Charging while on the road
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If your vehicle has a 400w 120v plug, you can run your charger off that while the vehicle is running. Otherwise, you'll need a power inverter, which are cheap enough from Harbor Freight or wherever. Another option is a portable electric generator. The bigger ones can probably charge an ebike battery a couple of time before needing to be recharged themselves.
Worst case....gas powered generator.
My GF & I don’t do campgrounds.
Rather, we do dispersed camping.
We hate generators.
But we bought one anyway.
We carry the generator on a cargo carrier between our van’s back doors and the tray hitch rack that carries the ebikes.
We’ll run the generator to charge the ebikes while we drive.
If we’re staying in one place for multiple days, we’ll charge the ebikes in camp, which is away from other people.
As I mentioned, we’re dispersed campers. Our generator only annoys ourselves.
We carry a 100’ extension cord so we can employ shore power while the generator is running 100’ from camp.
The generator is a Honda which is one of the quietest.
We still hate generators.
=sParty
EDIT: Here’s a photo of the cargo carrier that holds the generator:
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Rather, we do dispersed camping.
We hate generators.
But we bought one anyway.
We carry the generator on a cargo carrier between our van’s back doors and the tray hitch rack that carries the ebikes.
We’ll run the generator to charge the ebikes while we drive.
If we’re staying in one place for multiple days, we’ll charge the ebikes in camp, which is away from other people.
As I mentioned, we’re dispersed campers. Our generator only annoys ourselves.
We carry a 100’ extension cord so we can employ shore power while the generator is running 100’ from camp.
The generator is a Honda which is one of the quietest.
We still hate generators.
=sParty
EDIT: Here’s a photo of the cargo carrier that holds the generator:
Generator. Can get a cheap one and use ear plugs. I also disperse camp and hate generators. I have a powerful solar array but even then one has to be judicious, more so when my daughter is traveling with me. Unless you’re camping off grid a lot it’s hard to justify the cost of a good solar setup especially since lithium batteries are so much better than wet cells. Honda generators are awesome but also spendy. Theft when dispersed camping in an rural environment not close to a town is pretty safe as you know, but if I’m a meth head I’m eyeing that generator.
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Solar powered generator
Amazon.com : Geneverse Solar Generator For Homes: Portable Power Station Backup Battery & Solar Panel Power Generator. 1000W-2000W at 110V. Up To 7 Days of Emergency Power Supply. (1x2 (For 1-2 People Family)) : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Amazon.com : Geneverse Solar Generator For Homes: Portable Power Station Backup Battery & Solar Panel Power Generator. 1000W-2000W at 110V. Up To 7 Days of Emergency Power Supply. (1x2 (For 1-2 People Family)) : Patio, Lawn & Garden
www.amazon.com
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We charge from a 400W solar, 4 100AH batteries and Victron inverter system installed in 170 extended Sprinter. Bikes stored inside, recharge in 3-5 hours depending on how much sun we're getting. We only do dispersion camping and are completely self contained.
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Borrowed a friend’s Honda Eu2200i a couple of years ago during the rolling blackouts. Have to say, amazing how quiet that thing is. A far cry from the 6kw one I have now in case of blackouts, which would piss everyone off within a mile in the backcountry.
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Does the charge flow from the solar to the storage batteries and then the inverter to the bikes?
That’s the one we’ve got. Seems a keeper.
=sParty
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Exactly. Installed both 12V and 120V outlets. Bike chargers plug into the 120V. Only compromise is that we can't use the Keurig while the bikes are charging. ;-)
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Solar on our RV keeps the batteries charged. Also have a pair of Honda 2000i. Parallel them together for a 4k power source, run the microwave, AC, ebike etc. A cell phone booster with a MiFi card lets us stream movies while boondocking.
Looking at converting the gennies to propane. Easier to carry a couple extra 20# propane bottles than 5 gal gas cans.
Looking at converting the gennies to propane. Easier to carry a couple extra 20# propane bottles than 5 gal gas cans.
We have 500 Watts of solar on our roof and a diesel generator. The solar panels are ideal as they require no fuel to operate and their output is more in sync with how much current a bike battery charger can accept with its 2-4 Ah transformer brick.
That said I decided to sell our two trail e-bikes and use two standard mountain bikes instead for our RV travels. There is no effective way to avoid the bikes from being stolen and with less expensive mountain bikes there is less incentive for a thief to take them.
The only safe way to take bicycles is to have them in the back of a camper with a fiberglass cap and blacked out windows and a car alarm and to tow a travel trailer. Otherwise the bikes are up for grabs. I have used the back of a pickup with a cap to transport bicycles for more than 50 years and never lost a bike with this approach.
That said I decided to sell our two trail e-bikes and use two standard mountain bikes instead for our RV travels. There is no effective way to avoid the bikes from being stolen and with less expensive mountain bikes there is less incentive for a thief to take them.
