Nice setup, only thing you should mention which is rather important, is that the solar panel system you have will have built in diodes to stop reverse current flow. If someone copies your setup with different solar panels they will need to use diodes in between the solar panels and the charge controller.....worth mentioning
@@dfgatorfanBetter to give advice that's found unneeded. Than with hold, knowing, or letting poorer sorts try and waste everything, money, time effort to buy, effort trying it.
My friend, I kept thinking about this! The video is great and instructive! Ideas so we go on a further journey, when the battery is used up we camp, unwind, grill and during that time the battery is charged and we are ready to go on or back home. All that matters is that it is a sunny day !! Perfectly.
Absolutely! That’s why I keep exploring different options. My goal is to eventually live the life you describe in your comment. Life is far too short to not enjoy every moment. 👍🏼
Hey Tim, now that you've had this charging system for a while, what would you do differently today? Going to invest in a ULTRA FS Pro dual next spring for off road adventures so I'm tryin to dial in my overall costs for this to be efficient and fast. I think the cargo trailer you reviewed does it for me to be able to carry a solar system and a possible ECOFLOW DELTA 2 if I can swing it.
The Backou is nice because of its size and the fact that it can plug directly into the ebike's charging port. It's really best for riding and camping. If I'm actually camping and bringing the ebikes along, however, my Jackery 1500 is by far my favorite option. The downside is that it runs about 36 lbs not accounting for at least one solar panel (about 15 lbs each). I really like my Ecoflow Delta Mini at around 24 lbs, but it's only 852wh. The Delta 2 definitely provides more charging power and is only about 27 lbs. I also like that Ecoflow has the smart phone app you can sync up, but it's only good if you can connect the power bank to wifi. Ecoflow's solar panels are a couple pounds heavier and a little more cumbersome than Jackery's, but Ecoflow is a great choice. For me, I love my Jackery 1500, but mostly because I've purchased four different options now and it gives the most watt hours at 1544. I also have a Jackery 500, but it's really only good for simple top-offs from about 80-85%.
@@twowheeltim Thx for the quick reply Tim! The Backou sounds like the wat to go. Thinking about just buying a 3rd battery instead of Ecoflow to save money. I can buy the battery bank later. at least this way I can leave both batteries at camp charging during the days I'm out on the mountain and don't need a range extender. Having 2 full batteries in the morning when it time to leave home should do it. I can always charge the 3rd batt from the solar panels while riding home if needed anyway. Cheers
I actually had just arrived home from work and the notice of your comment popped up, so a quick reply was easy. 😆 I bought a 3rd battery from Biktrix late last year when they were running a special on batteries. Hopefully they do it again this year. 🤞🏼 I like the Bakcou, and upon request they even threw in a barrel plug adapter for Elaine's Hub Duo; my Ultra Beast 2 has a 3-prong plug for charging. Not sure what type of plug the FS Pro has... Best if luck in your decision! I'm confident you'll be stoked!! 👍🏻
My video wasn't to promote solar charging in lieu of charging with electricity. It was to explore the option of solar charging on an ebike camping trip where electricity is not an option. 👍🏻
Did that charge controller come with the 3 pin connector that plugs into your bike, or did you have to wire that 3 pin connector to the controller yourself ? Thanks
I liked your video. I think you should take the feedback about the music volume to heart and not take any offense. Yeah, there’s a mute button, but we want to hear you! You should be happy to hear that.
Thank you for the positive feedback. Presumably, that would be the case. However, it all depends on the amount of direct sunlight the solar panel gets. In the instance of this solar panel I tested, it would need to be much larger requiring more space to lay it in the sun. I you were to get a nice quality 400w solar panel with proper charge controller and plug to fit your bike/battery, it's safe to assume it would charge more quickly. I must caution, however, that I'm not a solar or electrical expert. This 200w solar panel, charge controller, and plug accessory kit are sold by Backou Bikes in Utah, U.S. and are sold as a bundle to charge ebikes. I imagine it could be used differently, just as someone with the proper knowledge and experience could set up their own ebike solar charging system. That's just not me, unfortunately. 🙂
Happy to help. My main reason for getting this panel was portability. I can carry it in my cargo trailer, and if were to take a multi-day camping trip I can use it to charge during stay-overs at campsites. At least, that's my hope someday! 👍🏻
Great video, thanks for doing it. I'm in the process of writing a script (I make movies) and this info is exactly what I needed to see. Liked and Subscribed.
