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Author Topic: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink  (Read 622 times)

ctrlburn

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Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
« on: July 28, 2016, 05:57:51 PM »

Back in the ICE Age I'd dutifully pull my motorcycle battery into the house for the winter. That warm battery would then occasionally be called into service to jump start a frozen car with remarkable vigor.

Post ICE Age it was college move out and hours of running the hazard lights on a fading battery left our loaded van unable to start. I was at work just a few blocks away with my Zero.  (Non-contribution perhaps the reason move out took hours... (and I wouldn't have run the hazards all day...) )

What would have been no problem for my Sportster is now a conundrum... My Zero S has enough electrical power to jump start several dozens of cars and a few trucks. Instead I have to zip home, grab a car and come back to re-energize the van... 

"Yes" we could have replaced the battery sooner, "Yes" we could have begged a jump from someone else... "Yes" we could get a jump start pod (we did once but it was stolen).

"Not a drop to drink."
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Shadow

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Re: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2016, 10:31:07 PM »

Aren't moto batteries 6v and auto batteries 12v or 24v? how does that work?

The 300W dc-dc regulator on the Zero should be able to put a slow charge on a 12v auto battety... but how to do that in a safe way?
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Erasmo

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Re: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2016, 11:05:11 PM »

Bikes and cars both used to run on 6V but they switched to 12V a looong time ago. As for the starting problem, with EV's taking over it will phase itself out.

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Chocula

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Re: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2016, 11:34:54 PM »

"Yes" we could have replaced the battery sooner, "Yes" we could have begged a jump from someone else... "Yes" we could get a jump start pod (we did once but it was stolen).

Plenty of "water" to drink, just not in the same glass that you are used to drinking it from.

I don't see any reason you couldn't mount a 12V lead acid battery to your Zero and let the inverter keep it charged up.  That would allow you to continue to do things as you have always done.  Or you could embrace the new technology and utilize it where it works best and not force it to be exactly like what you are used to.
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MrDude_1

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Re: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2016, 01:02:10 AM »

Aren't moto batteries 6v and auto batteries 12v or 24v? how does that work?
almost everything made since the 1960s is "12 volt"... the reason thats in quotes is because a fully charged lead acid battery is really 13.5-13.8 volts... and the alternator is just above that, sometimes as high as 14v.

A motorcycle battery can start a car just fine, but doesnt have the same capacity. 

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ctrlburn

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Re: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2016, 04:56:07 AM »

Or you could embrace the new technology and utilize it where it works best and not force it to be exactly like what you are used to.
Just sharing the adjustment process as others might be able to avoid these hurdles I stumble on.
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