PSA: Extended Range Battery can NOT be added / retrofit installed after purchase (confirmed by Slate)

[cvollers]

Would Battery Longevity be another reason to go bigger with the battery?

Even if you don't plan on doing long trips a bigger battery provides ability to keep state-of-charge in the 20-80% range more easily.

Another reason might be because generally speaking it's just less taxing on each individual Battery Cell when there are more cells. 240/150=1.6, so there are 60% more cells doing the same amount of work. (Actually slightly more work because of the additional weight.)

Put another way, if you need to charge less frequently your cells will experience fewer charge cycles over time so they'll last longer.

Doh! 🤦‍♂️
My question has already been answered.



Another question: Does the bigger, heavier battery reduce payload capacity? Seems like it would.

Assuming the number of cycles is the same (~2000), you get more years of life for the same amount of annual driving (60% more) with the larger battery along with better range per charge cycle. Presumably better resale value too.

 

[Benjamin Nead]

Benjamin, thanks for all the info in this post! Lots to think about and further research.

Have you had good experiences with Epoch Batteries?
I've been watching what the truck camper people say, moving down in price range from Dakota to SOK, maybe LiTime?

My little project is a Specialized e-bike. 48V with about 500wh battery. I've only had the bike since December, been waiting for warmer weather for more riding (maybe July!). As near as I can tell, I can do at least 40 miles on a charge. I think a charge costs about 12 cents. So maybe cost per mile is a quarter penny?

There is a beautiful 100 mile paved bike trail a little bit south of me. I would like to be able to do a round trip on that without recharging. Or maybe 50 miles out, 50 back. Working up to it. Specialized sells a range extender, but it lists at about $400 for 350wh. I have a 48V 10ah battery (so ~500wh , 10 pounds) on order from a quality vendor. Not sure about what wiring/electronics I need to connect this battery to the bike. Not expecting too much help from Specialized. I was reading about a French company that is making a generic replacement battery for e-bikes, they are big on open-source. We'll see.

I don't have any personal experience with Epoch, but they get a lot of good reviews from trustworthy sources. That 48V heated marine-grade I threw a picture of up here pack looks really good for something you would put in a truck and have exposed to weather extremes.

Boy I wish I could help you with your eBike project, but I really haven't kept up on that front. The last time I looked, everyone was focused on 36V architecture and nobody else did that except eBike people. 12 to 15 years ago, when I had ideas about converting a standard diamond frame bike into a simple electric hub motor creation, I used to hang around a big forum called Endless Sphere. I just checked and not only are they still around, but seem to have an active posting community. This is where I would start for anything related to DIY eBike stuff . . .

https://endless-sphere.com/sphere/

Beyond absorbing all the news I could on EV automotive battery tech starting around 2010, I started soaking up knowledge on the so-called solar generators during the pandemic years. My first guide there was Will Prowse. He has an entire forum, a book, a website and a YouTube channel. In fact, here's a video he put up less than an hour ago as I'm typing this, talking about all the various 48V 100Ah server rack batteries that are out there. You'll learn a lot watching this guy . . .

 

[Swinefuzz]

I've heard that mixing old and new batteries isn't a great idea anyways. I bet it's part of the reason Tesla cancelled the CyberTurkey's Range Extender product.

I don't have a serious need for Slate's larger battery, but I'm leaning towards getting it mostly for resale value. It seems that range anxiety has led to tons of people entering the EV market to shop for the biggest battery/most range possible, so I figure it would increase resale value if I ever decided to sell it. It also gives me a legit excuse to get the bigger battery and feel *special* about it 🍆.

 

[cvollers]

I don't have any personal experience with Epoch, but they get a lot of good reviews from trustworthy sources. That 48V heated marine-grade I threw a picture of up here pack looks really good for something you would put in a truck and have exposed to weather extremes.

Boy I wish I could help you with your eBike project, but I really haven't kept up on that front. The last time I looked, everyone was focused on 36V architecture and nobody else did that except eBike people. 12 to 15 years ago, when I had ideas about converting a standard diamond frame bike into a simple electric hub motor creation, I used to hang around a big forum called Endless Sphere. I just checked and not only are they still around, but seem to have an active posting community. This is where I would start for anything related to DIY eBike stuff . . .

https://endless-sphere.com/sphere/

Beyond absorbing all the news I could on EV automotive battery tech starting around 2010, I started soaking up knowledge on the so-called solar generators during the pandemic years. My first guide there was Will Prowse. He has an entire forum, a book, a website and a YouTube channel. In fact, here's a video he put up less than an hour ago as I'm typing this, talking about all the various 48V 100Ah server rack batteries that are out there. You'll learn a lot watching this guy . . .

There is an Australian company called Egon that is working on a super slick 48v version of their 12/24v DC Hub product. It’s a simply ingenious product that takes all the guesswork out of wiring a second battery system. You just connect everything to the hub…alternator, DC-DC converter/charger, solar, and house battery and the system just works. The only gap is in connecting AC shore power for house battery charging…that needs to be done via an inverter/charger with DC out to the hub.

 

[metroshot]

Assuming the number of cycles is the same (~2000), you get more years of life for the same amount of annual driving (60% more) with the larger battery along with better range per charge cycle. Presumably better resale value too.

That stands to reason why EV manufacturers are warranting HV battery packs for at least 8 years.

Both Ford EVs came with 8 year / 100K mile HV warranty.

Never needed anything more than the standard range battery packs as my drives never needed the extended range.

OTOH my Honda PHEV battery has a 10 year / 150,000 mile HV warranty which was extended being in a CARB state.

 

[Blackspots76]

That stands to reason why EV manufacturers are warranting HV battery packs for at least 8 years.

Both Ford EVs came with 8 year / 100K mile HV warranty.

Never needed anything more than the standard range battery packs as my drives never needed the extended range.

OTOH my Honda PHEV battery has a 10 year / 150,000 mile HV warranty which was extended being in a CARB state.

Federal standard warranty for BEVs is 8 years/100,000 miles. In CA, the PHEV warranty is 150,000 miles

 

[atx_ev]

philosophically you might be against a gas generator, but the scout and ramcharger are coming with EREV. They use a gas engine to charge the battery. With a 10kw generator inverter you can use gas (or propane) to give yourself enough charge for the costco run.