Well, it depends on the size of your battery, but realistically speaking to get something that will fully charge your ebike will cost anywhere from $1000-$1500. I have an Ecoflow Delta Mini that is an 852wh, 1400w output power bank. I also have 110w and 160w solar panels to charge it faster. I charged my Ultra Beast 2 dual battery ebike from about 35% to 100% in just under 3 hours. The Ecoflow Delta Mini now costs around $600, but when I bought mine almost 2 years ago it was $899. You can now get a Delta Mini and a 220w solar panel for about $1200 on the Ecoflow website. us.ecoflow.com Here's a link to a video I did charging my ebike with the Delta Mini: eBike | Charge an Electric Bike with a Power Bank! | Ultra Beast 2 & Ecoflow ua-cam.com/video/vVbB_n78_2o/v-deo.html
Unfortunately, for that price point power banks typically only have enough output to charge smaller electronics such as phones, tablets, laptops, etc. A $300 power bank would likely have around a 300 watt-hour output. Charging an ebike is going to pull around 250-300 watts, so a smaller power bank would barely last an hour and likely yield 10-15% charge at the most. That's fine for topping off an ebike battery, but the efficiency wouldn't really be worth it if using a solar panel to recharge the power because this would take around 5-6 hours to replenish. I tried it with my Jackery 500 and it was decent just for topping off. I show that a little bit in this video: eBike | Camping & All-Terrain Versatility | Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra Beast 2 & Hub Duo ua-cam.com/video/xZ7WozKy4xU/v-deo.html
Sure. Bakcou 200 watt solar panel with charge controller EcoFlow Delta Mini to fully charge both my ebike batteries from 35% to 100% Jackery Explorer 500 to top off four ebike batteries from 90% to 100% while camping Jackery Explorer 1500 to fully charge both batteries on my ebike from a 20% charge to a 100% charge
At the time of my purchase I weighed 322 pounds. I wanted an ebike that was heavy duty enough to withstand my weight, and as I searched through all the different options the Biktrix Ultra Beast 2 best fit what I wanted. I have never regretted buying it and I certainly am happy with it. 👍🏻
Thank you. I am watching every one of your videos. Love them. I am also buying that trailer. I am 70 and touring in a SprinterVan. Had a house in USVI. ST JOHN. destroyed in Hurricane Irma sept 5 2017. So I am going back next year. I always wanted todo Big sUr area. Never made it. Those ebikes in Utah ….wow
Thank you for the positive support. So sorry to hear about the loss of your house. Some day I'd love to tour, explore, and make videos of it to share. Right now my work is really busy and cutting into my creative time, but I have a couple videos I'm slowly working on. Take care and enjoy every moment! 👍🏻
2000 watt solar panel for ebike charging?? I'm no solar expert but that would be pretty excessive for ebike charging, I think. A small home needs at least 4000 watts. If you really want a 2000 watt solar panel, Google it, but you won't find one made for ebikes.
Definitely, something i am interested it getting.... My only concern is will it over charge a 48 volt battery at 57.6 volts and also there is no setting for a 52 volt battery. I am assuming you would use the 48 volt setting for a 52 volt battery. Great video though.
Thank you. The charge controller that comes with the Bakcou solar panel also has a custom charge setting where you can set it at whatever you need. It's a cheap charge controller and it's hard to find much info: Sunyima CTK-EV-300 The solar panel, however, is way too big to use while riding.
But how big are the solar panels? The panels I looked up are 43" long. The whole point is to have something that fits in a compact cargo trailer to take on travels. Not to set it up in the back yard. 🤷🏼♂️
I'm pretty happy with the setup. I wish the solar panels were a little lighter, they weigh about 17 lbs, but it's not really an issue. Not sure what I can do to help you out, though. Bakcou refused to give me a discount, a discount code to give to viewers, or allow me to be in their ambassador program. 🤷🏼♂️ They basically took advantage of my free advertising, but I still wanted to share the experience with my viewers so they could explore options.
@@twowheeltim It’s cool yeah, Just stay cool with everyone no matter if they support you or not.Try not to burn 🔥 bridges works out better for you in the end.
