EVG ebike upgrades

[kauaikit]

Hello… I've got a few of these EVG ebikes. Focus on only the 36v versions, as you can continue to use the stock controller and upgrade them by using lithium poly battery packs to around 46v's, as 50v's will work, though it heats up the controller. I've used the HobbyKing NanoTech 22.2v/8ah + 18.5v/8ah batteries on series for a 46.2v/8ah pack. You too can parallel the same 2 pack setup for a 4 pack 16ah pack. Increase the front chainring to 46t, with a little trimming of the case, & replace the rear freewheel to a 11t/30t cluster for high speed peddling.

I also have 2 of the 36v lithium folding EVG ebikes, which I upgraded by using a LE 36v donor ebike, to use the front/rear/horn/cruise. And also upgraded the front chainring to a 46t & rear freewheel to 11t/30t.

Anyone else have any upgrade suggestions on these older 14 year range EVG ebikes?

 

[Court]

Hey kauaikit, it's nice to hear that you're able to breathe new life into these older bikes. They really were ahead of their time and I bet they perform great with the Lithium batteries! Would love to see a few pictures if you've got them.

Your tips are all great and I hope it helps other enthusiasts. I wish I could offer more upgrade suggestions to you here. I've only seen two of the EV Global Motors ebikes in person and they were both at ebike shops. I think they keep them around for fun and stories but they did let me try them out!

Next time I'm in the shop or speaking with the owners I'll ask them to hop on here and share their stories and upgrade ideas or things they've heard. Here's a short video interview I shot with Mike from The Electric Bike Shop near Sacramento.

Around 1:40 in the video we talk about the charge controller being built into the bike (versus a separate brick connected to the wall outlet) and I recently learned that in order to do this an entire bike has to be UL certified vs. just the charger. For this reason, many newer bikes externalize the charger (along with video game consoles, laptops etc.). I suppose it also keeps the bike lighter and less complex.

 

[Bob Moore]

Kauikit, What type of speed and distance were you able to achieve on your 36v bike after making the battery changes? I have a stock 36v Ebike which works great but I want to acquire a 48v lipo battery pack. At HobbyKing website, they have so many battery pack options, how do you wade through them to find the one that best suits this application?

Ideally, I want to tinker with the bike until I can get reach about 30 mph and can travel about 40 miles. Thoughts?

Right now I'm getting about 17+ mph on Power mode with a max range of about 12-14 miles using a stock 36v 8a SLA battery. Not near enough....

 

[kauaikit]

Bob….the stock controller will only handle around 46.2v without beeping bloody murder. In fact it gets hot and starts to slow down. You also have to consider what the stock rear brushed and geared hub can handle.

Yes, you can replace the stock controller, but you will loose the function of the stock lights/cruise/horn and thumb throttle.

My goal was to replace the heavy and don't last very long SLA battery pack and increase the speed a bit, though retaining the "goodies" and keeping the $$ investment low.

Upping the voltage a bit will get you 20mph and a 16ah lithium battery pack will get you range, around 20+ miles, though I'm not sure as my regular cardio ride is 12 miles.

Of course you can get what you want here for around $1K, and use your EVG as a foundation:

 

[kauaikit]

I recently purchased and installed the newest Golden Motor MP4 sine-wave controlled rear hub on one of my EVG PE (Police Edition 2000) ebikes. I maintained the excellent stock front/rear lights/horn and even the left side brake lever to the functional rear LED brake light. The optional LED dash works well too, once the adjustments are fine tuned. These hubs too have regen braking.

I'm using HK Nano tech 44.4v (50v)/8ah batteries for around 25-26mph (195lbs) level performance. The hub is dead silent with NO vibration or noise. The same as my Tidalforce ebikes. Soon I'll try a 60v battery to see if I can get to the claimed 28mph limit.

Over all, especially for the price, the latest GM MP4 rear hub very works well. I just require more torque and top end speed. With the goal of 31.5+mph, to match or exceed my TF ebikes. So, I've ordered a second MP4 hub and am having the R&D department use a different winding for more top end speed. I'll report when I know more.

Anyone else have experience with the newest GM MP4 rear hub, maybe even a dually setup?!?

 

[rad]

I know this is an old thread.

