Cagiva motorcycle conversion

[Fufunka]

In terms of smart chargers you might also consider the company Piktronik from Slovenia (EU) - they are a bit pricey but the level of user control via PC/RS-232/Windows software seems to be unprecedented. Supports all major batt. chemistries. They are quite popular with the German EV clubs in particular in the area of lighter electric mobility such as NEV cars, City-El, Twikes, bikes etc. The only downturn is they are only upto 48V@18A at the moment..


PC software overview (click on the image to see the possible tweaks):
http://piktronik.tovarnaidej.com/index. ... 6&lang=eng

Piktronik home - specifications:
http://piktronik.tovarnaidej.com/index. ... 3&lang=eng

Dealer in Germany ("KOP" brand):
https://ssl.kundenserver.de/s120995593. ... 4f5eb5853/
shopdata/0050_Ladeger=E4te/product_overview.shopscript
http://www.solar-mobil.de/

--
Update: another german dealer with better pictures and pricing for the PC interface etc.
http://www.akkuladetechnik.de/pi1166121 ... egoryId=15
--


Example of the size/rs232-serial connection/48V charger for e-yacht project in Finland:
http://www.electricocean.fi/blog/item/9/


PS good reviews are also for the Delta-Q line of chargers:
http://delta-q.com/
http://www.canev.com/KitsComp/Components/Chargers.html

[MalcolmB]

Thanks for all the great links! I'm sure they'll come in useful in the future.

[electricvehicles]

Dont know if they can assist you but its worth a try.
http://www.mascot.no/

[aminorjourney]

I am considering a Piktronic charger as it interfaces directly with the lithium Ion BMS I have... I would be interested to know if anyone has any experiences with these chargers!

[Fufunka]

I don't have a personal experience with them but I'm most likely taking the 24V@10A for my next e-bicycle project. You might contact that finish guy from the previous post with the e-yacht project.

Or probably the best alternative would be to post a question and/or search the following german forum - there might be some concentration of people with these chargers (you should get a reply for English lang. posted question):

http://elweb.info/

"Batterien + Ladegeräten" (Batteries and chargers) section here:
http://forum.mysnip.de/list.php?567

Well and if you try search - click "suche" then write down "piktronik" and select last year you will get several threads on Piktroniks already, people sharing charging profiles etc..
http://forum.mysnip.de/search_se.php?567

[electricvehicles]

Dont know why I didn't think of it earlier. Check out the Curtis Figaro HF3 Charger. Slightly larger than the Zivan, metal cased and supplied with 5 years warranty

[electricvehicles]

Pls hold fire regarding the Piktronic Chargers/speed controllers. I have a meeting with them in sunny Slovenia week after next, so hopefully if everything goes to plan I will get the sole UK agency.

[EVguru]

One of the things we need to be able to do is interface to the controller and charger.

I'm designing a regulator board for 12v lead acid (6v also possible) which will be able to pull the trottle imput back when any battery drops below a low voltage limit. A 0-5K input is easiest, but others are possible.

Likewise there will be a high voltage limit that first of all bypasses current and then can limit the charge voltage.

It's very similar in operation to the 'Skybrook' regulator that Cedric sells for the Thundersky cells and would hook up to a Zivan NGx in the same way

http://agnimotors.com/home/index.php?op ... &Itemid=39

One day I'll get around to producing a new control card for the NGx series, but any other chargers should have some way of controlling their voltage externally via the output of an opto-isolator.

Even at 48 volt you need something to keep the batteries in balance without excessive equalising and you really do need an overdischarge limit for each battery. This is the secret behind the sucess of the G-Wiz, it makes it quite hard to damage the batteries.

[Fufunka]

PIKTRONIK> Great news, pls. utilize this opportunity of personal visit to ask them kindly:

1/ if there is a line of >48V chargers in the pipeline, in particular 72-96V would be the most desirable range, perhaps upto 120V some day?

2/ why are their AC inverters so expensive, that's like pricing for the Simoverts from Siemens, and again a more affordable product line 72-96V up to say 30kW (peak output) of AC inverters with regen and PC setup functions would certainly sell in better volumes than their current top product for 6.000EUR..

thanks

PS EV Guru> some of these protective functions are implemented in this great product for light electric mobility, now it supports even amperages for motrocycles and cars too (CycleAnalyst - formerly DrainBrain):
http://ebikes.ca/drainbrain.shtml

[electricvehicles]

Lets get back to basics regarding batteries and charging systems. I have had first hand experience of bog standard flooded lead acid batteries, I hasten to add American Flat plate that have, wait I moment -- just checking the hour meter -- Done 4234.7 Hours of work even at a derisory 4.5 MPH that still equates to a distance of just over 19000 miles. Not bad for a Buggy carrying 4 people plus luggage. I hasten to add also with a battery tapping for the lighting system. Total weight of 730 Kgs.
All recharged from a bog standard thyrsistor controlled Lestermatic 48V 20A battery charger.
Why over complicate things by having gadgets that really will not improve performace by any great amount? Until recently battery vehicles including the good old milk float were not fitted with DC-DC converters, as a point of interest most floats are still not fitted with these - too unreliable for the heavy loads put upon them. Most relied upon a daily switch whereby the tappings were changed from battery to battery. Worked then and works now.
Please lets not get over complicated -- EV dont require rocket science to make them work and be efficient.