Sorry. Audio levels can vary depending on the type of device on which you're watching, and also the device's speakers and EQ settings. I'll admit that the audio level of the music in this video is probably a little higher than a lot of my later videos because this video is over 2 years old and along the way I learned to keep the music level in the range of -12 to -18 decibels depending on the track. With that said, I'm not a professional, not sponsored by anyone other than my own bank account, and provide content as a courtesy to those seeking information they may not find easily. I can only control what I can control, which excludes what people can and can't appreciate. ✌🏻
I know, but the not-so-friendly response to the other commenter about the volume level was because the person was kind of trolling my videos and leaving curt comments over and over. I guess I just got tired of it. There are just those kind of people out there, and it gets tiresome when you spend a lot of time, money, and other resources to make content only to get trolled by some people. I'm not monetized nor sponsored, so my only incentive is to help people out. 🤷🏼♂️
I have an e-trike, 1000W, 48V, 12A, but $900 is more than I have in the bike, hub motor and wheel, and four 12V lead acid batteries. Where's the economics?
It's obviously a subjective topic. If one plans to travel by ebike and camp along the way, this is a possible option to recharge during a day at the campsite. It's a lighter option than carrying a power bank like a 1500w Jackery.
There are two types of people. One is ordinary another is amazing people like you.
That's very nice! Thank you so much.
Nice setup, only thing you should mention which is rather important, is that the solar panel system you have will have built in diodes to stop reverse current flow. If someone copies your setup with different solar panels they will need to use diodes in between the solar panels and the charge controller.....worth mentioning
Any decent PWM or MPPT charge controller will have a blocking diode built in
@@dfgatorfan yes i didn't know about that till recently
@@dfgatorfanBetter to give advice that's found unneeded. Than with hold, knowing, or letting poorer sorts try and waste everything, money, time effort to buy, effort trying it.
seems most charge controllers have built in diodes but worth mentioning
Most all new solar panels have the diodes built right in.
My friend, I kept thinking about this! The video is great and instructive! Ideas so we go on a further journey, when the battery is used up we camp, unwind, grill and during that time the battery is charged and we are ready to go on or back home. All that matters is that it is a sunny day !! Perfectly.
Absolutely! That’s why I keep exploring different options. My goal is to eventually live the life you describe in your comment. Life is far too short to not enjoy every moment. 👍🏼
Hey Tim, now that you've had this charging system for a while, what would you do differently today? Going to invest in a ULTRA FS Pro dual next spring for off road adventures so I'm tryin to dial in my overall costs for this to be efficient and fast. I think the cargo trailer you reviewed does it for me to be able to carry a solar system and a possible ECOFLOW DELTA 2 if I can swing it.
The Backou is nice because of its size and the fact that it can plug directly into the ebike's charging port. It's really best for riding and camping.
If I'm actually camping and bringing the ebikes along, however, my Jackery 1500 is by far my favorite option. The downside is that it runs about 36 lbs not accounting for at least one solar panel (about 15 lbs each).
I really like my Ecoflow Delta Mini at around 24 lbs, but it's only 852wh. The Delta 2 definitely provides more charging power and is only about 27 lbs. I also like that Ecoflow has the smart phone app you can sync up, but it's only good if you can connect the power bank to wifi. Ecoflow's solar panels are a couple pounds heavier and a little more cumbersome than Jackery's, but Ecoflow is a great choice.
For me, I love my Jackery 1500, but mostly because I've purchased four different options now and it gives the most watt hours at 1544. I also have a Jackery 500, but it's really only good for simple top-offs from about 80-85%.
@@twowheeltim Thx for the quick reply Tim! The Backou sounds like the wat to go. Thinking about just buying a 3rd battery instead of Ecoflow to save money. I can buy the battery bank later. at least this way I can leave both batteries at camp charging during the days I'm out on the mountain and don't need a range extender. Having 2 full batteries in the morning when it time to leave home should do it. I can always charge the 3rd batt from the solar panels while riding home if needed anyway. Cheers
I actually had just arrived home from work and the notice of your comment popped up, so a quick reply was easy. 😆
I bought a 3rd battery from Biktrix late last year when they were running a special on batteries. Hopefully they do it again this year. 🤞🏼
I like the Bakcou, and upon request they even threw in a barrel plug adapter for Elaine's Hub Duo; my Ultra Beast 2 has a 3-prong plug for charging. Not sure what type of plug the FS Pro has...
Best if luck in your decision! I'm confident you'll be stoked!! 👍🏻
Great for remote charging. Fyi it costs about 4cents of electricity to charge a battery from 0 to 100%
My video wasn't to promote solar charging in lieu of charging with electricity. It was to explore the option of solar charging on an ebike camping trip where electricity is not an option. 👍🏻
Good job, a very interesting subject, keep us informed with any mor similar planet saving tech. SkipRay, Kerry, Ireland.
Thank you. Cheers!!
Did that charge controller come with the 3 pin connector that plugs into your bike, or did you have to wire that 3 pin connector to the controller yourself ? Thanks
It actually came with the 3-pin plug, and a barrel plug for single-pin batteries. They're easily interchangeable.
