Bike Forums - View Single Post - Dynamo hub to recharge e-bike motor battery--hypermiling possible?

07-25-21, 05:43 AM

#4

cat0020

Ride more, eat less

Join Date: Feb 2007

Location: Philla PA, Hoboken NJ, Brooklyn NY

Posts: 2,075

Bikes: Too many but never enough.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)

Tagged: 0 Thread(s)

Quoted: 715 Post(s)

Likes: 747

Liked 737 Times in 453 Posts

Recently I purchased a shift-drive e-bike with regen braking & dynamo regen.
400w motor, 54.6v, 1100wh battery with max 60A.
14" wheels, chain-less, shaft-driventrain, comes with a cellphone cradle & USB charging port.
30km/h throttle cutoff for electric motor, PAS you can go faster but with single speed, you will be spinning your legs at high rpm.
Advertised 70-300km operating range, depending on usage & rider weight.
I had to change out the 170mm crankarms to 152mm to accommodate my wife (4'11", short legs), also makes it easier pedal at high rpm, with smaller pedaling circle.
Yesterday we took it out for a spin little over 12 miles, wife was charging her cell phone all along the ride, so I don't know if the regen contributed much to the main battery.
The dynamo regen adds significant more resistance to propel the bike, without PAS, the bike feels like you're climbing a decent hill all the time on the flat.

I figure the tiny e-bike may be good for city dwellers with limited space and no need for higher speeds (15 mph or below).
It has good load capacity, motor can handle my wife & myself as a passenger, totaling near 340 lb. and still cruise at 12 mph on the flat with throttle only operation; it would surely carry a good amount of groceries.
If your terrain involves lots of long, downhill sections, maybe the dynamo can regen enough juice to add 6 to 10 mile to the total range of the large battery capacity of this tiny e-bike.
I don't expect the regen to generate much beyond charging your cellphone while you pedal.

Reply