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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Sin City, Nevada
Posts: 2,886
Bikes: Catrike 700, Greenspeed GTO trike, , Linear LWB recumbent, Haluzak Horizon SWB recumbent, Balance 450 MTB, Cannondale SM800 Beast of the East
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Battery range and battery types
If you do add electric assist to your trike, be sure to specify a large enough battery so that you never "run out of juice" as the added weight of the electric motor and battery pack will make your already heavy trike very tough to pedal without using the assist. The seller should be able to tell you how far you can go on a charge based on using it with your 77 pound trike.
There are two kinds of battery packs available, lead-acid (like the automotive kind) and lithium ion batteries. Li-ion batteries are more expensive to start with but they are much lighter for the same electrical capacity and will recharge many more times than lead-acid batteries. Once you select the motor that is designed for a lead acid battery, you can not easily convert to using it with Li-ion batteries after the fact so you have to make that choice when you buy the assist.