Zapino Charging

Posted by Max Dunn Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:02:00 GMT

After running the Zapino battery all the way down last night, I put the charger on it with the Kill-A-Watt meter to record how much power it would take to recharge. The charging rate started at about 360 watts and then increased to 400 watts. The total power consumed was 2.68kWh.

This is an interesting number and does make sense since the battery pack is rated at 2.28kWh (60v-38ah) and you would expect that there are some losses when charging. Sealed lead-acid batteries typically can be up to 95% efficient and chargers are typically 90% efficient, so combined these numbers lead to the total efficiency we measured of 85%.

Another useful fact about charging is that for every hour that the scooter is being charged, you are adding about 4 miles to the range. (Based on the charger putting out 400 watts, and the Zapino using about 100 wh/mile.) So, for instance, my wife works part time at an office about 18 miles away. So if she is there for 4 1/2 hours, the Zapino will be completely recharged.

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  1. Rob said 36 days later:

    Not to be picky but 100 watts per mile doesn’t make sense. Watts is power, not energy. “100 watts per mile” would be analogous to something like “60 miles per hour per mile.”

    Anyway, was the 60 amp hour optional battery not available or did you choose not to buy it?

  2. Max Dunn said 37 days later:

    Thanks for pointing this out Rob. I meant “100 watt hours/mile” so I corrected the entry above.

  3. Max Dunn said 37 days later:

    These numbers are for the standard 38ah sealed lead-acid batteries. While the Zapino site states that there is a lithium 60ah upgrade available, I don’t know anyone that has actually gotten one yet.

  4. Rob said 37 days later:

    I’ve been contemplating the Zapino, but the specifics of my planned use make the availability of the larger capacity battery pack a go/no go item. The trip I contemplate would be about 26 miles ending in a lengthy and steep uphill climb.

    I’ve been very interested in reading about your experiences though.

  5. VerdaElektro said 186 days later:

    I just started a Yahoo! group: Zapino Electric Scooter Riders. Please check it out and join.

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zapinoriders

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