What's a good power/voltage rating for an ebike to safely use on the street for commute

Posted by InfluenceEfficient77@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 9 comments

I only had experience with ebikers built from kits. So bbshd and the 1000-1500w Amazon both at 52v is what got me up to speed with side street 25-30mph traffic allowing to ride on the street without cars riding my ass or swerving around me. But these bikes are quite old and I'm sure the modern bikes can do more with less. Also will probably have way better efficiency What do you consider an ideal voltage/power rating on an ebike to be able to keep up with cars while pedaling? Preferably different numbers for mid drive and hub drive bikes. Examples of bikes if possible would be helpful. Thanks

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9 Comments

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Seseorang@reddit

Swerving around you? You mean overtaking? Doesn't matter what you're using people will always overtake you.

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celeste_ferret@reddit

If you need to keep up with traffic, then buy a scooter or motorcycle that is made for that. Otherwise stay on the bike paths or ride on the side of the road like legal bicycles and ebikes do.

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funcentric@reddit

No, the cell types in these ebikes are still the same. As far as I know, there hasn't been any change from the 18650 cells. Fat tire ebikes are still the fad, still inefficient, still used as marketing for justifying not having suspension, still a PITA to swap tires, and still make the standard 48v 12ah setup inefficient. Most ebikes sold to Americans are indeed 48v 12ah with a 750w motor. The weight of these electronics and the weight of the frame it would take to reasonably support these components, you're looking at 65lbs ish. Use that for context. So if you can find a bike with higher electronics specs but less weight, then that would be a good thing. If it's lower spect and weighs more, then you know it's less than the standard. I wouldn't want an ebike to keep up with traffic. There are other modes of transportation for that. But I would say 52v and whatever ah you feel is needed for your ride matched with a 1500-2000w motor. It's faster, though less reliable and rougher on the system to have more voltage on a smaller motor. The motor's RPM will be relatively higher but will also be much closer or exceed the limits of the motor itself. That's what we call overvolting. This is for hub drive ebikes. I don't know that much about mid drives.

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FLprophet@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/zutgkslw46dg1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aae8870977b4d8621e6c692ba46217f53bd14a7a This is my build. Risun Motor QS205 5T 2000w direct drive Samsung 50S 72v/30ah battery Far Driver ND72260 @ 45 line amps / 220 phase amps Vee Tire Co Speedster Tires 26x3.5” It gets up to speed very quickly to 30mph in only like 3.5 seconds. My current top speed is 49.4mph and I’m fairly happy with it. It’s scary to go that fast on this bike, it can be done because it now has a steering stabilizer on it. But I recommend a build like this for the street because you get * violent acceleration off the line from a huge rear hub motor * large amount of power from a quality 72v battery * stability at higher speeds

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FLprophet@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/3csrwytu56dg1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d016648e14f7603bf97568ecf3282e25c940231

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FLprophet@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/xu51xttv56dg1.png?width=1290&format=png&auto=webp&s=e0e7c778c822e363db6430c1639f21ec58c6231f

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thetonk@reddit

Brother, I had the same question but unless you are ready to spend upwards of $7k, your 52v, 1500w BBSHD still beats over 80% of the things out there. Yes our DIYs might not look as sleek as the ones hiding all the wires and batteries and screens but the closest thing I can compare to my current build in power would be the Bonnell 775MX. Looks about the same too. You did answer your own question though. I think for commuting, minimum 1Kw-1.5Kw, 48v or 52v, just so you can somewhat go with the flow of traffic and no be a hindrance. Voltage helps with how quickly you can hit full power so don't worry about that too much unless you want immediate response/do wheelies. https://preview.redd.it/e9ftji73z5dg1.jpeg?width=7302&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=065de1ead57da9cb8aeecd5c2e6f900a5a38ab7d

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terraherts@reddit

> do more with less Not really - you're limited more by physics here than technology. The big things that have improved IMO vs 8-10 years ago: * Access to larger batteries at lower costs due to economies of scale from EVs. Even buying from an extremely reputable battery, my new 1030Wh battery cost half what a similar 940Wh battery did * Access to better controllers at more affordable prices, especially FOC controllers * Access to better tires that are rated for faster ebike use As for motors... I'm more familiar with dd hubs than anything else, and IMO you really need at least 1200W for a direct drive motor, more if you live anywhere with hills. I think 52v is ideal for most hubs as that's enough to hit ~28mph, is below the level that you start having to worry about other electrical risks, and is fairly easy to find. Higher voltage batteries are much more difficult to find from reputable vendors, and really aren't needed unless you plan to go at unsafe speeds for a bike frame or using a very niche slow wind motor.

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redpillsrule@reddit

The 1500 Watt direct drive hubs will do over 40 mph even on 48 volts if you use a controller that has field weakening. If you have hills I would add a mid -drive to it. No reason to get a new bike there hasn't been any huge advantage over what you can build.