Leave the old controller in place. Disconnect the two power wires from it to the motor. Leave all the other wires in place. Use a different controller/throttle for the motor. That leaves the headlight/tail light/brake/horn functions still working. This worked for me on a 24 volt EVG. See my other post for converting to 31 mph/48 volt/20 mile range using SLA batteries. Lithium ... someday.

rad

 

[kauaikit]

I know this is an old thread.

Leave the old controller in place. Disconnect the two power wires from it to the motor. Leave all the other wires in place. Use a different controller/throttle for the motor. That leaves the headlight/tail light/brake/horn functions still working. This worked for me on a 24 volt EVG. See my other post for converting to 31 mph/48 volt/20 mile range using SLA batteries. Lithium ... someday.

rad

Hey Rad....you will have an issue if you power your stock EVG 24v controller w/a 48v power source, to power the lights/horn, as the controller can only handle around 29.2v! If you do the lights/horn might still function though you will never be able to power/throttle the stock 24v rear hub again. The stock 24v controllers have 25v caps.

The stock EGV 36v controllers can handle 50.2v and still power the MP4 rear hubs I've installed. The high speed winding #2 MP4 I had setup will in fact do 32mph (195lb) @ this voltage and I still have a functional rear brake light, front head light and horn! And the beauty is I can always switch back to the stock rear hub/wheel any time, though at a reduced and noisy high torque 22mph level speed.

And WHY OH WHY, would you use heavy SLA?!? Install 2 6s HK 22.2v (25.1v charged) in the stock battery box for a 50.2v/8 or 10ah 5lb battery pack? And I've too tested the multistar 4s/10ah lithium (12s3p) batteries for a 50.2v/10ah that fit in a stock EVG rear bag! This gives me a range around 15 miles, or I can parallel with the stock battery box for around 25-30 mile range!!!

 

[rad]

The stock controller is only getting power from the original battery pack. 25-26 volts. It is only used to power the headlight/tail light/brake light/horn. I checked with a volt meter. I use a new 48 volt Crystalyte controller in the rear bag that gets power from all four batteries (with a new motor). If I ran the lights very much, the front two batteries would be drained more than the rear two and be out of balance. A key switch cuts the circuit between the two for charging. I use two 24 volt chargers to keep everybody happy, one for each pair. And if one of the chargers dies, I could still charge them one after the other.

As to the SLA batteries: Cost. I had to replace them after 6000 miles. Batteries Plus Bulbs had 4 new DuraCell Ultra SLA 12 volt 12 amp for $143 including tax. They give a 35% discount if you buy a 4 pack case. I would much rather have lithium, but I was looking at a whole lot more. I only put 1000 miles on the bike a year. SLA works for me. I have 2200 miles since the upgrade to 48 volt. No problems yet.

 

[ecobully]

Thanks for the video of the 72V beast! I got tired of the 36V 500W Heinzmann brushed motor and since the brushes were all worn down, I opted for an upgrade while keeping the general aesthetics the same. This bike is one of the first street legal commercially built ebikes so I wanted to keep that "clean" image as I worked on its internals. Over 10K miles out of that motor. I only went through two stock sets of tires which is quite amazing as well.

Magic Pie 5 with Bluetooth adapter that shows/logs distance and displays volts, current amp draw, and speed.. on your phone! This is useful for programming new settings into the controller for things such as voltage (24/36/48), PAS, Regenerative Braking, Acceleration, etc. RAM adjustable clamp mount with X-Grip for handset.

Lighting was changed to a 5V 1200 Lumen Cree. I kept the stock horn the way it is, albeit a bit obnoxious on bike paths! Rear tail light was changed to a 5V laser/LED with turn signals and wireless controller. This tail light has built in battery that is charged by the rear pedelec wire (5V) near the hub motor.

Batteries: I upgrade my SLA a few years ago using LiMn batteries (Sony VT) found in Bosch 36V Fatpacks. They were rated at 36V/2A and I took (4) of them to create a 36V/8A pack that fit nicely into the existing battery box. The best part was that the LiMn chemistry was very robust and kept the voltage of each cell very close to one another without any balancing. Of course, I would check once in awhile, only to find them with acceptable range of one another (0.06V). Changed the charging pot on the stock battery charger to stop charging at 41.8V, and increased the amps to 2.5 (rated for only 2A). There are three pots on the charge controller board that you can adjust.
-- (4) HobbyKing Multistar 4S/20AH batteries split part to create (1) 14S/20AH with 30A BMS 51.8V (58.8V). I wanted to go all the way to 16S, but was reminded that I would burn out the controller once I exceeded 63V. I managed to wander between 33-35MPH on flat and clear pavement. The lack of rear suspension does not allow our eBikes to sustain these speeds for too long.. safely. HobbyKing also sells 6S/20AH that would be simple to connect in serial without any surgery to achieve 12S/20AH. I used 45A Anderson PowerPole connectors for all battery connections so I could use the stock battery box or custom battery packs. It also allowed for me to parallel or serial connections easily with the proper harness.
** Torque Arms MUST be used at these power levels -- I ordered a set from CycleEzee UK on eBay **

