ezip battery contacts conversion - Voltage Upgrade?

I need a coach/mentor, someone who can walk me through the upgrades I need to make.

I purchased a used zip Trails AL Men's. I paid $300 to upgrade the battery to 36V Li-on. The bike is just too tall and heavy for me.
I needed something smaller to feel safe. The izip has a two button contact for the battery.

So I just purchase a used ezip Step Through which is a better fit. It has the standard 24V Lead battery. Not sure if this battery pack has ever been replaced. Found out after purchase the ezip is an older model with blade connectors for the battery.
The battery is so much heavier than my upgraded Li-on and has much less punch. What a drag to ride after the 36 V Li-on.

So.... thinking I could just switch the batteries, I found out the battery packs are not inter-changeable. Battery packs with blades are no longer available. I also have no idea how to use a volt meter to test the charge on the blade battery? Help?

My choices moving forward:
1. Test and then replace lead batteries in blade pack with two new 12 V batteries. Live with the power.

2. Thinking to future and options for battery replacement - Change out the battery connectors. Ordered those parts already, Did I get ahead of myself???. Have no idea how to make this change!!! Does not look like plug and play so to speak.
Then use the upgraded Li-on battery from izip. Move blade connectors from ezip to zip.
Also moving forward... Battery packs with button connectors are still available for purchase.

3. Just change out ezip blade battery pack with Li-on batteries?? .... Upgrade ? to 36V will this burn out motor?

4. Keep the izip Trail AL for parts. It seem to be better quality overall.

5. Something else.

I believe I can do the work just need help with what the steps are and what to be mindful and careful about. Anyone available to be my coach? Thanks...

Foz

In case no one with direct experience responds, my first recommendation is to look at the other izip / ezip / currie threads, as they might already have the specific info you're looking for.

It's not a step by step, but it might help.

Short of that, how about transplanting the entire power system including battery mount from the bike you don't like to the one you do? Are the two you have mechanically similar enough to be able to do that? (not all of them are)


If the one you don't like is built for 36v, but the one you do like is built for 24v, transferring just the battery over may not work.

I haven't used those specific bikes, but it's common for lower voltage systems to be able to run on higher voltage, as long as you're not heavy-handed with the throttle, or using it at higher power for long periods, etc. There's usually some wattage limit that if exceeded for too long means it can't get rid of the waste heat, and stuff starts to fail. Could be electrical, or mechanical, depends on what exceeds it's abilities first.

Probably all the parts in there can handle 36v, electrically, but there are also some controllers that have an HVC so they will not operate above some specific voltage. If so, it may not damage them but they won't do anything.


I'd verify via other people's experiences first, but you could try the experiment, as long you understand it is possible to damage electronics by using a higher voltage battery than it was designed for--often it works out fine, just not always.


some possible searches; not everything will be relevant
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=ezip&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=izip&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/search.php?keywords=currie&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sk=t&sd=d&sr=topics&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

Homemade Battery Packs

1st post is set up as an index.
Lots of eZip-iZip builds and conversions.

eZip-iZip specific threads towards end of index.

If your step through ezip trails was made after 2008, you will need to upgrade your controller to a 36V, if I remember correctly. The HVC is 29V on the 24V system. I changed my 24V controller to a 36V controller on my 2013 eZip Trails, and powered it with two 18.5V 30C 5000mah lipo bricks in series. It packed quite a punch over the 24V setup, but the motor would shut down after about 10-12 seconds at WOT, even on flat terrain. If I shut the power off and then turned it on again, it would immediately work again. I also lost my PAS function with the 36V controller, it only had the connection for the throttle. I moved on to a YESCOM USA 1000W 48V RHM shortly after, I still have the eZip Trails sitting in my back yard.