Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Stonewolf]

I recently picked up a new Ribelle RS and have done about 950 miles. I've not quite been getting the range I expected but I figured it's just cold (2-10 celcius, heated grips on all the time) and I'm not riding for best efficiency (Sports mode, max regen, generally sticking to 66mph indicated except where limits are below 60, avoiding motorways). What I've noticed though is that rough estimates of the nominal capacity calculated from percentage gained from DC charges vs kWh delivered (I don't have the same stats for AC charging) don't line up with the advertised capacity.

I'm getting about 100 miles of range generally and the capacity calculation for all of my trips comes out in the 16's with 16.6kWh being the average. I know it's not an accurate measurement but I expected it to be more in the 18.9 ballpark. It does charge faster than I expected and seems to count time to 75% charge at which point the green message start to flicker between different messages and the charge speed becomes really erratic, fluctuating up and down between 14 and 24 in 1 second cycles then settles down closer to 80.

I was wondering if this is fairly normal or should I continue to monitor it and raise it with my dealer if it doesn't change? I also thought about zeroing out my battery and giving it a full AC charge as Lex Summer does in one of his videos to see if that helps the BMS calibrate to the full capacity.

Due to everything being closed for Christmas my initial service is booked for the 19th so I have the opportunity to discuss it with the dealer then.

Also my seat doesn't latch x.x

[NEW2elec]

I see "new", is it an actual 2022 or a new to you 2021?
Most people were getting close to getting their 2022s.

[MVetter]

I'm getting about 100 miles of range generally and the capacity calculation for all of my trips comes out in the 16's with 16.6kWh being the average. I know it's not an accurate measurement but I expected it to be more in the 18.9 ballpark. It does charge faster than I expected and seems to count time to 75% charge at which point the green message start to flicker between different messages and the charge speed becomes really erratic, fluctuating up and down between 14 and 24 in 1 second cycles then settles down closer to 80.

Are you saying you're pulling into a DC station at 0%, charging to 100% and the station is displaying 16.6kWh added? I don't necessarily trust the values shown on DC stations. The ramping up and down at the top end of the charge is quite normal due to the nature of voltage sag and lift and the employed algorithm.

If you're truly curious about capacity do a full slow AC charge monitored by a Kill-A-Watt meter attached to a level 1 EVSE.

I was wondering if this is fairly normal or should I continue to monitor it and raise it with my dealer if it doesn't change? I also thought about zeroing out my battery and giving it a full AC charge as Lex Summer does in one of his videos to see if that helps the BMS calibrate to the full capacity.

I only bother doing this when the SoC alignment message comes on angrily on my display. I don't think it'll do anything but go ahead and give it a shot.

Also my seat doesn't latch x.x

Is it physically not latching, like the spring and latch aren't catching? Or is it that sensor that activates the kill switch if the seat is up. Either way that's an area they can improve going forward.

[Stonewolf]

I see "new", is it an actual 2022 or a new to you 2021?
Most people were getting close to getting their 2022s.

Brand new, ordered from the factory in October 2021

Are you saying you're pulling into a DC station at 0%, charging to 100% and the station is displaying 16.6kWh added? I don't necessarily trust the values shown on DC stations. The ramping up and down at the top end of the charge is quite normal due to the nature of voltage sag and lift and the employed algorithm.

(kWh delivered)*100/(%after charge - %before charge), that's why I said it's not very accurate but I'd expect it to be in the same ballpark. I expect the ramp up and down, I did do some research on it before buying, but it seems to be kicking in earlier than expected with the bike claiming to be counting down time to 80% but actually counting down to 75%.

Is it physically not latching, like the spring and latch aren't catching? Or is it that sensor that activates the kill switch if the seat is up. Either way that's an area they can improve going forward.

Physically not latching, the latch seems to be slightly misaligned. They could certainly improve the design of the latch.

