Rear ViewInstrument panelDrivetrain
OwnerJohn Craig
Owner's Other EVTrek
LocationOlympia, Washington United States map
Vehicle2006 Schwinn Ranger
steel frame with suspension forks
MotorMY MY1020 48 Volt 1200W Permanent Magnet DC
3200 RPM, 32 Amp
DrivetrainChain drive 8:1 gear ratio into a jack shaft and then into the bikes drivetrain. With the original gear cluster the bike was slow off the line. To alleviate this I installed a mega range gear cluster, increasing the low end performance.
ControllerYi Yun YK42-4
48V 40 amps Peak 100 Amps.
I noticed on my other bike, no matter how hard I rode the bike the controller never got hot. So on this new build I place the controller between the batteries for a cleaner look.
Batteries4 Power Sonic PS-12180 NB, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded
System Voltage48 Volts
ChargerYi Yun
48 V charger, fan cooled, will recharge batteries from flat in about four hours
InstrumentationBike Computer and a Drainbrain V1
Top Speed37 MPH (59 KPH)
1st gear - 24 MPH
2nd gear - 37 MPH
I set the bike up to use only the two lowest gears, I found my efficiency is best at that range.
Acceleration0 - 30 MPH 23 seconds
Range17 Miles (27 Kilometers)
15 - 20MPH = 17 Miles
30 - 35MPH = 5 Miles
Watt Hours/Mile30 Wh/Mile
City driving I get about 30 Whr/mile but when I get on the bike trail with no stop signs I can drop that down to 22Whr/mile.
EV Miles
Current:2,950 Miles (4,746 Kilometers)
Seating Capacity1 adult
Curb Weight90 Pounds (40 Kilograms)
52 pounds in batteries
Conversion Time6 hours
Conversion Costabout $500

Motor $90, Controller $40, Charger $38, Drainbrain $60, Mega Range gear cluster $45, Batteries $132, Throttle $7, other parts $??
Additional FeaturesSpring-loaded seat and a rear luggage rack.
This bike was built without drilling any holes into the frame. All components were designed to be bolted on.

I am using #25 chain on the primary drive to keep the noise down. I ran it for about 100 miles using regular bicycle chain and of course different sprockets but the noise at the high RPMs was too much for me.

2/18/2009 After three years, the batteries are starting to get weak. I am now limited to about 6 miles per charge. That is still twice the distance to my work.

code by jerry