That rack looks completely awesome! I wish I had those kinds of fab skills.
Originally Posted by
toyotaboy
Ok after some digging, AGM is very similiar to lead acid, so it's not the batteries (they typically have 200 cranking amps, and 20-30 amp continous draw).
You're right that chain driven motors are considerably more efficient and can go faster using less power.
AGM batteries behave like other lead acid batteries. Both are susceptible to
Peukert's Law
But 200 cold cranking amps or not, that voltage is sagging under load because it's a lead acid battery. A 48 volt lithium-iron-phosphate battery is really more like 53 volts under load (59 off the charger) giving a higher top speed. It has a very flat discharge curve which gives like double the capacity. An example is while riding at top speed, 9ah of lead acid will get you 5 miles, but 9ah of lithium will get you 11 miles.