[flynnstig82r]

I think your issues are related to the cold temperatures. I recently made a major improvement in this regard after having similar issues with my new-to-me 2020 SS9 13.4 kWh. I have been doing a lot of riding on the Interstate at ~70-75 MPH in temps between the high 30's and low 50's Fahrenheit and my range has been terrible, with DC stations indicating an extrapolated napkin-math total capacity around ~10 kWh. Then I covered the cooling vents at the front with electrical tape last night and suddenly experienced a 10+% boost in range without any improvement in the indicated Wh/mi efficiency, my DC charges extrapolated to around ~11-11.5 kWh total capacity, and the bike no longer went into limp mode earlier than expected. The electrical tape mod is not adhering very well, though, so I'll have to find a better solution. Maybe gaffer tape will hold.

I was already in love with the bike despite the range disappointment, so I am delighted with this improvement. Combined with the 15+% efficiency gain from the new Puig up-and-down windscreen, it puts my SS9's highway range close to my Zero SR's at 55-60 miles for the SS9 vs 70-75 for the SR. That's skewed in the Zero's favor because I would sometimes run it well past "0%" SoC to the point where it would shut off and I would have to gently feather the throttle to coax it the last couple of miles in the bike lane at 15-20 MPH with the hazards on. I also drafted big rigs and tried to find slow drivers so I could ride at 55-60 MPH without fear of being rear-ended. I don't do any of that on the Energica because I can just pop into a DC-station for a 5-minute charge and have plenty of range-buffer, so there's no good reason to ride slow or tempt fate by running on sparks. DCFC is truly a game-changer that allows me to ride like I would ride a gas bike (with all the amazing benefits of electric) instead of going to extremes to avoid sitting at a slow L2 charger for 30 mins.

Someone (who I can name if they wish me to) recently turned me onto the idea of covering the exposed portions of the battery case with 1/8" thick neoprene in three sections for winter riding. They say it brings the winter range within a few % of summer, but is thin enough not to need to be removed in the hotter weather unless a person is riding through a place like Death Valley or Phoenix. I am definitely considering this option, although if I get most of the benefit by simply applying tape, I might not want to bother.

[HoodRichOG]

You got 15% efficiency gain from that windscreen? Wow.

[EVriderDK]

I think your issues are related to the cold temperatures. I recently made a major improvement in this regard after having similar issues with my new-to-me 2020 SS9 13.4 kWh. I have been doing a lot of riding on the Interstate at ~70-75 MPH in temps between the high 30's and low 50's Fahrenheit and my range has been terrible, with DC stations indicating an extrapolated napkin-math total capacity around ~10 kWh. Then I covered the cooling vents at the front with electrical tape last night and suddenly experienced a 10+% boost in range without any improvement in the indicated Wh/mi efficiency, my DC charges extrapolated to around ~11-11.5 kWh total capacity, and the bike no longer went into limp mode earlier than expected. The electrical tape mod is not adhering very well, though, so I'll have to find a better solution. Maybe gaffer tape will hold.

I was already in love with the bike despite the range disappointment, so I am delighted with this improvement. Combined with the 15+% efficiency gain from the new Puig up-and-down windscreen, it puts my SS9's highway range close to my Zero SR's at 55-60 miles for the SS9 vs 70-75 for the SR. That's skewed in the Zero's favor because I would sometimes run it well past "0%" SoC to the point where it would shut off and I would have to gently feather the throttle to coax it the last couple of miles in the bike lane at 15-20 MPH with the hazards on. I also drafted big rigs and tried to find slow drivers so I could ride at 55-60 MPH without fear of being rear-ended. I don't do any of that on the Energica because I can just pop into a DC-station for a 5-minute charge and have plenty of range-buffer, so there's no good reason to ride slow or tempt fate by running on sparks. DCFC is truly a game-changer that allows me to ride like I would ride a gas bike (with all the amazing benefits of electric) instead of going to extremes to avoid sitting at a slow L2 charger for 30 mins.