The only safe way to take bicycles is to have them in the back of a camper with a fiberglass cap and blacked out windows and a car alarm and to tow a travel trailer. Otherwise the bikes are up for grabs. I have used the back of a pickup with a cap to transport bicycles for more than 50 years and never lost a bike with this approach.
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From an outsider looking in this seems a bit crazy.
Off the grid camping, but requiring generators to charge the e-bikes. I realise bringing a moto isn't quite as straight forward, you need to tow, or heavy duty racks. But how far off being practical is something like a CRF125? Yes I know it's not an e-bike, but if you're driving an RV into the wilderness then surely petrol power isn't off limits?
Either way you'll have noise. The generator charging the e-bikes, or the moto while you're riding it.
On another note, I'd love some kind of RV to park up and ride my bikes. It would be quite nice not having to fret about a motel room while riding at new spots.
Off the grid camping, but requiring generators to charge the e-bikes. I realise bringing a moto isn't quite as straight forward, you need to tow, or heavy duty racks. But how far off being practical is something like a CRF125? Yes I know it's not an e-bike, but if you're driving an RV into the wilderness then surely petrol power isn't off limits?
Either way you'll have noise. The generator charging the e-bikes, or the moto while you're riding it.
On another note, I'd love some kind of RV to park up and ride my bikes. It would be quite nice not having to fret about a motel room while riding at new spots.
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Apples and oranges. 200+ pound moto, gas cans, oil, and all the gear you need to wear while riding it vs. a 50 pound bicycle and very little specialized gear to ride it other than a helmet.
Personally, I'd either go with a solar generator like the one above, or just use an inverter, which is about the size of a book, and run the car/truck engine to charge the bike if I were boondocked and had no other options.
Yeah, I've got a Honda XR400 off-road motorcycle, too. Plus a hydraulic-lift hitch rack to transport it.
The dirt bike fun in its own right.
As for the generator & ebikes, I can charge both of these on 1 gallon of gas with the relatively quiet generator; my GF & I can each go 40+ miles on a full charge so that's about 80+ miles per gallon (2 bikes).
And enjoy a much quieter ride than aboard the moto, which gets 50-100 MPG depending on how I twist the throttle.
Of course the ebikes only put out a little power (someone said 1 HP max) while my dirt bike puts out about 30 HP, so they're entirely different kinds of fun.
The bottom line for me isn't which is more fuel efficient or noisy or convenient or any of that, it's what kind of experience I want.
Most often I choose my human powered mountain bike. I love it the best no doubt and by far.
But the ebike is a different experience, a different kind of fun. Same for the dirt bike.
I choose my 2-wheeled vehicle fun based on what I want to do.
Tomorrow I'll use my ebike to tow my BOB trailer carrying my chainsaw-certified friend's saw to a remote site where she'll cut a 16" tree that fell across a trail.
She'll ride my GF's ebike -- we'll be in and out in no time and with ease.
So far trailwork is my personal favorite way to employ my ebike insofar as I find my mountain bike the most fun to "just ride."
My second favorite way to use my ebike is to explore new-to-me potential riding areas, remote doubletracks, etc.
This is what my GF & I do most whenever we take the ebikes dispersed camping -- we go exploring, most often on doubletracks.
Places we probably wouldn't choose to go on our human powered mountain bikes.
=sParty
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I charge my eBike twice per day off my solar generator in my Chevy Express van conversion. I have 4 100W panels connected to a EcoFlow Delta 1800 power generator. The panel put out a max of around 385 watts in good conditions. Between the eBike charger (172 watts) plus my 12 V cooler/frig (30-35 watts) it uses around 210 for a little over 2 hrs to fully charger the bike. The cooler cycles on and off as needed and depending of temp setting.
Plenty of juice every day including lights, water pump and even a TV monitor at night.
Trust me, a 400 watts inverter doesn't work, it HAS to be pure sine wave, and the charger will get very hot and it will discharge your coach battery quickly. Do it right or not at all.
BTW- generators suck off grid and are the last thing you want to listen to for a couple of hours.
Plenty of juice every day including lights, water pump and even a TV monitor at night.
Trust me, a 400 watts inverter doesn't work, it HAS to be pure sine wave, and the charger will get very hot and it will discharge your coach battery quickly. Do it right or not at all.
BTW- generators suck off grid and are the last thing you want to listen to for a couple of hours.
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I like the idea of solar charging. Again not always practical I guess. But I think it's a legit discussion, not quite apples and oranges. Presumably a generator weighs something, needs fuel etc. Not sure about your bike riding but I wind up wearing quite a bit of bike specific riding gear. As I said, I'm not anti e-bike, but having to use a generator seems a lot of work.
It's a bit like the hydrogen argument, where I live we could be in a fairly unique position to produce hydrogen cleanly (surplus hydro), however by the time you make the hydrogen, ship it around, put it in cars etc, you'd have been better off just having an electric car to begin with and using the surplus hydro to charge it. NB obviously not everything can go electric IE construction etc.
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