After months of searching for a way to add another "Hailong" type battery to my ICE trike, I finally came to the conclusion...it doesn't exist or you have to carry the spare in a pannier. ICE sells their trikes with a Shimano battery system which only accepts, you guessed it, Shimano batteries. Since that system is not sold in Japan (regulations set by the government), I had to find another system. So, taking matters into my own hands and using some engineering skills I acquired over the years working on airplanes, I came up with this solution. First let me say, it works great!! Second, I'm not responsible if you decide to blow yourself up trying to copy what I did. Skills required: Basic electrical, soldering, patience, and a strong desire to do it right the first time. Seriously, these batteries have a heck of a current that will send you to the hospital/ morgue if wired improperly. Please read through the entire post before deciding to tackle this project. Let's begin.
Rather than post a list of parts required, read and decide what you need. This is what worked for me and I'm just showing that with a little imagination you can have a second or even more batteries. First, the mount. I use the brackets that ICE sells for there flag holders. Get rid of the holder and keep the bracket. Pay close attention to the seat I have. If you have a different seat, then you'll need a different bracket.
Okay, no rocket science here. Just find some nuts and bolts that won't stick up too high as to interfere with the battery when mounting. Zoom in on the photo to get an idea of what I used. I will not tolerate a nut coming loose while riding. Always use blue loctite and have at least one thread showing. Use good quality fasteners that won't rust. Cutting corners here will get you into trouble later. The battery is heavy and if you hit a bump, well, I warned you.
Just making sure the bolt holes on the battery bracket line up with the rails on the back of the seat. This is where the engineers at ICE mount their second battery. If it's good enough for them...
This is an option I chose not to use. I didn't see the sense in making both batteries drain at the same time. Sure it's automatic, but then I have two batteries to charge at the same time. I chose to use a switch and push a button when each battery is low on power. There are other more important reasons why I chose this method which I'll get into later. Moving right along...
This is a typical "type one" mount for hailong batteries. The bolts pictured were for testing purposes only. Longer bolts were finally used along with blue loctite.
These are the connectors I used. No problem handling the current. I've never had one come loose when I used them on my RC airplanes.
I used 12 guage wire throughout. Probably 14 guage would have been sufficient.
Sorry for the upside down photo. This just shows the placement of the first battery.
Here's one of the ICE clamps being used to hold the second battery to the seat back rails.
This is the lower ICE clamp holding the second battery to the lower seat back rail. This method is rock solid.
Alrighty then, the mount for the second battery is complete. Time to do some creative wiring.
The weight distribution with both batteries makes sense. One on each side. I noticed those fast descents have improved in stability. That's a good thing.
Another benefit with this type of mount is that gravity is working to keep the battery firmly attached to the bladed connectors.
Ah yes, the key to making all this work if you choose to use the switch method.
This switch can be purchased on Amazon in red, white or green for 20 bucks. The switch is marine grade and is rated at 30 amps. It's a DPDT. Remember, you'll need some basic electricl knowledge to wire this correctly. I chose this switch because I saw someone on Ebay selling a wiring harness for dual batteries. This is the switch they used. They wanted 100 bucks. Ummm, no thank you. The switch is only 20cm by 30cm. Just the right size for what I had in mind for it. Yes, the switch lights up when power is applied. The switch has an "OFF" position. This comes in handy especially if you suspect power is "leaking" from somewhere. More on that later...
Jumping ahead just a bit. Here's where I decided to mount the switch. It's on the right saddle bag rail which is sold by ICE. The bracket I fabricated (need to be creative) uses a spare bracket from the Ortlieb saddle bag mount. I chopped up a second mount to extend the arms so the switch would have full contact with the bracket. Screws and washers hold the whole thing together. The switch can be slid in and out of the bracket, but at the same time it fits snug. Other photos will show what I'm trying to explain.
The rubber shim holds the bracket at an angle and a tie wrap is used to adjust the tension so the switch fits snug. This really turned out well, but it took a couple of hours to figure it all out. Remember that desire to do it right the first time?
Time for some soldering. After testing the fit of the switch and measuring for wires, it was time to do some fun stuff.
Here's the switch in place. Easy to access from the seat.
The switch has three positions: Battery 1, OFF, Battery 2. When the trike is parked I leave the switch on OFF. Why? I learned that before I installed this modification, I was getting power leakage from the motor/ controller to the battery. I was totally unaware of this. I assumed that once I turned off the controller the system was off. No power was being used. Nope. I learned that the light on the new switch came on even when the controller was turned off. I checked with my volt meter and sure enough, power was still flowing even with the controller off. Here's another advantage of having a switch: when the switch is in "OFF" the system is completely off...no leakage. So, the light on the switch was a real eye opener.
Please don't use this primative wiring diagram. It's drawn incorrectly and, well, the line that goes from the motor to the second battery shows a black dot. That's where the line should end, Don't continue the line to the first battery! I didn't have an eraser to fix my mistake. You can use the lower drawing which shows the blades on the switch. Essentially, the center blades are used for the motor/ controller and the outer blades are used for the batteries. Always check your switch with a continuity checker just to be sure.
Here I have the switch in reference to the drawing. Maybe that makes more sense?
It's a good idea to use heat shrink on any solder joints.
Here's the wires cut to size, soldered, shrunk, continuity checked, and ready to be installed.
Slid the whole thing into the snug fit bracket. Ready to be attached and neatly tied with velcro. Make sure you have power off and disconnected before proceeding with connecting any batteries!
Damn, he does good work.
Please don't ask why I posted the same picture twice.
Since this trike has rear suspension, it's a good idea to leave a little slack in the wire run. Also, this trike folds which is the reason I used velcro straps instead of tie wraps. It's easy to remove and reinstall.
BOOM! Just kidding. It worked. Here's the reading on battery one
Here's the reading on Battery 2
Indicator light on for Battery 2
Indicator light off for the"OFF" position indicating no power
This was a fun project. I learned a few things and I manage to accomplish what I set out to do...extend my range with two batteries by using a switch. As far as charging batteries, I use a Grin Satiator set for 80% charge. From my research, I have found that will extend the charging life of the battery. Since I don't trust any Lipo battery, I only charge in the daytime, outdoor, in an explosion proof military grade box. That's a subject for another day. Right now, it's time to plan my next ride.
