Warning: Long post, I'm trying to get help narrowing the massive amount of information out there. Leave now if you don't like reading.
I live in silicon valley, south of San Francisco and am looking into going a bit more green. I'm looking at selling my car and building an ebike instead. My commute is about 12 miles each way, but fairly flat (413ft up and 240ft down). I'm hoping to cruise at about 30mph on the trip. I have a giant xtc2 mountain bike that has served me well, that I'm thinking about using as the base.
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/model/xtc.2/3878/36269/
I did quite a bit of research and I'm hitting the point where I have many options to choose from, but need advice of people with experience on where I might be making foolish mistakes. I hit a point of information overload on all the options I could choose from, so I decided to make 4 different kit/battery options at increasing price points and see where that put me. Here are the results of that:
Option 1: Ebay kit like this one:
http://lunacycle.com/hot-new/golden-motor-v5-magic-pie-complete-kit/
LaEbike 10ah battery:
https://laebike.com/collections/48v-battery-1/products/48v-10ah-lithium-ion-battery-aluminum-case-top-discharge
Total estimated cost: $520
Estimated range at 30mph: 11 miles
Comments: Very low cost. How is the quality on ebay kits? Battery has no rated max amperage on website, likely fine for this kit, but no room to upgrade to a bigger motor later. Will need to rely on pedal assist to hit needed range.
Option 2: Golden Motor V5 kit
http://lunacycle.com/hot-new/golden-motor-v5-magic-pie-complete-kit/
LaEbike 48V, 20AH battery:
https://laebike.com/collections/48v-battery-1/products/battery-48v-20ah
Total estimated cost: $985
Estimated Range at 30mph: 23 miles
Comments: Nicer kit, but with no display. Battery is a great deal, but I can find little on the reputation of LaEbikes batteries.
Option 3: Crystalyte Rear H Kit, Advanced PAS
http://www.ebikes.ca/shop/conversion-kits/direct-drive/crystalyte-rear-hs-kit-advanced-pas.html
Luna 72V, 11.6AH battery:
http://lunacycle.com/72v-panasonic-pf-11-6ah-with-luna-charger/
Total estimated cost: $1365
Estimated Range at 30mph: 20 miles
Comments: I have zero doubt this would meet my needs, nice controller, good battery manufacturer, but it's very expensive considering how it's not much more to move to a 3kW setup.
Option 4: Kinaye 3K-Turbo Power Kit:
https://kinayems.com/Store/KitBuilder Battery:
Ping Battery 60V, 15AH battery:
http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-19/60V-15AH-V2.5-LiFePO4/Detail
Total estimated cost: $1721
Estimated Range at 30mph: 22 miles
Comments: Absolutely awesome, but perhaps a bit of overkill? Might cost additional money in speeding tickets.
I put together a spreadsheet with all of the cost, analysis, links, etc. if anyone wants to look at it:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_TZGRcSWmYGLsIK8RHNVyBTojv9RpiTDiHzpS-CbeUU/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true
Now comes the real question, what do I really need?
Should I invest more in a battery? or more in a kit?
I've been looking at ~800-900WH of battery capacity, is this overkill for my needs?
Is my bike a good donor or should I buy a Genesis 2100, like many do?
If you've made it this far I'd like to thank for your time. Any advice is appreciated.
I live in silicon valley, south of San Francisco and am looking into going a bit more green. I'm looking at selling my car and building an ebike instead. My commute is about 12 miles each way, but fairly flat (413ft up and 240ft down). I'm hoping to cruise at about 30mph on the trip. I have a giant xtc2 mountain bike that has served me well, that I'm thinking about using as the base.
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/model/xtc.2/3878/36269/
I did quite a bit of research and I'm hitting the point where I have many options to choose from, but need advice of people with experience on where I might be making foolish mistakes. I hit a point of information overload on all the options I could choose from, so I decided to make 4 different kit/battery options at increasing price points and see where that put me. Here are the results of that:
Option 1: Ebay kit like this one:
http://lunacycle.com/hot-new/golden-motor-v5-magic-pie-complete-kit/
LaEbike 10ah battery:
https://laebike.com/collections/48v-battery-1/products/48v-10ah-lithium-ion-battery-aluminum-case-top-discharge
Total estimated cost: $520
Estimated range at 30mph: 11 miles
Comments: Very low cost. How is the quality on ebay kits? Battery has no rated max amperage on website, likely fine for this kit, but no room to upgrade to a bigger motor later. Will need to rely on pedal assist to hit needed range.
Option 2: Golden Motor V5 kit
http://lunacycle.com/hot-new/golden-motor-v5-magic-pie-complete-kit/
LaEbike 48V, 20AH battery:
https://laebike.com/collections/48v-battery-1/products/battery-48v-20ah
Total estimated cost: $985
Estimated Range at 30mph: 23 miles
Comments: Nicer kit, but with no display. Battery is a great deal, but I can find little on the reputation of LaEbikes batteries.
Option 3: Crystalyte Rear H Kit, Advanced PAS
http://www.ebikes.ca/shop/conversion-kits/direct-drive/crystalyte-rear-hs-kit-advanced-pas.html
Luna 72V, 11.6AH battery:
http://lunacycle.com/72v-panasonic-pf-11-6ah-with-luna-charger/
Total estimated cost: $1365
Estimated Range at 30mph: 20 miles
Comments: I have zero doubt this would meet my needs, nice controller, good battery manufacturer, but it's very expensive considering how it's not much more to move to a 3kW setup.
Option 4: Kinaye 3K-Turbo Power Kit:
https://kinayems.com/Store/KitBuilder Battery:
Ping Battery 60V, 15AH battery:
http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-19/60V-15AH-V2.5-LiFePO4/Detail
Total estimated cost: $1721
Estimated Range at 30mph: 22 miles
Comments: Absolutely awesome, but perhaps a bit of overkill? Might cost additional money in speeding tickets.
I put together a spreadsheet with all of the cost, analysis, links, etc. if anyone wants to look at it:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_TZGRcSWmYGLsIK8RHNVyBTojv9RpiTDiHzpS-CbeUU/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true
Now comes the real question, what do I really need?
Should I invest more in a battery? or more in a kit?
I've been looking at ~800-900WH of battery capacity, is this overkill for my needs?
Is my bike a good donor or should I buy a Genesis 2100, like many do?
If you've made it this far I'd like to thank for your time. Any advice is appreciated.