It really does:
About a year ago my “defective” battery was exchanged by the manufacturer/vendor for a new one. It turned out to be only marginally better than the original one (7 mi vs. 6 mi). The merchant informed me that “there was nothing wrong” upon testing all 12 cells of the original battery. Now I am sure the merchant was right. It took me almost a year to figure it all out: now I ride a 3-speed Worksman Cycles 20" tricycle: it is rather slow, yet has tremendous torque, so I am able to climb virtually any hill in the neighborhood using muscle power alone. So, usually I do not use the motor at all. I always turn the controller switch “OFF” at night and quite frequently did not turn it “ON” all day long (e. g. when I ride ~ 1 mi to the subway station and park the bike for all day long and later ride another mile back). In short, I use the motor only when I have to climb a very steep long hill, which is to say rather infrequently. Yet, upon getting home and checking the battery before possible recharging, I noticed that the voltage drops much more than should be expected after a short period the battery was actually used.
So, recently I did an ultimate test: I left the switch “ON” while the bike was parked at night: Next morning the battery voltage was only ~37 V! If I leave the switch “ON” for a few days, the voltage might drop below 30 V. Of course, if the switch is in “OFF” position, the battery needs to be recharged about once a month.
Summary: If the switch is “OFF” everything is normal. If the switch is “ON” the power is drained regardless the motor use and/or throttle engagement. In other words, when the motor is spinning, the battery is drained very fast, by the motor AND by the controller simultaneously!
I opened the controller - it looks and smells like a new, undamaged one would – i. e. all parts are shiny, all tiny markings are clear and legible, etc.
I wonder: is my problem unique? At the time, the merchant/manufacturer had asked me to ship the charger along with the “defective” battery. Apparently, the controller was not even suspected. Is there an explanation and can anything be done?
About a year ago my “defective” battery was exchanged by the manufacturer/vendor for a new one. It turned out to be only marginally better than the original one (7 mi vs. 6 mi). The merchant informed me that “there was nothing wrong” upon testing all 12 cells of the original battery. Now I am sure the merchant was right. It took me almost a year to figure it all out: now I ride a 3-speed Worksman Cycles 20" tricycle: it is rather slow, yet has tremendous torque, so I am able to climb virtually any hill in the neighborhood using muscle power alone. So, usually I do not use the motor at all. I always turn the controller switch “OFF” at night and quite frequently did not turn it “ON” all day long (e. g. when I ride ~ 1 mi to the subway station and park the bike for all day long and later ride another mile back). In short, I use the motor only when I have to climb a very steep long hill, which is to say rather infrequently. Yet, upon getting home and checking the battery before possible recharging, I noticed that the voltage drops much more than should be expected after a short period the battery was actually used.
So, recently I did an ultimate test: I left the switch “ON” while the bike was parked at night: Next morning the battery voltage was only ~37 V! If I leave the switch “ON” for a few days, the voltage might drop below 30 V. Of course, if the switch is in “OFF” position, the battery needs to be recharged about once a month.
Summary: If the switch is “OFF” everything is normal. If the switch is “ON” the power is drained regardless the motor use and/or throttle engagement. In other words, when the motor is spinning, the battery is drained very fast, by the motor AND by the controller simultaneously!
I opened the controller - it looks and smells like a new, undamaged one would – i. e. all parts are shiny, all tiny markings are clear and legible, etc.
I wonder: is my problem unique? At the time, the merchant/manufacturer had asked me to ship the charger along with the “defective” battery. Apparently, the controller was not even suspected. Is there an explanation and can anything be done?