Someone (who I can name if they wish me to) recently turned me onto the idea of covering the exposed portions of the battery case with 1/8" thick neoprene in three sections for winter riding. They say it brings the winter range within a few % of summer, but is thin enough not to need to be removed in the hotter weather unless a person is riding through a place like Death Valley or Phoenix. I am definitely considering this option, although if I get most of the benefit by simply applying tape, I might not want to bother.

I was thinking of doing the same, but actually just use a cardboard box that fits around the battery (Cut it at tape it back together, and then cover the cardboard in some plastic wrap or plastic bag, so that it become waterproof. The cardboard shout give a good thermo effect I think.
But, a guy posted test results, where he started with a 15 degree C temperature from his garage, and the just by riding 100km/h for an hour the battery temp went up to 25 degrees C, and then it went to 35+ degrees C when DC chaging. Then when he arrived at the next DC charger his battery was 25 degrees again. - So after jo DC charge it, then it keeps the heat pretty wekk if you are riding on the highway.
If you start off with a 1 degree C battery and you are not doing DCFC, then I could see the issue, but it seems like that battery temperature keeps being high(and too high) even though it is cold outside. You just need to DC charge it.
Also, I can report that it is the same for Tesla. Your range will not really decrease in the winter if you are Superchaging it all the way.

I was thinking about doing the mod my self but I think I will focus on trying to keep the battery cool in the summer instead, which is difficult.

[MVetter]

This thread is now great. There's like 3 completely opposite problems being discussed and everyone is blissfully unaware of each other.

[HoodRichOG]

Based on my observations somewhere in the 16s seems about right. I'm basing off the GOM range on the dash in the winter. For example, if I keep my consumption around 8kwh/100mi, at 50% it would say 100mi remaining. It's possible that there are a few kwh that are available for us below 0% though that would technically fall under the nominal range?

This has been my experience so far.

[flynnstig82r]

You got 15% efficiency gain from that windscreen? Wow.

Yes but keep in mind that is on the slab at 75 MPH. At speeds most of us ride, I’m sure it would be less.

I was thinking of doing the same, but actually just use a cardboard box that fits around the battery (Cut it at tape it back together, and then cover the cardboard in some plastic wrap or plastic bag, so that it become waterproof. The cardboard shout give a good thermo effect I think.

That’s a good idea, but the SS9 is such a pretty bike that I’m loathe to cover it with cardboard.

But, a guy posted test results, where he started with a 15 degree C temperature from his garage, and the just by riding 100km/h for an hour the battery temp went up to 25 degrees C, and then it went to 35+ degrees C when DC chaging. Then when he arrived at the next DC charger his battery was 25 degrees again. - So after jo DC charge it, then it keeps the heat pretty wekk if you are riding on the highway.
If you start off with a 1 degree C battery and you are not doing DCFC, then I could see the issue, but it seems like that battery temperature keeps being high(and too high) even though it is cold outside. You just need to DC charge it.
Also, I can report that it is the same for Tesla. Your range will not really decrease in the winter if you are Superchaging it all the way.

I was thinking about doing the mod my self but I think I will focus on trying to keep the battery cool in the summer instead, which is difficult.

I was getting 35 miles between charges despite using DCFC and going into limp mode at 17% SoC. The windscreen brought that up to ~42-45 with limp mode at 8%, and taping off those cooling vents brought it up to at least 50 with no limp mode engaging at 5%. The difference was not small.

[Stonewolf]

I had it down at 6% after a ride anyway so I ran it down near zero (just to 0% on the display, not flat, I probably had between half and 1 percent remaining) and AC charged it with a power meter just to see and it pulled 18.5kWh which is reassuring. Interesting that the DC chargers underestimate so significantly.

[HoodRichOG]

That is great. I think the issue is not the charger. What is on the display in terms of range or battery percentage is really a guesstimate based on pack voltage. Once you get close to 0 or 100 is when that meter will be the most accurate.

So most likely the dash isn't 100% accurate at displaying the exact % charge.

That's my guess.