dramiscram

Hi , we're talking ebike on the commuting forum (don't worry, we're not talking behind your back ) and a few of us are wondering if ebike can withstand subzero temperature. I'm living up north in eastern Canada and in winter we often get as low as -15 -20 celcius ( 0-5 f)

I was thinking about getting an ebike to help me plow thru the many inches of snow we get sometimes.
I commute 55 kms rt everyday, is realistic or should I get snow tires on my mini-van?

Many thanks

baron von trail 

It's going to be in the mid 90s here today. And you're asking about sub-zero T's. Is winter already on its way up there?

fietsbob

If you keep the battery on your body it will stay warmer..

dramiscram

I tought about that but what about the electric motor? Is it able to support low temperature?

dramiscram

Up here the first freezing is only 5 to 7 weeks away so no time to waste if we want to be ready.

fietsbob

Starter motors in cars trucks and busses stay out all winter.
its the battery that is bogged down in cold weather by reduced efficiency
and stirring over temperature thickened oil in the engines,
[hence block heaters and extension cords, up north]

dramiscram

Being in the automobile buisness for the last 17 years (7 as a mechanic) I should know that! (I feel a bit stupid right now )

Thanks

turbo1889

Guy from Montana here where it gets just as cold or colder.

The electric motor is pretty much a non-issue except for some will slow down a little due the cold "tightening them up" (metal parts contract when they are cold) and they can have slightly higher resistance. If you are using a Hub-motor that is internally geared not direct drive the internal gear lube can also thicken up and slow it down and the gears are almost always plastic and can become brittle in extreme cold and shatter under load. Best option is a direct drive hub-motor used as a crank-drive or mid-drive mounted up in the frame stoker-monkey style away from the snow and slush and other road goop but a direct drive hub used as a hub is better then a geared hub in the cold. Make sure to silicon and shrink tube wrap all your electrical connections (except for the main battery plug) and any spot where moisture could get into the system, same as weather proofing for rain and not all hubs will put up with rain get one that is sealed up tight and doesn't have a built in cooling fan and open fent to windings or something stupid like that. Put the batteries in a detachable bag with foam insulation and padding around them on all sides and keep the bag inside and warm except for when you are using them and then through the combination of the heat they produce while being used and the insulation around them they will stay warm inside the bag during use. Don't insulate them too well and then forget about the insulation on a warm day and overheat them.

That's my $0.02 if you are going to go electric in the cold.

Other option is to:

Click This Link to Go to Dedicated Post #82 in Dedicated "Other then Electric" Thread in This Forum

Don't get me wrong I really like the low noise of an electric drive and the ability to "go stealth" with it if done correctly but don't discount the possibility of going with an high-efficiency IC build as well which is still way ahead of driving a car. Although larger vehicles do have their place as well. If it's a terrible blizzard with snow-plows out on the road and you have a ways to go then on that particular day you might want to take the car. Snow plows are very dangerous to bicyclists motorized or otherwise on the road in the middle of a snow storm because they can't see you until its too late and probably aren't expecting a bicyclist to be out in that weather anyway and aren't looking for you and you can get clobbered by a snow plow from behind and scopped up with the snow in the plow and blown out the side right along with the snow ~ believe me I know.

fietsbob

I think the condensation inside the motor case becomes an issue
if you bring it in and out of a heated room , and into the cold . rust happens.. ..
leaving in an unheated garage might be better.

turbo1889

Yes, yes, just bring in the battery bag to keep it warm leave the rest outside in the cold.

dramiscram

Thanks guys, very helpful.

As for the IC it's not an option; here in the province of Quebec if it has an IC engine it needs to be plated and insured on it's own while ebikes are considered like a regular bikes so no registration needed and is already insured with the home insurance policy

Burton

I run a couple ebikes myself and live in Montreal. The weakest link on these is usually the battery. If you're running LiFeO4 or Lithium Ion cells, the battery performance drops in cold weather and with the increased resistance of riding in snow - no chance you'll even come close to getting 55 kms out of a standard 9Ah battery.
The other issue is that none of those batteries are weather sealed so even water infiltration can cause issues. Dragging a battery from a warm to cold will cause condensation inside the battery which will amount to the same thing. Moreover, you'll have to wait for the battery temperature to stabilize to room temperate before charging, otherwise the outside cells will be at a different temperature than the inside cells and charge differently - reducing overall battery life.

eBikes running lead acid technology have less range to start off with so are even worse candidates. I'd stick with a regular bike myself, or a car for use during stormy weather.

FMB42

Do they salt the roads in your area? If so, that would be another problem to consider.