Mongoose electric bike charger. How Long Does It Take to Solar Charge an Electric Bike?

Ways to Solar Charge an Electric Bike

Just so you know, this page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one, at no extra cost to you I may earn a small commission.

I recently made solar chargers for both my electric bikes.

Here’s the first one for my Specialized ebike:

And here’s the second for my converted ebike:

As you can see, the solar ebike chargers I made are each a little different. That’s because there are multiple ways to solar charge an electric bike.

(And because some ways don’t work for certain ebikes. )

If you’re set on making a solar charger for your ebike — or a full-on solar bike — here are 3 ways to do it.

Make Your Own Solar Ebike Charger

Materials

• MPPT boost solar charge controller for your ebike battery’s chemistry and voltage — I used the Genasun GVB-8-Li-41.7V-WP, designed for 36V nominal lithium batteries
• Solar panel — if you’re mounting it to your bike, consider a flexible panel with SunPower solar cells (the most efficient available)
• Adapter cables — I used an MC4 to Anderson adapter cable. Get the right adapter for your charge controller.
• MC4 inline fuse — the right amp rating for your panel

Step 1: Plug in Your Ebike and See What Happens

For this method, we won’t be using the charger included with your ebike. We’re going to be making our own.

Because this method is best for solar charging an ebike while riding it, let’s first see if you can charge and ride your ebike at the same time.

(Many off-the-shelf ebikes cannot be charged and ridden at the same time. The bike’s BMS disables the throttle or electric assist when the charger is plugged in.)

Plug in your ebike charger and see what happens to your bike. See if the throttle or pedal assist still works.

For example, you can see my Specialized ebike enters a “Charging” mode when the charger is plugged in. In this mode, the electric assist is completely disabled.

If your ebike works like normal while charging, great! You can ride and charge at the same time.

If the electric assist on your ebike is disabled while charging, then I have some bad news:

You won’t be able to solar charge and ride your bike at the same time — at least not without modifying the BMS, which I don’t know how to do.

But you can, of course, still solar charge it while NOT riding it. You can use any of the 3 ways described in this article to do so.

Now we need to find out how hard it will be to make our own charger.

Step 2: Look at Your Ebike Charger

Next, look at the charger that came with your ebike — specifically, the part that plugs into the battery.

For example, here is the plug on my Specialized charger:

The two big bottom pins on my charger are its positive and negative power pins. You’ll also notice a third tiny pin in the top right. This is a data pin, also called a signal pin, that transmits data from the charger to the battery.

Look and see if your bike charger has any data pins.

If it does NOT have data pins, you’re in luck — it will likely be easy to solar charge your ebike via the existing charging port. You can jump straight to Step 3.

If it has one or more data pins, you have two routes you can try out (both are for DIY experts and neither is guaranteed to work):

• Mimic the data signal: For charging via the existing charging port
• Use different power pins: For charging via a charging port that you hack together

Mimic the Data Signal

First, make sure the data pin or pins are necessary for charging. Test this out by covering up a data pin with electrical tape and plugging in the charger. Repeat for any other data pin on your charger.

As you can see, when I do this with my Specialized charger, the battery won’t charge:

From this little test I know the data pin on my charger is necessary for charging.

This means, to solar charge the ebike using this method, we need to mimic the data signal coming from the data pin.

Note: At this point, you might be thinking: “Mimic the data signal…how the heck are we gonna do that?!” Now you can see how tricky this solar charging method can get. Now’s a good time to consider whether or not you want to look into one of the other methods detailed in this article.

Now measure the voltage of the charger’s data pin with a multimeter:

Use an Inverter and 12V Battery

Materials

• 12V solar panel — I used a 100 watt panel
• 12V solar charge controller
• 12V battery — I used a 12V 33Ah battery
• Inverter — I used a 150W inverter. Get one with a power rating capable of handling the energy demands of your bike charger.
• Adapter cables and fuses

Step 1: Connect the Solar Charge Controller and Inverter to the Battery

Here’s a wiring diagram for how to make this solar charger:

This charger stores the solar energy in a 12 volt battery, then uses an inverter to convert it into AC for using the charger included with your ebike.

It’s not as efficient and lightweight as the first method, but — depending on your bike — it may be easier to make. This method also works with all electric bikes.

First, connect the solar charger controller and inverter to the battery. Best safety practices are to place a fuse on the positive leads between the battery and both the charge controller and inverter.

As you can see in the video, my charge controller and inverter both turn on, indicating that they are properly connected.

Step 2: Connect the Solar Panel to the Solar Charge Controller

Next, connect the solar panel to the charge controller. Best safety practices here are to include a fuse on the positive wire between the two.

Note: I used a 100 watt solar panel, but feel free to use whatever size you want as long as its nominal voltage is compatible with your charge controller.

