Hello -
Having an issue charging my Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack. Battery does not charge.
While the Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack is connected to the Rad Battery Charger in order
to charge the battery, the light remains green and does not go to red while charging.
The Rad Battery Charger does work. Any ideas??? Thanks
I feel your pain. Just jumped on the site to post the same question. (Not to hijack your thread).
Rode last night and pulled the battery to charge. Went to plug it in this morning and the levels had not changed overnight - still only 6 bars. Charger is green. Threw it on my wife?s charger and have the same issue - charger stays green.
Mine will power the bike. It just won?t charge on 2 different chargers, making me think my issue is battery. Mine is only 2 months old.
CALL Rad. BE Patient. Like everyone else, they're short handed. Recommendations have been to call early in the morning.
Be polite. Don't get angry. Word is that some new reps that may handle your call are saying no to battery replacements, which is the exact opposite of how Rad has always handled these issues; if that happens, ask for a supervisor, or call back later and get a different rep.
Jcvdd - I got thru to a customer service rep on the issue. Their suggestion was to take it on a 5-15 minute throttle ride. Apparently, if you charge the battery for more than 12 hours it can lock to prevent overcharging (or something like that). I haven?t charged for that long, but did the ride. To no avail. So now I?m in the warranty process. We will see what their response is but I haven?t misused it, shorted it, or done anything to cause it to arc.
You may want to try the extended throttle ride to see if that clears it.
Good luck. I?ll keep you posted on what happens with mine.
Adams
Quote from: Adams on July 14, 2022, 10:05:57 AM
Jcvdd - I got thru to a customer service rep on the issue. Their suggestion was to take it on a 5-15 minute throttle ride. Apparently, if you charge the battery for more than 12 hours it can lock to prevent overcharging (or something like that). I haven?t charged for that long, but did the ride. To no avail. So now I?m in the warranty process. We will see what their response is but I haven?t misused it, shorted it, or done anything to cause it to arc.
You may want to try the extended throttle ride to see if that clears it.
Good luck. I?ll keep you posted on what happens with mine.
Adams
weird stuff.
i've definitely left my battery charging for more than 12 hours multiple times, and never heard of any such lock. maybe they do have a new clueless crew in there.
Rad person on phone was helpful and pleasant. They were simply working down a decision tree matrix to check all the boxes before saying send in pics to verify warrant claim. Haven?t gotten a response from Rad yet, but there are no external signs of an arc or short that could have caused a blown fuse.
I did ride off road through some pretty bouncy stuff just before charging it. Maybe the fuse has a bad solder job and it loosened.
Jcvdd- any update on trying to solve it?
Quote from: Adams on July 15, 2022, 05:57:41 AM
Rad person on phone was helpful and pleasant a. They were simply working down a decision tree matrix to check all the boxes before saying send in pics to verify warrant claim. Haven?t gotten a response from Rad yet, but there are no external signs of an arc or short that could have caused a blown fuse.
I did ride off road through some pretty bouncy stuff just before charging it. Maybe the fuse has a bad solder job and it loosened.
Jcvdd- any update on trying to solve it?
Hello -
Thank you for your response and I thank everyone else for their help.
I communicated with Rad customer service and once again they were great. After trouble shooting, they were unable to resolve the non-charging issue and agreed to replace the battery with a replacement Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack. Apparently because of shipping issues of hazardous materials, they do not want the defective Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack returned to them and I was wondering if anyone had any idea how to "POSSIBLY" repair the defective non-charging Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack since it was only used five times before it died? Thanks and good Luck !
JCVdd - did you get a response right away on the phone that they would replace it or did you go through the warranty process and submit the pile of pics and video?
My problem is getting service to call me back after I choose the ?save your place in line?,
No return call since Tuesday? call. Patience?
Quote from: Dukem on July 15, 2022, 07:36:02 AM
My problem is getting service to call me back after I choose the ?save your place in line?,
No return call since Tuesday? call. Patience?
Call them again. Yesterday I got 2 calls back within about 1/2 hour in the morning. The first one got cutoff so I had to call back in.
Quote from: Adams on July 15, 2022, 07:08:20 AM
JCVdd - did you get a response right away on the phone that they would replace it or did you go through the warranty process and submit the pile of pics and video?
Hello - Although Rad customer service has been really great, they are not just going to send you a new battery because you asked. ( JOKE )
In my case, after trouble shooting, they elevated my inquiry to a "battery" specialist and he had me take pictures and video of several items
related to the defective battery and within a week "I" recontacted customer service again and they agreed to send me a free new battery and I received the battery in a week. Also, just wait on the phone and hopefully you will get a response. Also realize that they operate on west coast time. Good Luck
Quote from: jcvdd on July 13, 2022, 03:52:06 PM
Hello -
Having an issue charging my Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack. Battery does not charge.
While the Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack is connected to the Rad Battery Charger in order
to charge the battery, the light remains green and does not go to red while charging.
The Rad Battery Charger does work. Any ideas??? Thanks
I'm having the same problem. My battery won't charge. I have not got to ride the brand new bike yet
because the battery stays at 4 bars while the charger gives the green light.
I contacted Customer Service. After several days they got back to me and requested several pictures and a video
which I sent to them but I have not heard back from them. Sucks to have a brand new bike that I still haven't
been able to ride and they are dragging their feet.
If they don't replace the battery this bike is useless and I will have to return it along with the $600 worth
of accessories I bought.
Quote from: Treefriend on July 18, 2022, 11:21:11 PM
Quote from: jcvdd on July 13, 2022, 03:52:06 PM
Hello -
Having an issue charging my Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack. Battery does not charge.