Brakes: Stock brakes were fading, yet functional. But once the speeds got up to uncomfortable levels, I wanted better stopping so I ordered a pair (only using front for now) of Avid BB7 and a rear Avid SD7 (not sure if I want to go the rear disc brake adapter route). Regenerative braking comes in hard and offers much assistance to my old and worn out stock brakes. Did I mention that they come in HARD?!?! I should try some other settings in the controller.

Maintenance: New KMS Nickel Plated Quick Link Chain (116L with 6 links removed). Remove headset and clean/lube bearings/race/seals. Remove bottom bracket (clean out rust in frame). Remove bearings in hubs and freewheel then clean/lube/pack with grease). Clean derailleur, repack spinning cogs with grease. I used hydrophobic marine grease. All old grease was hard, black, and crusty. Changed out both brake cables. I didn't know how to take apart SRAM gear shifter to change cable and lubricate shifter. Any pointers?

To Do: Work and stop spending more money on this bike!

Why do all this? Not sure...

I liked the clean look of the bike along with the strength of the frame. All wiring is nicely tucked away for a very streamlined look that is very pleasant compared to the mess of wires zip tied to frames and covered with duct tape. It's a classic!

I don't like the weight of the bike. The antiquated components. Incompatible gearing once I am at 48V or higher. The fact I spent all this money and time on a bike that is selling for $100 on CL. Thanks for reading.

 

[kauaikit]

Great that you went with the MP5, as I'm tickled with my two MP4's I setup on stock PE 36v ebikes , w/one special wound for high speed by GM. I too use the stock EVG 36v battery box with 12s/10ah multistar's for a 50.2v/10ah (3x4s/10ah), and another 50.2v pack in the original rear rack bag (PE) for a 20ah battery. I'm only going with 44.4v nominal volts, so I can retain the stock controller for front/rear lights & horn. I use the stock left brake handle for the rear brake light. The right (rear) is the replacement MP for regen braking and shutting off the cruise. I prefer to keep everything as stock as possible, as it's only a simple rear wheel change to go back to the 21/22mph noisy geared brushed heinzmann.

Have you attempted, or know how to increase the stock battery box charger from 42v to 50.4v or even to 60v? Then it would only a matter of using a balancer (3) once in awhile.

BTW, I have 17 EVG ebikes, with five folders.

I'm assuming your also using a 30t/11t rear freewheel and use a 46t (max) on the front with a bit of trimming of the case?

How did you get a 12s battery with 4 4s/20ah batteries, as I would say you've got a 16s (4x4)? What did mean by "splitting"?

What did you pay for your MP5 and from whom?

 

[ecobully]

I think the stock battery charger tops out at 42.6V so I had mine stop at 41.8 to preserve my LiMn pack. I ran it down to 3.0V a few weeks ago and it still had 7A usable out of the original 8A, and still kept balanced without me doing anything after hundreds of cycles. I have (2) EVG SX bikes and they have served me quite well the past 15 years or so. The only complaint would be the SLA battery that it came with the noisy and power hungry Heinzmann. I don't think I could have gotten over 10K+ miles on any Chinese hub motor from 2001.

I haven't touched the drivetrain yet. Only refurbished the components to run smoothly. Keeping everything looking stock was my intent. My controller is BT enabled to my handset so that I can change it back down to 36V/500W, and set maximum RPM and acceleration on the fly whenever that need arises.

I purchased (4) Multistar 6S/20A to run at 12S/40A on the tail, and (4) 4S/20A to run at 14S/20A (cut off 2 cells, and did some surgery on the power leads, and added 14S 30A BMS with balance leads connected) It fits the battery box after removing the stock charger and cutting the battery box so that there is only a single tray (as opposed to two separate compartments).

