Multi Battery mounts using the DATEX-2 OR -3

[joeliniowa]

Who's gone there, done that?  I just find a single battery range in my metro area won't cut it.  I keep it on assist "1". 20-25 miles is my experienced range.  That 30 mile loop sucked! ... LOL

I've talked to the guy at biggamebikes.com, he sells the DATEX devices that do "power balance magic".  He has good batteries, China generics, they come with a mount & charger - shipped direct.  He's a good guy.

I've found RadPower battery mounting plates on Thingiverse.com to 3D print. Guys have taken the time to measure, test, and post (to the public domain) their works.

Just wondering who's thinking the same?

TY VM

Joel.

[rjp]

Joel, That 20-25 mile range you mentioned doesn't seem right to me. I have a 2021 Rad Rover ST and I get 45-50 miles using mostly PAS2. What bike are you riding?  I have no problem at all getting 40 plus miles on a full charge.

[joeliniowa]

I'm in Cedar Rapids, IA.  River bank topography, with some limestone outcroppings.  I'm 220, have a new RadRunner Plus.  I'm doing the full draw on the battery the first couple times.  It's a virgin. I'm nearing 100 miles.  We'll see.  Support at RPB was just crappy & RUDE when I asked about a multi battery setup.  We might not even "ever" sell you a battery... WTF?   I'd never seen such FUBAR customer service.  Especially in the 2 years I've worked with Rad.  I had a RW4 (stolen 04/2022)

[rjp]

Joel, you wrote you keep it in assist #1, but I imagine you use the throttle quite a bit. Am I right? 

[joeliniowa]

some... that's all relative and subjective.  Wouldn't it be nice if the controller would let you pull that kind of data out of it.  Unfortunately it's probably some Arduino type "processor" and not a real computer like a RPi. Or a Bluetooth connection to the BMS.  Hmm, things for the suggestion pages.  I'm making a list...

I may have been in the break in/balancing phase of my new batteries.  I'll give it a couple more charges.  Today I went close to 20 miles West & then East in CID, less hills than North to Center.  I only used 2 bars...
The town is weird.  The Cedar River cuts it in half.  The quarters from downtown are NE, NW, SE, SW.

[Altema]

I run dual batteries anytime I'm on an adventurous group ride, or just need the extra capacity to reduce voltage sag when riding with Sur Ron's, lol.
The DATEx2 and 3 are nice units, but pricey. Unfortunately they are not compatible with controllers using top speed overdrive, so I can't use one. Instead, I run my batteries in parallel, which requires you to match voltages before connecting multiple batteries. I have the capacity to run up to four batteries at the same time, and have done so for the sake of testing, but I don't like carrying all that weight. I usually use the lightest battery that will do the job, but I do find your bike's short range curious. I weigh 190lbs, and with the stock Rad battery I've gotten 41 miles using PAS 2 and sometimes 3.

[joeliniowa]

Where & how are you mounting all this power???  Which generic PRC mount are you using?  I've talked with Gareth at biggamebikes dot com quite a bit about the DATEX devices, and his line of batteries.  I see he's added a new MONSTER! 18 AH Samsung Cell for $630... I thought I saw a bigger one....  He's got a nice line of supplies!  He know's his stuff!

[Altema]

Where & how are you mounting all this power???  Which generic PRC mount are you using?  I've talked with Gareth at biggamebikes dot com quite a bit about the DATEX devices, and his line of batteries.  I see he's added a new MONSTER! 18 AH Samsung Cell for $630... I thought I saw a bigger one....  He's got a nice line of supplies!  He know's his stuff!

I moved the front of my rear fender back about 12mm to accommodate a 52v 19.5Ah battery in the stock location. My favorite location for a second battery is hidden inside my rear rack bag, and there I'll use a 52v 20Ah battery with a cable going to my connection hub. I've only used a third battery a couple of times, and the mounting bracket for that bolts to the top tube using 3D printed clamps. In this front position, I'll use either a 12.5Ah or 14Ah battery.  Lastly, the rear rack was made for it's own special 52v 20Ah battery (kind of a double decker design), and it's a great battery with high current capability, but I don't use it as much because it's so darn heavy at 15.2 pounds. It is fun by itself, but with all that weight out back and lots of torque, it can be risky 😉

Photos below are the bike with middle and front batteries mounted, a closer shot of the front battery, and a photo of the underside of the rear rack where the connection hub and 12v converter are located. I can actually charge other e-bikes from this setup, but I mostly installed the convertor to power my heated helmet in the wintertime.

[JimInPT]

I've only used a third battery a couple of times

[Ronniedog]

I simply bought a second battery and keep on the rear rack and switch them out when needed.

[Tree]

I simply bought a second battery and keep on the rear rack and switch them out when needed.

this is my plan as well, when i get around to purchasing a second battery.

Although I do need to figure out exactly where the battery plugs into, since I've got the 6 plus and won't likely be purchasing another rad branded semi-integrated battery.

[K2WW]

won't likely be purchasing another rad branded semi-integrated battery.

Why not? I'm very new to my rover6+, but on my last 2 group rides with guys on 5's, their battery life was WAY better than mine. I too will be getting another battery if this one doesn't "settle in"
We rode 18 miles, I was on pas 1-3, average was 2, I had 4 bars left when we finished, the other 4 had 3 and 4 out of 5 bars.
Did the get a bad batch of batteries for the RR6?

[DickB]

won't likely be purchasing another rad branded semi-integrated battery.

Why not? I'm very new to my rover6+, but on my last 2 group rides with guys on 5's, their battery life was WAY better than mine. I too will be getting another battery if this one doesn't "settle in"
We rode 18 miles, I was on pas 1-3, average was 2, I had 4 bars left when we finished, the other 4 had 3 and 4 out of 5 bars.
Did the get a bad batch of batteries for the RR6?

I'm confused by your post. It reads like you got the same or better battery life than your companions. Did you have 4 of 5 bars on your bike's display, or 4 of 10 LEDs on the battery?

[Si1Dia]

I have the DateX3 on my Rover 6+ with the stock battery and 2 rad external batteries on the rear rack. I went from a 9-12v of voltage sag to 1.5v voltage sag with this setup. this is now a hill-climbing beast. And I can run the bike off of any one of the battery locations or combination of them.

[Tree]

won't likely be purchasing another rad branded semi-integrated battery.

Why not? I'm very new to my rover6+, but on my last 2 group rides with guys on 5's, their battery life was WAY better than mine. I too will be getting another battery if this one doesn't "settle in"
We rode 18 miles, I was on pas 1-3, average was 2, I had 4 bars left when we finished, the other 4 had 3 and 4 out of 5 bars.
Did the get a bad batch of batteries for the RR6?

do all 3 of you weight the same? are your bikes the same weight? did you use your throttle?

all of these are things that play a role in battery life.