While the Rad Semi-Integrated Battery Pack is connected to the Rad Battery Charger in order
to charge the battery, the light remains green and does not go to red while charging.
The Rad Battery Charger does work. Any ideas??? Thanks
I'm having the same problem. My battery won't charge. I have not got to ride the brand new bike yet
because the battery stays at 4 bars while the charger gives the green light.
I contacted Customer Service. After several days they got back to me and requested several pictures and a video
which I sent to them but I have not heard back from them. Sucks to have a brand new bike that I still haven't
been able to ride and they are dragging their feet.
If they don't replace the battery this bike is useless and I will have to return it along with the $600 worth
of accessories I bought.
That has got to be hugely disappointing Treefriend. Be patient. I bet they come through. It took them a few days to approve my battery warranty claim. I?m just waiting for them to ship it. Will try and tackle replacing the internal fuse tonight on the fried battery.
UPDATE: Matter still not resolved.
After days of no communication they had me resend the requested pictures...
...did they lose the first batch or is this a stall tactic?
Still have not ridden my new Rad5
I think they are understaffed in customer service. Took they a few days to assess my battery claim, but they eventually approved it. Battery still hasn?t shipped though. Hang in there and keep at them.
Quote from: Adams on July 23, 2022, 07:51:24 AM
I think they are understaffed in customer service. Took they a few days to assess my battery claim, but they eventually approved it. Battery still hasn?t shipped though. Hang in there and keep at them.
Hello Adam - Interesting, but I was also approved for a new replacement battery 10 days ago and like yours, it hasn't ship yet. I guess their warehouse must be short-staffed. Hopefully your new replacement battery will resolve your issues as the Rad bike is very fun to ride.
I?m assuming the battery for the City 5 Plus and the Rover 6 Plus are the same and interchangeable. Is that correct?
Quote from: Adams on July 23, 2022, 07:51:24 AM
I think they are understaffed in customer service. Took they a few days to assess my battery claim, but they eventually approved it. Battery still hasn?t shipped though. Hang in there and keep at them.
The customer service must be somewhere in Europe or Africa. The time stamp is GMT+2. About 10 hours ahead
of where I am. Also the language in the emails is stilted like someone whose first language is not English.
Well I had to jump through several hoops including submitting several pictures and a video not once but twice
and it has taken a while BUT today I received this email so eventually (hopefully before summer is over) I will
be able to ride my new bike.
I also have a 2017 Rad Power Wagon and it has been a good bike with no issues. I really like the bike
and I have been satisfied with it so, in spite of this hiccup with the new integrated battery, I can and will
recommend Rad to anyone looking for an ebike.
Quote
Hey there,
I am very sorry for the late reply. We have been experiencing an extremely high amount of support requests lately, both email and phone calls, and have been working through them as best we can in the order received.
Your battery replacement was approved and I went ahead and placed an order for your new battery to the address you confirmed, order #--------.
Our batteries are classified as Hazardous Materials and due to this, must abide by Federal HAZMAT regulations. Before batteries are fulfilled from our warehouse, they have to go through HAZMAT certification and approval to ensure safe shipment, which takes roughly 5-7 business days to complete. Once the certification is approved, your battery can then begin the fulfillment process which takes 3-5 business days for your order to leave our warehouse. Batteries must be shipped via ground transportation, so transit times will vary beyond that depending on your location in the US or Canada. You will receive a shipping confirmation email when the order has left our warehouse, which will include a tracking number from the courier.
We appreciate your patience and look forward to getting your order to you as soon as possible!
Thank you,
-------.
Product Support Specialist
Rad Power Bikes
Not to hijack your thread more, but I did receive my warranty claim battery within a week of them approving the claim.
Quote from: Adams on July 15, 2022, 05:57:41 AM
Rad person on phone was helpful and pleasant. They were simply working down a decision tree matrix to check all the boxes before saying send in pics to verify warrant claim. Haven?t gotten a response from Rad yet, but there are no external signs of an arc or short that could have caused a blown fuse.
I did ride off road through some pretty bouncy stuff just before charging it. Maybe the fuse has a bad solder job and it loosened.
Jcvdd- any update on trying to solve it?
This is a distinct possibility. Over the past 2 decades or so, there's been a big push to use lead free solder due to the risk of exposure to lead. Unfortunately that comes with consequences, lead free solder has a tendency to be more brittle, and prone to breaking with sharp impacts. Much like you'd see on a bike. The joints can crack along very fine lines and sometimes they'll make contact and others they won't.
The quick way to fix it is to reflow the solder on the broken joints. The best way to fix it is to remove the lead free solder and flow in good solder. You can sometimes see the broken joints with your eye or under magnification.
Also, lead free solder has a greater chance of solder balls being left on the boards. Most of the time, they'll stay put, but they can break and roll into the circuit causing a short. Problem is, that you'll probably never find it because once you start tearing the device part, they fall out and they're tiny.
The last thing that can happen is solder whiskers. This is when the solder grows very fine hair like appendages that can reach out and touch other joints, causing shorts. Lead free solder is known to do this, and there's a reason that NASA and any company that produces products for the military doesn't use lead free, because they want their devices to work for the long term.
Don't want to get lead poisoning from your devices, don't lick the circuit boards.
JedidiahStoizfus, Man I laughed so hard at your comment "Don't want to get lead poisoning from your devices, don't lick the circuit boards."
That took me so off guard I spit out my coffee. :D