Watt issue

[Rad68]

Have a Rad  Expand 5 with 31 miles on it and not getting the full 750w out of the motor. It is only getting about 715w full throttle. Any idea as to what the issue could be? Thanks

[Eric7]

Is your battery fully charged?

You only get 750 watts when the battery is 100%.

Also, there is a speed limit.  If you get to 20 mph the power will turn off so you won't get 750 watt either.  Try it on a hill or a steep hill.  It always shows 750 watts on a hill for me when the bike can't go 20 mph.

The other thing is to try throttle only.  That's the easiest way to get 750 watts.

[Rad68]

The battery is down one bar now. Full throttle only getting 715w so I guess with a full battery it'll get 750.

Thanks

[Eric7]

My feeling is that you got it right.  I don't know about your bike but I think you are suppose to charge it 5 times or something like that.  And twice for 12 hours each? I forgot the details of the owner's manual.  Balance the cells like the manual says and check again.  Go through the new bike thing in the manual.

I can get 750 watts climbing a hill with 5 bars and with 4 bars all the time (on my 5 bar display).  At 3 bars in the beginning I can but later I cannot.  My feeling is that you have a problem if you are showing 715 after all that.  With my Rad Mini ST I've never seen 715.  I've gotten 740, 735 on 3 bars.

Maybe the expand has a different display so I can't say for sure.  These things are not linear.  It is sort of a feel good meter in that it always shows you to have more power than you think and then it will suddenly decline fast.

Anyway, try a full charge and it should give you 750 watts for at least the first 15 miles and I am being conservative.

Please let me know how it goes.

[DickB]

If you are hitting the speed limit you will not see full power. Check when climbing a hill, as more power is required.

The battery does not have to be at 100% to get 750 watts.

[Altema]

If you are hitting the speed limit you will not see full power. Check when climbing a hill, as more power is required.

The battery does not have to be at 100% to get 750 watts.

That's been my experience as well with the Rad controller. I used to get full power until the battery actually got down to the last bar.
One thing I also appreciated about the Rad controller is that it would taper off the power gradually when approaching the speed limit, then only use what power was necessary to maintain that speed. On the Bolton controller, cruising at the speed limit was jerky (at least on my bike).

[Radding Along]

Charge the battery the first three times for 12 hours. After that, charge anytime you want. Every few months do another 12 hour charge to balance the battery. When storing the battery for months at a time, leave the battery at 1/2 to 3/4 charge.

Rad programs their bikes to output lower watts when the battery gets low. I believe most ebikes have that feature. They have this feature to help get you home if the battery is running low.