How to mod a 2011 Pedego Interceptor

[DavidHuff]

I am a new member, new to this hobby and sure like the looks of the Pedego Interceptor bike.
The bike has the power as follows:
48 VOLT 10AH BATTERY
500 WATT BRUSHLESS MOTOR
I want a bike to run at 30MPH and what mods will have to be done to the Pedego to do this or should I just build a electric bike with one of kits from a vendor.
Thanks

 

[Hillhater]

What speed does it run at currently ?
I have read reviews of these bikes that state they are 48v ( charges to over 54v ?) and will run at 30mph without pedaling ??
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=20627
From that, I believe Pedigo can "deregulate" the bike for you if you ask when ordering !
..but standard is probably 20-25 mph i guess as legally dictated !
I suspect you will need to modify or replace your controller to feed more power to the motor, and if that doesnt do the trick then a higher voltage battery pack will be needed.

 

[DavidHuff]

Thanks for the great information.
Will the 500 watt motor with stand a larger voltage battery?

 

[Hillhater]

From the previous link, they dont seem to have needed any more than the 48-50V standard battery, so i suspect the changes to "deregulate" are in the controller. ( possibly just a shunt mod ?)
Have you spoken to Pedego,? it would appear that they will do this for you if you request it when ordering.

 

[dogman dan]

The pedego is said to be a nice bike. But if we have seen one thing here, it's that 30 mph just makes you want 40.

For this reason I would suggest you build it yourself. If you start out with a direct drive motor, then a simple controller replacement and additional voltage will get you that speed you want later. It also gives you experience, that will be needed later when you want to join the 50 mph club.

The more common kit, a 9 continent, or a clone of it does go only 27 mph on the stock controller with 48v. Not 30, but pretty fast. Later on bumping to nearly 40mph is fairly easy and cheap.

 

[Ypedal]

" shunt mods " only increase amps, not voltage, so the bike would accelerate faster off the line but would not result in a higher top speed..

More voltage = more speed..

Adding a 12v pack to the existing battery in series would likely do the job but there are factors to consider, will the controller take this ?.. does the throttle have an LED indicator set for 36v ?,.. does the bike have lights that rely on 36v to the controller ?.. etc etc etc...

basically.. if you want to go fast.. get a kit.

if you want to opena box and ride, and be happy with pre-built , the pedego is a good deal " as is " ..

 

[Sacman]

Yes Pedego bikes are made more for thier rugged and stylish beach cruiser look rather than for performance. The Interceptor is supposed to be the model to have the performance built in since it was originally designed for the Los Angeles Police Department. But the 2010 Interceptor I rode was pretty underwhelming. It probably did get up to 24... (I dare say 26mph) but it sure took it's time to get up there.

For more speed I would upgrade to higher voltage batteries and controller that can handle the higher votage. It will, however, make the green-yellow-red LED battery indicators lights on the handlebars useless.

The small controller is located on the rear rack, underneath the battery. It's most likely just a small 6-FET controller. I would replace it with a Lyen 12-FET controller that can run 72volts and beef up the shunt traces to improve acceleration.

The Interceptor's battery is a 52-volt (14s) LiPo pack with 10Ah capacity. I would then run another 6s 10Ah battery pack in series with that original battery to make it a combined 74-volt (20s) 10Ah LiPo pack. It's really not that hard to do although you'd need a new or separate charging system.

BTW the Interceptor is just a rigid frame with no suspension (other than the tires) so going 30+mph and hitting a pothole is going to hurt pretty bad so I suggest you lower your tire pressure to soften up the ride.

" shunt mods " only increase amps, not voltage, so the bike would accelerate faster off the line but would not result in a higher top speed..

More voltage = more speed..

Adding a 12v pack to the existing battery in series would likely do the job but there are factors to consider, will the controller take this ?.. does the throttle have an LED indicator set for 36v ?,.. does the bike have lights that rely on 36v to the controller ?.. etc etc etc...

basically.. if you want to go fast.. get a kit.

if you want to opena box and ride, and be happy with pre-built , the pedego is a good deal " as is " ..

 

[John in CR]

I can't believe people are still just slapping solder on a shunt to decrease resistance and increase current limits. There are 2 more accurate ways discussed here http://endless-sphere.com/forums/vi...458366&hilit=wrap+copper+around+shunt#p458366


David,

Regarding your interest in more speed, trace your throttle wire all the way back to the controller. If your bike is restricted, then maybe you'll get lucky and the restriction was done with an inline with the throttle using variable resistor like is typically done on the cheap scooter ebikes to tune them down to Euro or Australian regs.

The restriction could also be done via a jumper, so also look for a pair of short wires coming out of the controller which just plug to each other, and disconnect them or connect them.

No matter what you don't need a whole new kit. You've got a solid bike and direct drive brushless motor, and those motors can be pushed way past the limits as sold, so at most you'll need a better controller and add more battery. Like Ypedal said, higher voltage is what increases top speed, so if your bike is already unregulated, then you'll need to add voltage.

You didn't mention your weight, but unlike with a car our weight is the majority of the total vehicle weight and has a tremendous effect on performance. I'm a large person at 250lbs and all of my ebikes will do 50-60mph with me aboard, so when my 175lb son rides them he gets several more mph top speed because his body offers much less wind resistance and he gets a whole lot more acceleration due to 75lbs less load to haul to speed. What I'm saying is that if you're a large person, then you can't expect the same performance as a small guy without increasing power. Unless you're dealing with steep hills, then through some pretty easy mods that motor is capable of safely handling 2-3 times the power you're currently running.

John

 

[Ypedal]

I dont think he already has the bike....

 

[Hillhater]

Repeated for the 3rd time...
The interceptor can be ordered "deregulated" and with its standard 48v battery etc will do 30 + mph.

 

[John in CR]

I dont think he already has the bike....

A bunch of us read what we wanted based on the topic title, and the actual question blew right by.

David,
Build your own ebike. For the same money you can get more range and performance. Plus you can only understand afterward the degree of satisfaction gained from building your own transportation. ES is the #1 spot in the world for online info and assistance in building a great ebike.
John

 

[USMC7578]

I just bought a phantomX 2012. I am dissatisfied with the torque. I have hills. I would rather have the power over the speed. I am in the process of rebuilding a HPC bike that had 48v LiFe 50amp BMC controller and a 600W BMC motor. Now that had torque. How can I get more power. Even if I have to give up 5-10 MPH?

 

[DavidHuff]

Great forum and thanks guys for all the great information.
If I build my own bike what are some of the best 30mph kits on the market?