RE: Sondors Battery Upgrade from 36V to 48V

[lunalu]

Hello.

Would you please comment if you have experience, please?

Considering the upgrade from 36V Bottle to 48V Luna Storm.

Is it a worthwhile (really noticeable) upgrade?
The controller connections need to be a bit rewired
(to XT90S) and rearranged within the box.

Looks like this battery would come with more range and power
using the Luna LCD/20A Controller combo.

Or...

Is it more convenient and ... safer for the stock motor to just have
a spare Luna Bottle for Sondors in a backpack to swap when discharged?

Is the power/range difference barely noticeable between 36V and 48V or...significant?

Just weighing the pros and cons?

Thank you.

[paxtana]

Yes it is quite a bit more powerful, you would be upgrading to a higher amp draw and higher voltage battery and the required Luna display removes any speed limit. You would be going significantly faster and you would have significantly more torque.
The storm pack has the most amount of capacity that you can fit in a sondors case for any particular voltage level. It's the perfect pack if you have a sondors.

[Ewmaness]

I changed mine right away so i never tried it stock, get the 25 amp controler and a dashboard from luna too,i was just able to get the battery in the box ,i took old control out and mounted the new one in tthe bottom two screw mounts, i took most of the existing battery holder out just left the big steel bar to fillthe hole,ran wires down the side back corner, fed zip ties to the steel bar to keep it tidy just barely fits,works great average about 26 mph full power,great range depending on assist level ,i use a lot of power and its lots of hills im guess about forty miles round trip to work and back fast full power too work little slower more peddling home up hills ,i put on some vee speedster slick tires, fastest yet is mid forties kinda, gets a little scary going that fast down hill and taking turns is all lean ,i ride in the road ,going fast ,and when i make left turns with lights and viability jacket ,almost got hit last week, lady diidnt even look ,slid about twenty feet sideways stopped in time, would of made it around on the left,even if i didnt stop,scared the lady pretty bad ,she was sorry ,i didn't get mad ive been known to accidentally cut people off so alls well, ride on

[lunalu]

Okay then...it sounds like it's a worthwhile upgrade with...benefits.

I'm more after the range and torque than speed.
And the speed is up to the rider.

If any more notes regarding this topic, please post.

Thank you very much!

[Redmorrin]

I have two sondors fatty's for myself and the wife. Upgraded one with 48v shark and the other with the 48v storm pack, both bikes got 20 amp controllers as well. The storm pack has amazing range and the power increase compared to stock setup is well worth the investment. It is a little snug but certainly fits within the case with some arranging of the wires and Controller. I would rate this easy to install.

[lunalu]

Thank you all for the responses - much appreciated!

[MoneyPit]

Me three on the battery/LCD/Controller upgrade. Is a major change in the character and capability of the bike. I did 20 amp controller and 52v Storm battery.

[Booster]

For the past year I've been developing inexpensive Booster Batteries for Sondors bikes. They've been tested in the herd of Fats and Thins in my eBike rental business and everyone seems to be very happy with them.

I've now got two products developed and they each fit into the battery compartment of the Sondors Original (Fat) or Sondors Thin using the stock controller. They install in just a couple of minutes.

1. Power Booster - 12V battery of Panasonic cells boosts the standard battery power (voltage) 33%
2. Range Booster - 36V battery of Panasonic cells boosts the standard battery range (amp-hours) 33%

So I started up a business called Booster Batteries and they'll be available on Indiegogo in a couple of weeks. Introductory price will be $59 each. There's also a web site right now if you want more info:

https://www.BoosterBatteries.com

[paxtana]

Surely you realize it is dangerous to put lithium packs in parallel if they are not identical. Good luck with the liability..

[Booster]

Well, then it's a good thing they're identical. And don't call me Shirley! :-)

[Booster]

BTW, the Range Booster is a switchable reserve battery, and doesn't run in parallel. Much safer that way!

[paxtana]

I don't know if the bms or cell type is the same but the number of parallel strings in your pack is obviously not identical, since it's a fraction of the size of the original.

Are you saying it is switched or that it is switchable? Big difference there. The average sondors user knows jack about wiring, just because something is possible does not mean they will be capable of doing so. Do you have a pic of the switch?

[mrm]

I don't know if the bms or cell type is the same but the number of parallel strings in your pack is obviously not identical, since it's a fraction of the size of the original.

Are you saying it is switched or that it is switchable? Big difference there. The average sondors user knows jack about wiring, just because something is possible does not mean they will be capable of doing so. Do you have a pic of the switch?

I agree with you. Might work a few times, then...., looks to me like a (BIG) problem, waiting to happen.

[nswenson520]

Well, then it's a good thing they're identical. And don't call me Shirley! :-)

It is fine to put batteries of different capacities in parallel as long as they have the same voltage and voltage range. You also have to take care that parallel packs have identical voltage when you connect them together, or current will flow over to the lower voltage one at a potentially dangerous rate, depending on the voltage delta between them.

It is dangerous to put lithium batteries in series. This is where the packs must be of identical capacity, age, etc. They must have identical characteristics or one of the packs may get over-discharged during usage. Vise-versa, you will likely overcharge if charging across the series. Not a good idea to connect in series with a booster, as you cannot know the status of the end users pack that will be adding booster battery in series with. Connecting a booster in parallel is fine if the end user is careful to match voltage before connecting.