My charge controller now displays a number for the incoming PV voltage, indicating that the solar panel is properly connected.

However, the solar panel isn’t charging the battery yet because it’s in low light. Time to put it in the sun.

Step 3: Test Your Solar Ebike Charging System

First, put your solar panel in the sun and look at the PV current on the charge controller to make sure it’s charging.

You can see mine is charging the battery at a rate of 0.8 amps.

This means the solar panel is successfully charging the battery. Now I need to plug in my ebike charger to the outlet on the inverter.

When I do so, my bike’s computer indicates that the bike is in charging mode:

My solar ebike charging system is working!

Here’s a video walkthrough of the whole thing:

If I want, I can leave the solar panel outside so that the 12 volt battery is topped up and ready to charge my ebike battery whenever it needs it.

Note: You could also mount this setup to your ebike to make a solar bike. It is a less than ideal way of solar charging an electric bike while riding, though, because of the added weight of the 12 volt battery and inverter and the energy losses incurred from converting DC to AC, then back to DC.

Use a Solar Generator

Think of a solar generator as essentially a small, self-contained solar power system.

It has a solar charge controller that regulates the incoming solar energy, a battery that stores it, and an inverter that converts it to AC for when you want to plug in your AC devices. It makes solar powering and solar charging as simple as possible.

Of course, you’re gonna pay extra for that convenience. A lot extra.

• Simplest method
• Can use your ebike’s included battery charger
• Works with all ebikes

Step 1: Connect the Solar Panel to the Solar Generator

I don’t have a solar generator to illustrate this part, but it’s super simple.

Connect the solar panel to the solar generator following the instruction manual. Make sure the panel is compatible with your generator.

Step 2: Plug in Your Ebike Charger

Plug in your included ebike charger to an outlet on the solar generator. Your ebike should start charging.

Cafe Cruiser

30-50 miles depending on rider weight, terrain, incline, level of assist, etc.

Frame

Lightweight Alloy Frame with internal protected locked electronics

Comfort

Frame geometry components built for the most comfortable ride ever

Features Highlights

Handlebar Mounted 2.2 Two-Tone LCD Display. Customizable Pedal Assist (PAS) Settings and Advanced Metrics for Intelligent Riding Feedback.

SandStorm 26×3 eBike Tires for Cruising Comfort and Advanced Cornering and Traction. High Performing and Reliable. Perfect for Variable Terrain.

Two Keys for the Removable Integrated Battery System. Theft Protection Design. Battery Anxiety Begone!

Manual Owner Documents

Electric Bikes Will Arrive 85% Assembled (electronics are pre-assembled). Basic Assembly Steps Are Required As Noted In The Video Below.

Electric Bikes In Stock Ship In Under 24 Hours. Email Tracking Provides Transit And Delivery Estimates Once Shipped. Package Size is 58″x35″x10″ and just under 78lbs.

We are a direct-to-consumer electric cruiser bike company both in pricing and strategy. You will generally pay a premium for the ability to test ride an electric bike through a dealer. However, our electric bikes have been thoroughly tested by top reviewers such as Electric Bike Review, Electric Bike Report, Cycling Weekly, Clean Technica, Electrek, and many others who have published their reviews on YouTube. You can read electric bike reviews on any of those sites. Additionally, we are now supporting an independent network of e-bike owners offering their bikes for demos. Learn more about e-bike demos here Locations

Reviews

I just received and assembled my bike. It’s awesome! Love the retro look of the cruiser. Assembly was easy. I did have a thought though. As a rule of thumb if you don’t already have the tools they provide (very generous! Thanks for the hat as well) consider having it assembled. You’ll enjoy the experience much more with a well tuned bike. If you don’t have it assembled ask a friend who regularly works on bikes to teach you derailleur adjustment. It’s a great skill to learn!

Roger Kimi Herrera-McCormick

Amazing bycicles, we were amongst the first to pre-order and have. Other than its annual tune up these bikes are solid, top notch and sleek.

Roger Kimi Herrera-McCormick

Amazing bycicles, we were amongst the first to pre-order and have. Other than its annual tune up these bikes are solid, top notch and sleek.

Geoff Chick

My wife and I are in LOVE! We both absolutely love our new Cafe Cruisers (and of course each other)! She is the proud owner of a Latte Gloss and I ride my Indigo Matte! After months (and I mean months) of researching which way to go with our entry into the E-bike world, we decided on Ride1Up and we are sooo glad we did! This is a very solid bike, so well built, and so much fun to ride! Now we find ourselves hurrying home at the end of the day so we can get our Cafe Cruiser time in, and exploring every corner of our city! The geniuses at Ride1Up really nailed it with this bike! We’ve never been on a more comfortable bike and now have all the confidence in the world to ride, ride, ride! My wife just loves her ‘get up and go’ button (throttle)!! Get yours quick! You won’t regret it!

