nvreeland

I have a pedego ford super cruiser. I got it second hand in exchange for some work. When I got it the battery had been stolen and the thieves broke the rear fender/rack. I put a new rear rack on it and got a new battery (not from pedego, they wanted $800 for a 12ah battery.) I installed the battery and it ran like a champ, although i think it should have had some kind of suspension, you can feel every bumb and crack in the road. After about 6 months of running steady, it cut out on me. I used my multimeter and checked the battery, it was fully charged and sending out the right voltage. When I hit the button on the throttle to turn it on, the battery charge LEDs go up and down, sometimes showing full battery, sometimes 50%. When i hit the throttle the indicators drop to red/low. every now and then it will jerk a little like it wants to go but then it doesn't. There was one day while i was peddling it, and decided to try it again, and it took off. It ran just fine for about a week, then went back to glitching. It makes me feel like there is a short somewhere, but not sure where to start. If anyone has a solution/recomendation I would be pleased to hear it. Since I am not the original owner there is no warranty, and even if there were the closest pedego store is an hour and a half away. When I tried to talk to them about it they wouldn't give me any information and insisted I take it in. I'm more of a DIY kind of guy and have experience with electrical engineering. If anyone could give me some advice it would be nice. It's my main vehicle and it is heavy as heck so peddling isn't very fun. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

2old

Initially it sounded like your battery had a bad cell(s), but if it recovered fully for a week it sounds like a loose/broken connection. I would look in the rear rack area since that was broken when the battery was stolen and that is the battery location on many Pedego models.

nvreeland

I'm pretty sure it's not coming from the battery wire, I tested with the multimeter down at the controller as well. Same max voltage as at the battery, and tested for continuity/ohms and there was no short. I imagine I should test the other wires with my meter until I find a short. Thank you for your reply.

nvreeland

So There is definitely a short. There is a voltage drop when there is load applied, A drop straight to 0. The short circuit protection in the battery is engaging. I finally have a day off tomorrow and will be sitting in my back yard with a 6 pack and my multimeter until i find the short and replace the conductor. Thanks for engaging in this post and forcing me to use the logic side of my brain to think it all the way through. Even an electrical engineer needs a nudge in the right direction.

speedy25

Short? Doubtful. You just have a crap battery. Your description is typical.

-SP