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Messages - SolarMeter

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1
Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ / Re: Solar charging your zero
« on: September 21, 2016, 06:19:08 AM »
Here's a picture of a solar-to-motorcycle battery charger. I used a heavy standard solar module, but foldable ones would work fine if you needed to carry them with you.
The maximum power point (MPPT) DC-to-DC charger ($29 + shipping) will vary the current out of the solar modules to maximize their power output for the given conditions and charge up the lithium ion batteris on the motorcycle to the maximum voltage that you specify.

2
Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ / Re: Solar PV Charge station for my DS ?
« on: September 17, 2016, 12:55:41 AM »
I finally got the MPPT solar charger hooked up and it works great.  I only used to charge the battery up to about half full because I did not enable the BMS.  The charger does do constant current and then constant voltage charging when the battery reaches the setpoint entered into the MPPT.

3
Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2012 and older / Re: Problems with newly purchased 2010 DS
« on: September 16, 2016, 03:43:28 AM »
This response may be too late to do you any good, but I recently hooked up a solar module to charge my 2010 Zero S.  It is my understanding that the 2010 Zero S battery charger does not come on if the battery voltage is below a certain level.  If you can get the battery charged up to the minimum level, the charger should come on and complete the charge. 
I connected the solar leads from a solar charge controller directly to the battery terminals that are in the Delta Q charger.  I am using a maximum power point (MPPT) charger to get the maximum power out of the solar module, while also stepping up the voltage to match the Zero battery voltage without over-charging once the maximum voltage is met.

4
Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ / Re: Solar PV Charge station for my DS ?
« on: May 10, 2016, 09:56:32 AM »
Great ideas on this thread.  I totally agree that Delta-Q needs to develop an MPPT solar charge controller for lithium ion battery packs, especially for the Zero motorcycle.  I don't think Zero motorcycles realizes what an incredible selling point this would be for their motorcycles. 
One of the issues with using a solar DC-to-AC charger-to-Delta-Q charger is that the output of the solar array must always be greater than the power draw of the Delta-Q charger, otherwise the charger will drop off due to low-voltage.  The main purpose of the Delta-Q charger is to ensure that the battery cells don't get over-charged and that they are all topped off near their maximum voltage when the charging cycle ends (balanced).  The Delta-Q essentially needs to be a maximum power point tracker (MPPT) to manage the output voltage of the solar array, combined with their existing lithium ion battery management system (BMS).
I don't know of a way to replicate their BMS system to keep the battery from overcharging, but it may be possible to charge the Zero battery with a solar array using a DC-to-DC MPPT.  The idea is to use the solar MPPT to charge the battery, but only charge the battery in such a way to keep the cells below their maximum allowable setpoint.  I've done it on a lithium ion pack I mounted on an electric go-kart I made.   There are some expensive MPPT from Outback Power, but I thought I might try an inexpensive one I found from China ($30). 
Input Voltage: DC 12-60V     
Output Voltage: DC 15-90V, Adjustable to accommodate 24V/36V/48V/60V/72V Battery, which should work for my 2010 Zero's 55-Volt battery.
Output Current: 0-10A Adjustable
Output Power: 20-600W
Working Modes: MPPT and DC-DC
http://www.tomtop.com/mppt-solar-panel-battery-regulator-charge-controller-with-lcd-color-display-24-36-48-60-72v-10a-compatible-dc-dc-boost-charge-function-h16929.html

I've got a 165 Watt, 45 volt solar module that I thought I'd try it with.  I will monitor the battery voltage and unplug it before it gets too high. It will take over a month for the MPPT charger to get here, but I figured for $30 its worth a try.

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