Geoff Chick

My wife and I are in LOVE! We both absolutely love our new Cafe Cruisers (and of course each other)! She is the proud owner of a Latte Gloss and I ride my Indigo Matte! After months (and I mean months) of researching which way to go with our entry into the E-bike world, we decided on Ride1Up and we are sooo glad we did! This is a very solid bike, so well built, and so much fun to ride! Now we find ourselves hurrying home at the end of the day so we can get our Cafe Cruiser time in, and exploring every corner of our city! The geniuses at Ride1Up really nailed it with this bike! We’ve never been on a more comfortable bike and now have all the confidence in the world to ride, ride, ride! My wife just loves her ‘get up and go’ button (throttle)!! Get yours quick! You won’t regret it!

Geoff Chick

My wife and I are in LOVE! We both absolutely love our new Cafe Cruisers (and of course each other)! She is the proud owner of a Latte Gloss and I ride my Indigo Matte! After months (and I mean months) of researching which way to go with our entry into the E-bike world, we decided on Ride1Up and we are sooo glad we did! This is a very solid bike, so well built, and so much fun to ride! Now we find ourselves hurrying home at the end of the day so we can get our Cafe Cruiser time in, and exploring every corner of our city! The geniuses at Ride1Up really nailed it with this bike! We’ve never been on a more comfortable bike and now have all the confidence in the world to ride, ride, ride! My wife just loves her ‘get up and go’ button (throttle)!! Get yours quick! You won’t regret it!

About Electric Bicycle Batteries

Sealed Lead Acid Battery Care

• Recharge batteries after each use to prevent performance decline.
• Avoid complete discharges.
• Periodically check terminals for signs of corrosion or other wear which might cause failure.
• Always store battery fully charged.
• Store battery in cool, dry place (~68°F).
• Recycle batteries, do not dispose.

Ratings and Reviews

All we do is sell replacement batteries, we are very good at that!Manufacturer’s are not able to process smaller orders quickly and efficiently.BatteryClerk specializes in processing any size order accurately and fast.

All AJC Battery orders placed Monday-Friday leave our warehouse the same day if placed before 2PM EST.

If your order is placed Friday after 2PM through Sunday, your order will be shipped out Monday morning.

We stand behind our products with 30-day easy returns and a 12 month warranty. Lawn and tractor batteries have a 6 month warranty.

Please enter the brand and model number of your device or battery you need to replace in the search bar at the top of this page.

As long as the voltage, terminals and dimensions match, then you will be able to use this as a compatible battery replacement option.

NOVÝ SID

SILNĚJŠÍ NEŽ KDY DŘÍV

Horní nohy nového SIDu jsou delší, aby došlo k většímu překrytí kluzných pouzder. To znamená, že horní i dolní pouzdra jsou plně zaaretována, čímž se snižuje boční zatížení při nárazech. To má za následek menší tření a tím pádem zvýšenou životnost. Díky delším horním nohám bylo možné právě zmíněné zvětšení objemu pozitivní a negativní vzduchové komory a zvýšení tak možností nastavení vidlice.

SID ULTIMATE 3P

Vyjíždějte kopce, sjíždějte sjezdy. SID Ultimate není jako ostatní XC vidlice. Je lehčí než dříve a má impozantní 35 mm silné vnitřní nohy, které drží perfektně směr, i když jedete hranu. Nová vzduchová pružina Race Day 2 je vybavena třípolohovým (3P) regulátorem komprese – Lock, Open a Pedal. SID se přizpůsobí všem podmínkám. Od plnohodnotného cross-country závodění až po sportovní backcountry ježdění díky novému pružení DebonAir s vyšším objemem, které perfektně funguje i v horní části zdvihu a má více možností nastavení.

Tlumič: Charger Race Day 2

Váha: 1,476g (110 mm travel, 44 mm offset)

Dostupný také ve variantě 2P, tedy dvoupolohovým nastavením komprese (Lock a Open).

NOVÝ SID SL

NEUVĚŘITELNĚ LEHKÝ

Když se rozsvítí startovní světla, je SID SL ta vidlice, kterou potřebujete. Super lehká vidlice určena pro nejtěžší závody. Kromě snížení hmotnosti o každý možný gram byl přidán nový třípolohový (3P) systém nastavení tlumení. Lock, Open a nově také Pedal. SID SL je nyní dostupný i ve variantě se zdvihem 110 mm.

SID SL ULTIMATE 3P

Cross-country puristé…právě kvůli vám je SID SL Ultimate nejlehčí XC vidlice na trati. Hmotnost však nemá význam bez prvotřídního výkonu a odolnosti. Vidlice SID SL je proto vybavena novou vzduchovou pružinou Charger Race Day 2 s třípolohovým (3P) tlumením komprese a konstrukcí zvyšující pevnost a životnost vidlice.