@@twowheeltim Thanks Tim
@Adventures of Two-Wheel Tim where can i buy it?
bakcou.com/collections/batteries-and-chargers/products/200-watt-solar-panel
Hi.what the max watt and curent the panel give you?
Here are the specs: 200w 11A, 48V-72V adjustable controller
@@twowheeltim thanks
I have 48v 25amp battery can this work for me
Absolutely. 👍🏻
I liked your video. I think you should take the feedback about the music volume to heart and not take any offense. Yeah, there’s a mute button, but we want to hear you! You should be happy to hear that.
Great.But in this way, 2 times more energy is lost and the charging time takes twice as much
Hi thanks for the video. Will a 400 watt solar panel double the speed of the recharge?
Thank you for the positive feedback.
Presumably, that would be the case. However, it all depends on the amount of direct sunlight the solar panel gets. In the instance of this solar panel I tested, it would need to be much larger requiring more space to lay it in the sun.
I you were to get a nice quality 400w solar panel with proper charge controller and plug to fit your bike/battery, it's safe to assume it would charge more quickly.
I must caution, however, that I'm not a solar or electrical expert. This 200w solar panel, charge controller, and plug accessory kit are sold by Backou Bikes in Utah, U.S. and are sold as a bundle to charge ebikes. I imagine it could be used differently, just as someone with the proper knowledge and experience could set up their own ebike solar charging system. That's just not me, unfortunately. 🙂
@@twowheeltim thank you my friend
Happy to help. My main reason for getting this panel was portability. I can carry it in my cargo trailer, and if were to take a multi-day camping trip I can use it to charge during stay-overs at campsites. At least, that's my hope someday! 👍🏻
Great video, thanks for doing it. I'm in the process of writing a script (I make movies) and this info is exactly what I needed to see. Liked and Subscribed.
Awesome! Thank you for the support.
What is the cheapest portable power station and solar panel I could get for an e-bike do you think?
Well, it depends on the size of your battery, but realistically speaking to get something that will fully charge your ebike will cost anywhere from $1000-$1500.
I have an Ecoflow Delta Mini that is an 852wh, 1400w output power bank. I also have 110w and 160w solar panels to charge it faster. I charged my Ultra Beast 2 dual battery ebike from about 35% to 100% in just under 3 hours.
The Ecoflow Delta Mini now costs around $600, but when I bought mine almost 2 years ago it was $899. You can now get a Delta Mini and a 220w solar panel for about $1200 on the Ecoflow website. us.ecoflow.com
Here's a link to a video I did charging my ebike with the Delta Mini: eBike | Charge an Electric Bike with a Power Bank! | Ultra Beast 2 & Ecoflow
ua-cam.com/video/vVbB_n78_2o/v-deo.html
@@twowheeltim Nothing I could get for like 300 hey? Would it just be a waste of money at that point?
Unfortunately, for that price point power banks typically only have enough output to charge smaller electronics such as phones, tablets, laptops, etc.
A $300 power bank would likely have around a 300 watt-hour output. Charging an ebike is going to pull around 250-300 watts, so a smaller power bank would barely last an hour and likely yield 10-15% charge at the most. That's fine for topping off an ebike battery, but the efficiency wouldn't really be worth it if using a solar panel to recharge the power because this would take around 5-6 hours to replenish. I tried it with my Jackery 500 and it was decent just for topping off.
I show that a little bit in this video: eBike | Camping & All-Terrain Versatility | Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra Beast 2 & Hub Duo
ua-cam.com/video/xZ7WozKy4xU/v-deo.html
Hard to hear you with music in background.
🤷🏼♂️
@@twowheeltimwell, that’s one response to feedback, Tim….
Is that solar controller measuring the input or output current?
It actually measures both.
can you list all of the stuff you have used please
Sure.
Bakcou 200 watt solar panel with charge controller
EcoFlow Delta Mini to fully charge both my ebike batteries from 35% to 100%
Jackery Explorer 500 to top off four ebike batteries from 90% to 100% while camping
Jackery Explorer 1500 to fully charge both batteries on my ebike from a 20% charge to a 100% charge
Why did you choose Beast 2? I am about to order that too are you still happy ??…
At the time of my purchase I weighed 322 pounds. I wanted an ebike that was heavy duty enough to withstand my weight, and as I searched through all the different options the Biktrix Ultra Beast 2 best fit what I wanted. I have never regretted buying it and I certainly am happy with it. 👍🏻
Thank you. I am watching every one of your videos. Love them. I am also buying that trailer. I am 70 and touring in a SprinterVan. Had a house in USVI. ST JOHN. destroyed in Hurricane Irma sept 5 2017. So I am going back next year. I always wanted todo Big sUr area. Never made it. Those ebikes in Utah ….wow
Thank you for the positive support. So sorry to hear about the loss of your house. Some day I'd love to tour, explore, and make videos of it to share. Right now my work is really busy and cutting into my creative time, but I have a couple videos I'm slowly working on.
