eBike Rental Business - Advice Needed

M

Marlz

1 mW
Joined
Apr 2, 2015
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17
Hi there,

So I live in a tourist destination and I am considering starting an ebike rental business. My assumption is that people will want to rent the bikes for multiple days and my concern is about battery care.

Does anyone have any recommendations for how to best take care of the batteries (lifepo4) to prolong their life? I'm a bit worried that the tourists will run the battery down to the last drop and also maybe leave it plugged into the charger for too long. Basically, not take care of them. I was thinking maybe there is something I can do to the BMS to make it deal with the lack of care a bit better (sorry if that isn't even possible. I'm quite ignorant of the details of the technology).

Any advice is appreciated.
 
The BMS should already look after the battery so that the rider can't damage anything.

I can't understand this obsession with LiFePO4. There's loads of better (IMHO) plug-and-play batteries available now. LiFePO4 is too heavy for an electric bicycle.
 
My recommendation would be to get a lot better understanding of the technology before you go any further at all with your plan.. You *will* be fixing those ebikes after tourists bork them or you will be paying someone else to fix them. If you plan on renting those out anywhere it's not almost perfectly flat the first thing that's going to happen is some 300+ lb tourist is going to ride it up a steep hill without any pedaling and toast the motor/electronics/battery.

The tourists will run the battery down most of the way, leave the bike overnight without charging and the next morning you will get a call to come and pick up the bike that "won't go any more" somewhere maximally inconvenient.

There are good many other issues as well, liability insurance for one, but count on your equipment breaking down regularly, I don't think there is anything on the market that could take the sort of abuse rental equipment gets day in and day out without having a lot of problems that may be tricky to fix.
 
Why electric ? Just a regular rental is hard enough. Things all bang up from tourist who will never see you again. Learn bicycle repair to start.
 
We've tried it in Chicago. It's a lot of hard work, and very difficult to turn a profit. The liability insurance is expensive.

The idea is awesome, but people are not fully aware of ebikes. Give it a go, but be prepared to work your tail off.

Where are you from?
 
It takes two weeks for someone who just bought an e-bike to understand how it works if you think you can rent them out for a day or two and they're going to understand how it works you need to be careful or you're fooling yourself.
How much do you know about ebikes ?
 
Definitely more info about the location will help. Hard to say if you can charge enough to turn a profit after paying the insurance companies check to the lawyers in the USA. Don't see much in the way of places you can rent motorcycles in the US. Guess why? There are places you can rent motorcycles, but they aren't all cheap at every airport like cars. It costs! Can you even get insurance for an ebike rent? Bike rent you can I'm sure. Have insurance companies in the US caught up? Insurance very nearly eliminated hot air ballooning in the USA. Nobody would touch it for a few years. Now it costs so much it's the main reason I stopped flying.

You can rent a plane, but that is because getting a pilots certificate is so hard it weeds out the morons. You can rent a car, because the insurance pool for cars is that huge.

The battery problem will not be a big problem. Defective batteries yes, but not what the customer does, riding it till empty. The bms will stop over discharge, and it wont matter how long they sit on, or off the charger. BMS won't let them overcharge.

You will need a good battery, not the cheapest possible provider. It will have to be built quality, no cheapo spot welds in the assembly. Size the battery for a low c rate, even when the rider is maxing out the throttle the whole ride. Keep the drain on the battery easy, and it will last. You could set an LVC on your controllers to stop the bike before the bms LVC if you want it conservative. Force them to slow down near the end of the charge.

You will need rugged chargers too, ones that can be mounted to the bike so customers can charge when they can. The battery itself will need a rugged enclosure, people will go out and lay em down. Or park carelessly so they fall over. Get the best stands you can find.
 
Phoenix Ebike Promotions (Moi) currently trying to rent more "Cruiser Bikes" (recumbent trike w/no chain/gears, but pedal levers directly attached to front axle), then Sneaky Guy hopes to sell (*SAFE*) "power-assist" upgrade kits to 3rd party buyers of used rental biz trikes). Any legalities "their problem", but trikes w/mod kits NOT "high speed". Instrumentation, lighting, 48V Li batt, more drink holders, etc.
 
Buy an ebike for yourself,ride it for one year then try a ebike rental business. :D
 
The Toronto Islands have a bike rental biz (sadly, not yet ebikes):
https://plus.google.com/110437679094245809987/about?gl=ca&hl=en

Major selling feature? No cars (pubic park. Hope I spelled "public" correctly here!) Were I King, the islands would offer recumbent trike rentals w/"power-assist" (plus more drink holders, etc.)
http://torontoislandbicyclerental.com/Toronto_Island_Bicycle_Rental/Welcome.html

Other point, charge outrageous fees. (Take the money from the rich `cause they're the only ones w/money. But will help cover high maintenance costs. Think "marriage".)
 