Tlumič: Charger Race Day 2

Váha: 1,352g (110 mm travel, 44 mm offset)

Dostupný také ve variantě 2P, tedy dvoupolohovým nastavením komprese (Lock a Open).

NOVÝ SIDLUXE

MALÝ A MOCNÝ

Moderní cross-country vyžaduje, aby odpružení dokázalo nemožné. Maximální účinnost při stoupání a bezedný zdvih při sjezdech. Nemožné? SIDLuxe to tak nevidí.

Nejnovější model SIDLuxe je vybaven novým třípolohovým (3P) nastavením komprese vedle stávajícího dvoupolohového (2P) nastavení. Obě možnosti nabízejí závodníkům skálopevnou polohu Lock, kterou potřebují při rozjezdech a sprintech, a polohu Open, která pohlcuje nárazy při sjezdech. Nová konfigurace 3P má nově prostřední polohu Pedal pro zdolávání technických stoupání a zvlněných singletracků. Dokonale tak doplňuje vidlici SID nebo SID SL.

Nový systém vysokorychlostní komprese umožňuje díky zvýšenému průtoku oleje okamžité odfouknutí tlumiče při nájezdu do těžšího terénu. Tato citlivá vysokorychlostní komprese je aktivní v poloze Open i Pedal.

SIDLUXE ULTIMATE 3P

Rychlé sprinty, prudké sjezdy a singletracky ve vysoké rychlosti – na to je SIDLuxe Ultimate stavěný. Jeho nové třípolohové (3P) tlumení XC vám díky polohám Open, Pedal a Lock poskytne účinnost, když ji chcete, a jistotu, když ji potřebujete.

Váha: 246 g (190×45 eye-to-eye)

Dostupný také ve variantě 2P, tedy dvoupolohovým nastavením komprese (Lock a Open).

DALŠÍ NOVINKY Z RODINY SID

SID SELECT 3P a 2P

SID je k dispozici také v dostupné výbavě Select, která poskytuje dostatečně tuhý a lehký výkon, jaký moderní XC vyžaduje. Nová, na závody připravená tlumící patrona Charger XC a vyladěná pružina DebonAir s 35 mm vnitřními nohami zvládnou téměř každý závod nebo trail. Můžete vybírat mezi třípolohovým nebo dvoupolohovým nastavením komprese. Verze Select a Select Base s nižší verzí tlumící patrony dostupné pouze jako OEM.

SID SL SELECT 3P a 2P

Cross-country není složité a SID SL Select nabízí přímou rychlost připravenou na závod ve velice lehkém balení. Díky zmodernizované tlumící patroně Charger XC máte větší kontrolu a možnosti nastavení než kdykoli předtím. Můžete vybírat mezi třípolohovým nebo dvoupolohovým nastavením komprese. Verze Select a Select Base s nižší verzí tlumící patrony dostupné pouze jako OEM.

NOVÝ TWISTLOC ULTIMATE

Díky svému elegantnímu, nízkoprofilovému designu nabízí nový Twistloc Ultimate jezdcům lepší kompatibilitu s ovládáním teleskopické seldovky a čistší kokpit. Díky možnosti volby mezi texturovanými nebo hladkými úchyty a rovným nebo zakřiveným vedením lanek vám Twistloc Ultimate dává možnost nastavení přesně podle svých představ.

CHARGER RACE DAY 2 UPGRADE

Kompletní tlumič pro modernizaci vaší vidlice SID. Každý detail zdokonalený, každý gram navíc ušetřený. Nejlehčí tlumič zaměřený na výkon. Tento tlumič je k dostání ve variantě 3P (tři polohy komprese: Open, Lock a Pedal) nebo ve variantě 2P (dvě polohy komprese: Open a Lock). Na výběr také ze dvou dálkových ovládání TwistLoc Ultimate 3P nebo 2P a TwistLoc 3P nebo 2P.

Tento upgrade kit je kompatibilní s předchozími modely SID.

SIDLUXE UPGRADE

Sada obsahující vše potřebné pro upgrade na nejnovější verzi tlumiče SIDLuxe s třípolohovým nebo dvoupolohovým nastavením komprese. Možnost ovládání páčkou přímo na tlumiči nebo dálkovým ovládáním TwistLoc Ultimate nebo TwistLoc. Sada pro ovládání přímo na tlumiči se dodává s vačkou, pístnicí, středovým ventilem a pákou. Sada pro upgrade na dálkové ovládání se dodává s vačkou, pístnicí, středovým ventilem, závěsem pro dálkové ovládání a kladkou.

Více informací o nové generaci tlumičů RockShox SID najdete na oficiálních stránkách výrobce.