I would like to run at 16S without any battery surgery, but I would not be able to fit 20A batteries inside the bike where it belongs. But, mostly the fact that the GM built-in controller cannot exceed 63V without burning out!

With 17 of these bikes, it might be best to start a rental company or take them on location to a resort area and rent them over the weekend.

I am in CO and travel to CA often so I purchased my kits from LunaCycle/Eric Hicks in LA. My online order was shipped the same day and arrived via UPS Ground within 3 business days. $446/kit shipped. There were no instructions, but all the nice videos from Gary @ GM Canada made it a breeze to install into the EVG SX.

 

[ecobully]

Well, I write about how good my old tool pack batteries are and of course I open up the battery box and check all wiring and voltages to see how great they are. (4) cells are shorted out and dead and the rest of the packs were compensating for the loss voltage and capacity for at least two months. I removed the dead cells (Sony VT T1 -- 1100mah) and replaced them with (2) Sony GR cells that are rated at 2600mah. I soldered on three 22awg wires to the replaced cells to check their voltages without tearing the pack apart.

If this gets too cumbersome, I will probably ditch the entire pack as they are only at 7AH as opposed to the rated 8.8AH (4*2.2 per pack). It was only worth using because of the ease when using the stock built-in charger. I cannot count how many charge cycles these packs have gone through, but as a daily commuter for two years and using two full charge cycles per day, I would guess that I might be close to a 1000 cycles since they have been in action since 2008 or so.

I will probably go the same route as kauaikit and toss in a couple of 6S LiPo packs and connect them to a 12S BMS using balance lead extenders. That should at least allow me to keep using the stock battery box. Should I use a LiPo safe bag just in case something bad happens?

 

[Paul Z]

I finally found a place where people were talking about the EV Global bike!!

I work in a school district and we found one in the attic of a school last year. It was in mint condition and was only missing the batteries. I bought a pair of 24 old type batteries I could drop in from here

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

But they are no longer available. And mine have since died.

I am looking for a way to gt my ebike going. Either by buying a new pair of batteries to drop in or doing something else. I'm happy to try anything but just need clear instructions.

MAn it was sweet riding that bike all summer last year.

 

[Martian]

The stock controller is only getting power from the original battery pack. 25-26 volts. It is only used to power the headlight/tail light/brake light/horn. I checked with a volt meter. I use a new 48 volt Crystalyte controller in the rear bag that gets power from all four batteries (with a new motor). If I ran the lights very much, the front two batteries would be drained more than the rear two and be out of balance. A key switch cuts the circuit between the two for charging. I use two 24 volt chargers to keep everybody happy, one for each pair. And if one of the chargers dies, I could still charge them one after the other.

As to the SLA batteries: Cost. I had to replace them after 6000 miles. Batteries Plus Bulbs had 4 new DuraCell Ultra SLA 12 volt 12 amp for $143 including tax. They give a 35% discount if you buy a 4 pack case. I would much rather have lithium, but I was looking at a whole lot more. I only put 1000 miles on the bike a year. SLA works for me. I have 2200 miles since the upgrade to 48 volt. No problems yet.

 

[Martian]

Hi Rad: I have 2 24V EVG e-bikes. If I did want to upgrade at least one to lithium (Or NiMH?) batteries, what might be the most painless way to achieve this? I am trying to see if I can keep the old throttle and light switch.

 

[markybolton]

Hey Rad....you will have an issue if you power your stock EVG 24v controller w/a 48v power source, to power the lights/horn, as the controller can only handle around 29.2v! If you do the lights/horn might still function though you will never be able to power/throttle the stock 24v rear hub again. The stock 24v controllers have 25v caps.

The stock EGV 36v controllers can handle 50.2v and still power the MP4 rear hubs I've installed. The high speed winding #2 MP4 I had setup will in fact do 32mph (195lb) @ this voltage and I still have a functional rear brake light, front head light and horn! And the beauty is I can always switch back to the stock rear hub/wheel any time, though at a reduced and noisy high torque 22mph level speed.

And WHY OH WHY, would you use heavy SLA?!? Install 2 6s HK 22.2v (25.1v charged) in the stock battery box for a 50.2v/8 or 10ah 5lb battery pack? And I've too tested the multistar 4s/10ah lithium (12s3p) batteries for a 50.2v/10ah that fit in a stock EVG rear bag! This gives me a range around 15 miles, or I can parallel with the stock battery box for around 25-30 mile range!!!

