Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianG
Mistercrash; I would say that if you want faster charge times, invest in a LiFe setup that has close to the same voltage along with a BMS circuit to make sure the cells stay in balance.
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Going to the dealer to get my second battery today, I talked a bit with the girls about future battery chemistry that could be used in the scooter. (I like talking to these two girls running the shop, they're hot) They told me that Motorino has been doing a lot of R&D with LiFe cells and that it looks promising for a near future. If they are satisfied with their results, all their scooter will be using LiFe batteries in the future. It is already an upgrade available on their electric motorcycles. They have been getting 75+ km range on their testing compared to the present 40 km with the lead acid. Unfortunately, it looks like the price of the scooters using LiFe batteries will go up significantly. And it would be an expensive upgrade for people like me who already have a scooter using lead acid batteries.
Presently, with 34 amps available in my scooter, I can expect 70+ km range. The lead acids are heavy but they are placed quite low in the frame which sets the scooter's CG quite low and helps very much with handling. The scooter is just a blast to ride on. If the LiFe batteries are much lighter, it would mess with that low CG and the scooter might not handle as well. Time will tell if it will be a viable upgrade or not.
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