Good point. The quoted distances are for travelling at steady speed, not allowing for acceleration and braking. I got a new bike that they said was good for 50km, and a top speed of 30 kph. I rode it on flat roads (not like KMG) with not many traffic lights and long stretches in between. I never got more than 36km and the last 5-6 km were getting slower and slower. After a year, I would need to pedal to get away at traffic lights or up slight inclines, when the batteries were running down.
IMHO an ebike would be good for nipping around town, and maybe down to Chenggong and back. As for longer journeys to explore around Kunming, I am not sure that I would want to risk it, especially two up. Having to push a large ebike (with all those extra batteries) more than a kilometer, well I wouldn't want to do it.
@Alexez
Unfortunatly i dont have this in written form, but it is illegal to carry a passenger on e-scooter except kids. Makes not really sense to me, but as tigertiger mentioned it's because of the no-insurance issue. That's why lot of passengers jump from the bike as soon as they see police on an intersection. I had luck several times because i told them that i didn't know (laowai bonus). Approaching intersections i would recommend you to be careful.
The e-scooters nowadays are really powerful, but you have to keep in mind that after a year you most likely will have to change the batteries if you go full power (+passenger) from the beginning. Problem with lead-acid batteries is, they get weaker no matter if you drive or not. Better having them on the charger if you don't drive, they will thank you with constant power and a longer life-span. Also better not let them drain to the lowest level, you can charge them everyday even if there is still power left. (they dont have any memory-effect)
Some tips: Depending on what you need (Speed, Power or best of two worlds) you have to look into numbers. If you go with 1000-1500W machinery for example, you probably can go as fast as 70-80km/h, but only for about 30-35km max. and than you have to charge the batteries. Most of the fancy scooters are like this, had one... lost it and bought a common one again. A reliable configuration (best of both worlds) is 72V/600-800W/50A, you will have enough power, mid-speed and range.
Also keep in mind that every 12V more in batteries is more weight, for example on 72V your scooter will sport 6x heavy batteries.
The scooter i drive at the moment is 72V/800W/50A and compared with the scooters i had it is a beast, but also a much more heavier one because of the 50A batteries. On one full charge it will go 70-75km with throttle at full-speed most of the time. The manual states 120-150km, but that is most likely on the lowest speedlevel and with brand-new batteries. Also make sure, that you have good brakes installed because you will need them. Best for me is disc-brake in front and drum-brake in the rear. Have fun, drive safe and don't forget to install a real car-horn! ;)
I would rather buy a small electric motor and as many Li-ion batteries as you need and convert a regular bicycle (x2). You can also buy front wheels with the motor already installed, or kits.
You'll have a far lighter bike that will go a lot farther, the batteries will last longer, and you'll spend a lot less.
I just bought an electric scooter here, and I have had them before. I find that they rarely go as far as the manual says. The problem with lead-acid batteries is that their decline is exponential rather than linear. In other words, once your battery charge starts going out, it goes quickly. This can get you stranded.
You can get a few more km on any long outing by paying for charging at a ebike lot or maybe a restaurant. But don't think an hour or two charge will get you more than a few km, but better than nothing or pushing an ebike a few km, though that's some great exercise.
You don't have to import an e-bike to get a li-ion battery. They simply don't sell them in Kunming for some reason.
I bought a Yamaha e-bike in Beijing with a li-ion battery, and eventually had it sent here. It's roughly the same size as the various electric scooters you see around town. I get about 30k doing regular driving around town, and my battery (removable), weighs only a few kilos.
A few caveats:
- my bike is horrible on hills. Not sure if it's a battery thing or a motor thing.
- li-ion batteries are incompatible with the quick charge services you see around town.
- li-ion requires a special adapter. When I bought my bike, they had to take the battery case apart and install the adapter and battery together.
- I have no idea how to procure such a set-up in Kunming.
Some thoughts:
- the e-bike taxi guys have very large, heavy battery packs, allowing them to ride around all day. With the size and weight of a li-ion battery, I bet you could get an amazing range at a much lower rate with a whole array of them (this would probably be VERY expensive)
- This is actually my second battery, and I get the same range for half the weight of the older li-ion battery I bought with the bike several years ago. Hopefully this trend will continue.
The adapter is probably the special charging circuit that is required for Li-po batteries. It needs very accurate voltage sensing. Using the wrong equipment can, and often does, result in fire or explosion.
are you talking about these?
km.58.com/[...]
@debaser: That's not what mine looks like (maybe it does inside the case), but that is certainly what he's offering.