Take care and enjoy every moment! 👍🏻
Where can I get a 2,000w solar panel from ?
2000 watt solar panel for ebike charging?? I'm no solar expert but that would be pretty excessive for ebike charging, I think. A small home needs at least 4000 watts. If you really want a 2000 watt solar panel, Google it, but you won't find one made for ebikes.
Definitely, something i am interested it getting.... My only concern is will it over charge a 48 volt battery at 57.6 volts and also there is no setting for a 52 volt battery. I am assuming you would use the 48 volt setting for a 52 volt battery. Great video though.
Thank you.
The charge controller that comes with the Bakcou solar panel also has a custom charge setting where you can set it at whatever you need. It's a cheap charge controller and it's hard to find much info: Sunyima CTK-EV-300
The solar panel, however, is way too big to use while riding.
You can buy the controller for 50 bucks and 100 watt panels for a little over 100 bucks, so for around 300 you have the same set up.
But how big are the solar panels? The panels I looked up are 43" long. The whole point is to have something that fits in a compact cargo trailer to take on travels. Not to set it up in the back yard. 🤷🏼♂️
You use the self setting and you set the voltage from the mains charger you have.
@@twowheeltim foldable is absolutely the correct panel for that purpose. But I think a 20-22V panel would be better 🤔
Can you post link for solar
Please subscribe?
bakcou.com/collections/batteries-and-chargers/products/200-watt-solar-panel
Are you happy with this part of your project. It looks good I want that setup. 😊, help me out yah. 😊
I'm pretty happy with the setup. I wish the solar panels were a little lighter, they weigh about 17 lbs, but it's not really an issue.
Not sure what I can do to help you out, though. Bakcou refused to give me a discount, a discount code to give to viewers, or allow me to be in their ambassador program. 🤷🏼♂️
They basically took advantage of my free advertising, but I still wanted to share the experience with my viewers so they could explore options.
@@twowheeltim It’s cool yeah, Just stay cool with everyone no matter if they support you or not.Try not to burn 🔥 bridges works out better for you in the end.
Volts dont matter. Its amps when charging. Go from 2 to 4 amps and your charging time is cut in half.
👍👍👍👍
Thank you. It's pretty damn cool! 👍🏻
🥰🥰👍👍👍
Can't hear you over the music.
Sorry. Audio levels can vary depending on the type of device on which you're watching, and also the device's speakers and EQ settings.
I'll admit that the audio level of the music in this video is probably a little higher than a lot of my later videos because this video is over 2 years old and along the way I learned to keep the music level in the range of -12 to -18 decibels depending on the track.
With that said, I'm not a professional, not sponsored by anyone other than my own bank account, and provide content as a courtesy to those seeking information they may not find easily. I can only control what I can control, which excludes what people can and can't appreciate. ✌🏻
@@twowheeltimthis is the better response to the same comment. Baffling, should have just saved this one to paste later, lol
I know, but the not-so-friendly response to the other commenter about the volume level was because the person was kind of trolling my videos and leaving curt comments over and over. I guess I just got tired of it. There are just those kind of people out there, and it gets tiresome when you spend a lot of time, money, and other resources to make content only to get trolled by some people.
I'm not monetized nor sponsored, so my only incentive is to help people out. 🤷🏼♂️
I have an e-trike, 1000W, 48V, 12A, but $900 is more than I have in the bike, hub motor and wheel, and four 12V lead acid batteries. Where's the economics?
It's obviously a subjective topic. If one plans to travel by ebike and camp along the way, this is a possible option to recharge during a day at the campsite. It's a lighter option than carrying a power bank like a 1500w Jackery.
Oh, that’s AU prices, so 75% of that in US dollars I guess?
The face in the clouds is better than the vid content just saying!!
Okay. At least you watched it! 😆
@@twowheeltim The content was great, it's just the face is fantastic!!
@@mattc825 I have to be honest. I don't recall seeing a face in the clouds, so now I'm going to go back and watch it to see! 🤣 Happy New Year!