger they used a resettable breaker. It's a bit more money, but then I also don't have to carry spare fuses.

 

[Lighthawk]

I finished my installation of the Renogy 1000w inverter with exterior outlet to plug in my bike charger. I installed a 100a resettable circuit breaker between the battery and the inverter. I also added a SAE connector so I can add a portable solar panel to pump up the 100ah LiPo battery. While I was working in the battery box I replaced some older crimp connectors with heat shrink fittings.

I gave everything a quick test yesterday and the e-bike charged from 75% to 85% in a little more than half an hour. The Victron battery monitor reported drawdown of -15a during the charging. I added my portable 100w solar panel and it seemed to help, but it was an overcast day.

I left the inverter turned on and had some of the original FWC incandescent lights on (I have LED lamps on the first detent, but still have original bulbs on the second detent of the OEM lights). So when I went back the camper battery had gone down to 75%. That gave me the opportunity to confirm my DC-DC charger was in good shape. I had moved it to accommodate the Blue Sea breaker. Started up the dual alternator RAM and watched 30a flow to the battery. We have #4 wiring. Soon enough my battery was back at 95%.

Thanks for all the great advice guys! Between this forum and a phone call with KP Pawley I felt just smart enough to tackle this project.
Now I've got e-bike juice forever!


I've got to do a little bondo repair to cover my miss-drilled hole.


Yes, that's a full suspension Specialized Turbo Levo!
What an amazing machine downhill and up.




I screwed to a metal stud on one side of the inverter, and had to use nylon toggles on the right side.
It's solid (for now), but I'll keep an eye on it.

The loom running up the corner goes to our USB charging station I set up years ago, direct off battery with inline fuse. It's been great for tablets, phones and other charge-ables.


It's a busy battery box. Without longer studs I don't think I could add anything else to my system.
I like the idea of using a busbar for smaller loads.

 

[buckland]

I bet it feels great to accomplish such a complicated (for me) project and improving the camper. Electrical things can be daunting. Congrats on a success! It will open up more fun on trips. We have yet to travel with our e-bikes but look forward to it.