Two Batteries on an Ariel Rider Kepler

[@butchie2752]

I did go with the second battery. I bought one from a company called “on the go”. Fits the existing bracket and worked fine. Haven’t recharged yet. Seems like a quality product. If issues arise, will edit this comment. Hope things are going well.

[@RonNehrig]

Glad you found something that works. I couldn’t find it, could you post a link to it in case someone else is interested.

[@butchie2752]

Off WeGo Store Ariel Rider Kepler 48V 52V 21700 Side Open Down Tube Batteries 20Ah 1040Wh Magicyce Cruiser Step-Thru with 4A Charger 52V 20Ah Size C, China $412.71x1 Free return

[@butchie2752]

@@RonNehrigI gave you the wrong name. Sorry. I posted it above. If you want to change it fine with me. Rode it again today. No problem

[@drorferents]

very neat work

[@RonNehrig]

Thanks!

[@kdscrapping4452]

Nicely done!!

[@RonNehrig]

Thanks, it has been working great!

[@RandyRides]

Nice job! Thanks for the mention! 👍🏻

[@RonNehrig]

You're welcome! Maybe pass a few folks your way. :-)

[@adamantonczenko1435]

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 rower 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@kevinnashskitchen3517]

I'm still thinking a second duplicate "plug and play" battery is going to be my best choice. Should be no more than a 5 mile difference in having one that just slips in place of the original.

[@RonNehrig]

I found three choices, none had a review; Magicycle battery, should be the same but no one had tried it, American Electric makes one they say will work, but no reviews, a long wait, and no return policy, or find one on AliExpress that matches the specs. As for "a 5 mile difference" I don't know what you're referring to.

[@kevinnashskitchen3517]

@@RonNehrig oh.. I meant that maybe using two batteries at once you may gain an additional 5 miles of range, as opposed to just using each one at a time.

[@RonNehrig]

I have never seen anything to indicate that, perhaps you have. As I've already said in my video, an important advantage to a two battery hookup is that the two batteries share the load, work half as hard and generate less heat; it is reasonable to assume that may make them last longer, both on a hard ride, and for the life of the battery. I'm not pushing it though; my choice started with not feeling comfortable with any of the available pop in batteries. A side benefit was lower cost, and the reason above, but I'm used to doing wiring for solar projects which made it easier to consider.

[@kevinnashskitchen3517]

@@RonNehrig I never heard of heating issues from anyone yet.. But I could see it being an issue in some places during heavy use in July or August . we should see more options for plug and play in the next year as the top brands continue to grow in popularity

[@RonNehrig]

Heating is a fact of life for all lithium batteries, the harder they work the more heat they produce; if they heat too much they can throttle their output; I have had that happen climbing long hills on my previous ebike, the result is a reduction in power; too much of that results in reduction in the life of the battery, which is why hybrid race car batteries don't last very long.

[@kevinnashskitchen3517]

Your seat looks so puffy and soft. 😂 Very nice..

[@RonNehrig]

Put it on recently, it worked fine on the 46 mile ride, so I guess it passed that test. www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF8TO1P?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

[@Ed-de3ro]

Nice video and set-up, however your voice was very low to hear you speak. Nice job vert detail to follow, keep-up the good work.

[@kevinnashskitchen3517]

Hmm.. Pretty cool. I'm wondering if you could use some of that flex shield stuff to seal up the red wire going into the top of your controller? Pretty cool adding another battery. I might need one one day. I think I want to wait and see if we can get some cheaper clone Kepler batteries before I go buying a square one to mount independently. Maybe in a year or so the aftermarket will have something compatible with the original Kepler mount. I would just carry it in a waterproof bag on the rack that acts like a backpack. Then I can carry both batteries around with other stuff.

[@RonNehrig]

The wires going into the top of the controller just pass right through and out the bottom, no real need to seal it. I did silicone the tops of the connectors though. American Electric makes a Kepler battery, but I couldn't find a review. I wrote them, but in the end decided on this. With the two batteries and a combiner, each battery is working half as hard because they are sharing the load, which means less heat and stress on them, so I think that's a good thing. It may also reduce the voltage drop as they are depleted; I noticed that on my old bike, but not on the Kepler yet, so that is just a possibility. Also it was cheaper. But I really liked the installation and am happy with it so far.

[@kevinnashskitchen3517]

@@RonNehrig oh.. I never checked out the controller construction yet.. Hopefully it's pretty well sealed stock. I think I'm most worried about deep water over a couple inches. And maybe downpours while out riding. I plan on fully disassembling the bike over winter and studying the individual components. Take pics when doing so to remember reassembly ..😂 I kind of want to do a new paint job too.

[@RonNehrig]

@@kevinnashskitchen3517 The area you are looking at is just a metal bracket that holds the sealed controller. In other areas, as you've probably already noticed, the hole where the wires enter the frame near the pedals has a rubber grommet but is not sealed against water, that concerns me a bit; I haven't done anything there yet (except for the skid plate) but it will probably float to the top of my jobs eventually. I carried my old ebike on the back of my camper, all around the country; it got rained on for several years and is just fine, except for some moisture in the LCD display, which I took apart, dried, and sealed a bit better when I put it back together.

[@emaguigad]

With your dual battery set up, how far would range go depending you are conservative using PAS1-3 and full throttle on occassion?

[@RonNehrig]

There is a chart of battery use in many of my trips in my video "Ariel Rider Kepler 1000 mile Review" at around 24 minutes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHS3n36koah7sM0 I don't do many rides staying in PAS 1-3, as I change it regularly according to my needs like changing gears. The highest MpAh in my chart was 4.27 MpAh, when I was riding slowly along with someone riding my old Class 2 bike, I set the speed limiter to 35 kph and was able to ride with them without surging and coasting; that would have been a 170 mile range to flat. I usually have the speed limiter set to 58kph on pavement and count on around 2 MpAh or 60 mile range with 20 mile reserve. I should add, I always pedal, firmly, but not struggling.

[@slowburn7765]

That rack you put on the back looks CRINGE AF! Ditch it.

[@RonNehrig]

LOL! It's Light and holds lots of stuff, that’s what i care about. It looks a lot better in black, it almost disappears, but it will probably chip off. :-)