Can you provide a link what rear hub you were using or anything you suggest? I am rebuilding a old 36 volt Ev Global and replacing the battery with a 48v 500w Lithium 12ah battery! The old hub motor is good but not sure if it can handle it!

 

[mjstarks]

Can you provide a link what rear hub you were using or anything you suggest? I am rebuilding a old 36 volt Ev Global and replacing the battery with a 48v 500w Lithium 12ah battery! The old hub motor is good but not sure if it can handle it!

Did you ever complete the battery replacement? I am in the same situation now, and am not sure the best way to proceed

 

[vkuw]

Hey kauaikit, it's nice to hear that you're able to breathe new life into these older bikes. They really were ahead of their time and I bet they perform great with the Lithium batteries! Would love to see a few pictures if you've got them.

Your tips are all great and I hope it helps other enthusiasts. I wish I could offer more upgrade suggestions to you here. I've only seen two of the EV Global Motors ebikes in person and they were both at ebike shops. I think they keep them around for fun and stories but they did let me try them out!

Next time I'm in the shop or speaking with the owners I'll ask them to hop on here and share their stories and upgrade ideas or things they've heard. Here's a short video interview I shot with Mike from The Electric Bike Shop near Sacramento.

Around 1:40 in the video we talk about the charge controller being built into the bike (versus a separate brick connected to the wall outlet) and I recently learned that in order to do this an entire bike has to be UL certified vs. just the charger. For this reason, many newer bikes externalize the charger (along with video game consoles, laptops etc.). I suppose it also keeps the bike lighter and less complex.

Hi Court, I have a 1999 EVG GLOBAL in excellent condition except for the battery and you had mentioned that someone in Miami fixes them. Would you please let me know who and their phone number. I even have the title for the bike. I can't wait to get it on the road.

 

[kauaikit]

Hi Court, I have a 1999 EVG GLOBAL in excellent condition except for the battery and you had mentioned that someone in Miami fixes them. Would you please let me know who and their phone number. I even have the title for the bike. I can't wait to get it on the road.

Oh....such an easy fix! Just purchase two 12v 7ah HEAVY SLA batteries. Remove the old batteries & swap/install fresh batteries in original box & stock charger. Cheap.

Though, truth be told the 24v EVG ebikes were just to slow @ around 12mph in P mode (blue switch on left side)! Better to install a 7s4p (10ah) 25.9v lithium battery in the battery box & even hook up your stock charger (if still functional) for stock level mph. You can even adjust the stock internal charger a bit, if needed, to get a charged 29.4v (4.2x7). Or use an outside charger, by drilling a small hole in top case lid for charging wires to poke out. THEN RIDE!

Installing a donor 36v EVG controller & throttle, will keep the horn & lights functional, and then upgrade the battery by using the original battery box or a donor 36v box. You can drill a small hole in the top lid case for the charging leads to charge using an outside charger. You could use a 10s lithium battery with donor 36v box/charger, but I'd suggest a 12s (44.4v) pack, though I've gone to 14s (52v) to increase top end speed. Don't worry, the rear 24v Heinzmann brushed geared hub can take it!

The 24v rear hubs were setup for speed & not torque. A donor 36v 500watt rear hub will give more torque. Level speed w/24v 400 watt hub using a 12s will be around 22mph, or around 25mph with a 14s. Again, no torque, but top end speed.

My stock 36v EVG's use a 12s4p (19.2ah) battery pack in the original battery box. Outside charger. I'm using Tesla Mdl 3 21700 cells in a custom pack. Nice.

Example of performance:

Battery before : 49.5 v (will charge to 50.2v)
after : 45.7v
used : 3.8v
LV (3.0x12) @ 36v LOTS of range left!

Dist. @ 14.2 miles
TopSpd @ 26.5 mph - Level speed around 21mph, though never below 20 mph even on a slight uphill. Not thrilling, but this setup WORKS.
Time @26:50 min.
Average@ 20.0 mph

 

[vkuw]

I appreciate all the information but I only ride the bikes and know nothing of how to do any work other than inflate the tires, charge the bike and ride.
My problem is the bike sat for 10 years since I couldn't find a battery replacement. I tried to find a bike shop to fix it to no avail.

I really am desperately trying to get it on the road.