Way to go DYAD. Bet it would cost more in the USA, because of the torts.

Still curious what resort locations he's talking about. If you don't want to tell, you can at least say USA or not. Anyplace but here I bet you can insure it for a decent cost.
 
d8veh said:
The BMS should already look after the battery so that the rider can't damage anything.

I can't understand this obsession with LiFePO4. There's loads of better (IMHO) plug-and-play batteries available now. LiFePO4 is too heavy for an electric bicycle.
Click to expand...

I'm agree. I would include other chemistries also..

I think what makes the decision to choose LiFePo4 are those who doesn't want voltage sag in any of the state of charge, but won't mess with heavy SLA or pricey 25Rs, and also the chance to do a ton of cycles for commute or intense uses. (2000 - 7000)

Also the ability to recharge the battery from 0 to 90% in 15 minutes is something unique.

LiFePo4 is the battery that fits in Taxi/cab/bus applications like a charm. When the Volume and weight is an option
 
Thanks for all the good advice.

A bit more info:

I am living in a tourist location in South East Asia. Things like liability insurance won't be a problem nor will labor costs.

I have actually met someone who was vacationing in Greece and they said the ebike rental biz was booming and lots of tourists could be seen cruising around on them.

I have owned my ebike for a year. Actually its a conversion kit and it has been totally awesome for me. I have a mid-drive 360W motor with a lifepo4 24v 14Ah batt. I was just worried about the battery, mainly the frequency of a total discharge and overcharge.

Some people talked about other more suitable battery chemistries, please give me some more info on my options. What would you suggest?

Keep the comments coming!
 
There you go, no USA lawyer problems then.

The remaining big problem will be troubleshooting and repairing busted bikes, after you keep the deposits you charged them for crashing the bike.

You'll want to learn a lot about batteries, how to fix them. The motor fixing stuff is fairly easy to learn. Have lots of spares, and motor/ controller tester. Expect customers to overheat motors, if you rent tiny motors to fat tourists. I'd overkill the motor, then limit the power so the motors never fail.

Battery type, Lifepo4 will be fine for packs up to 10 ah, but NMC is much smaller and lighter if you want to give the customer more range. You need to price out the battery at what it will really cost per mile/cycle. If they say 1000 cycles, calculate for more like 500. Then include hours of time you'll spend fussing with them. Balancing them, fixing broken plugs, etc.
 
I've gotten into the habit of taking a picture (BlackBerry phone w/camera) of my vehicle anywhere before I leave it out of sight. Can suggest ya can do the same before Los Touristos ride away on your bikes? (Pic of bike AND "customer". "It's for insurance says my insurance agent.")
 
Set the controller LVC higher than the bms cutoff voltage. Limit controller max amps to no more than a 2C load on the battery pack.
 
... and been joking (on ES FacePlant site (sp?)) about having a GPS tracker installed on my bike (sign noting GPS already stuck on). Might save needing to provide a "lock" (no relation).
 
I recommend using a small wheels scooter that is stock with all parts easy to source, nothing that you build yourself. You may want to upgrade tires and some maintenance parts, to keep it simple and reliable. The guy who is renting ebikes here, has 30 batteries to charge twice a day, and that is a lot of maintenance already. Standard Lifepo4 batt makes sense for him, for lower maintenance. Then, servicing the brakes and wheels alone is a daily task.

Not so much manpower required if you plan ahead carefully. 1 tech who wkows everything about the bike that you rent, can do a lot in a day. 2 who can take tourists in guided tours, one of them can be a sales person when tours are not busy. You will find out that half of your clients will be locals, and eventually buy their own after renting for a while.
 
"Uzip Electric Bike Rentals now open on Hilton Head Island":
http://www.islandpacket.com/2015/04/09/3690841_uzip-electric-bike-rentals-now.html?rh=1
For spring, Doyle is offering free 10-minute demos of his bikes. Cost to rent an electric bike ranges from $20 for an hour to $200 for a week. All rentals include instructions, a map, a helmet, a lock, a storage basket and a water bottle. All riders must be at least 16 years old, at least 5'2" and weigh no more than 240 pounds.
Click to expand...

... "no more than 240 pounds". Talk about narrowing the NA ebike rental biz. :)
 
LockH said:
... "no more than 240 pounds". Talk about narrowing the NA ebike rental biz. :)
Click to expand...
That is why I suggest using small wheel scooters. Many of them can carry a big guy and his wife, if she's not as big. :wink:
 
Point Sir! Riding a 12.5" wheel on standup scooter (with electric "extra" kick) used to ride behind a gal w/her holding hands bar and me behind w/hands on handles. So, cuddling all the way. I would estimate both of us only about 150 pounds, so 300lbs. total (if not soaking wet.)
 
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