Clarification on standard vs. rapid chargers

[snydes]

I just recently learned that a fellow Alta owner has been operating under the idea that the standard charger only runs on 110v, and the rapid only 240v as was explained to him by the dealer. This is only further complicated by the wording on the website that seperarates charging times as rapid (240v) and standard (110v).

I’m going to copy from a previous thread where Alta customer support clarified this a bit in an email;

“Thanks for reaching out, we are stoked that you like our bikes.

Right now we do not have a manual available for our chargers or MXR. For now, while we are working on creating the MXR manual, we recommend MXR customers refer to the MX Manual and reach out with any specific questions or concerns. As far as service work goes, both MX and MXR are virtually identical.

Both our Standard charger ($499) and our Rapid charger ($799) are capable of charging at 240VAC. Note however, our standard charger comes with a 110VAC (5-15 style) plug so you will need an adapter to charge at 240VAC. The R charger comes with a 240VAC (L14-30 style) plug, you will need an adapter to charge at 110VAC.
Charging at 240VAC does not effect the life of the battery any differently than charging at 110VAC
Our battery does not come with a 1000 hr warranty but is expected to last for 1000+ hours. Our complete warranty MX/MXR warranty can be found HERE. Our battery is rated for 1000 charging cycles. Depending on how you ride, each charge can last between 30 minutes (pro moto) and 4+ hours (slow/technical woods single track). This means our battery is rated for between 500 and 4000+ hours depending on how you ride. Keep in mind most riders don't achieve even 100 hrs a year.
Charging at 240VAC is faster than charging at 110VAC. There is not a manual charge speed control, its full charge speed or no charge at all.
I hope this information helps. Thank you again for your interest and support!

Happy Riding and Stay Fast!

Kevin


- Team Alta”

So if there happens to be anyone else out there who thinks their standard charger only works on 110v, you might be glad to hear this.

 

[Fod]

But the way I read this is the standard charger plugged in at 240 will still take same time to charge as 110. And rapid charger plugged in at 110 is just slightly faster then standard charger.

 

[Kurlon]

I think this was discussed in another thread but short form:
Both chargers pull 1600w when plugged into 110v, so same charge rate.
The normal charger pulls 2700w on 220v, the rapid kicks that up to 3300w.

 

[snydes]

He says towards the bottom “Charging at 240VAC is faster than charging at 110VAC”. So apparently they don’t like assigning a number to it officially. I never actually timed mine from fully discharged but the charging rates I’ve seen using the standard charger on 240v would seem consistent with a 2 hour from totally dead estimate.

 

[Judaslefourbe]

Both our Standard charger ($499) and our Rapid charger ($799) are capable of charging at 240VAC.

Please note those prices are applicable when purchasing the motorcycle. If purchased separately, the prices will increase (reach out to your preferred dealer to find out the cost).

 

[Judaslefourbe]

He says towards the bottom “Charging at 240VAC is faster than charging at 110VAC”. So apparently they don’t like assigning a number to it officially.

This is correct, and for a good reason: charge time is dependent on too many variables outside of our control. A good rule of thumb is the hotter the battery pack is, the slower it will charge.

 

[snydes]

The way the website words this maybe should be changed, or we need to stop referring to them as standard and rapid/fast and use 2.7kW and 3.3kW instead. This wording would lead me to believe the best the “standard” charger can do is 3 hours on 110v, which would be wrong for two reasons if I’m not mistaken.

 

[Mark911]

I wonder what the original 2017 charger is rated at? When compared to the new versions it (my 2017) charger looks significantly more robust (better heatsink, beefier construction, bigger, etc).

 

[snydes]

I wonder what the original 2017 charger is rated at? When compared to the new versions it (my 2017) charger looks significantly more robust (better heatsink, beefier construction, bigger, etc). View attachment 453

That appears to look like the current “standard “ 2.7kW charger of 2018.

 

[Philip]

View attachment 453

Hey Mark, are you going to post the pics of the inside of that battery on the left (in another thread)?

 

[Mark911]

Not having a service manual (again) is very disappointing news. Assign an engineer and just crank it out! Back in the day I'd write repair manuals for Haynes Automotive Publications in my spare time. It'd only take me about a week to fully revise or a couple weeks to fully re-write a manual (I specialized in Fords). Even a pre-released revision is better than none!

 

[Philip]

Not having a service manual (again) is very disappointing news. Assign an engineer and just crank it out! Back in the day I'd write repair manuals for Haynes Automotive Publications in my spare time. It'd only take me about a week to fully revise or a couple weeks to fully re-write a manual (I specialized in Fords). Even a pre-released revision is better than none!

Perhaps Alta should hire you for this project and pay you with a new bike! Send your resume to Marc.

 

[Mark911]

Hey Mark, are you going to post the pics of the inside of that battery on the left (in another thread)?

Phil,
Ok, here's one. . . . . . . . NOT! This is actually out of my E-bike pack. I'm sure the Alta looks pretty similar plus fancy PCBs, interconnects, heatsinks and of course 12X more cells!

 

[bluefxstc]

The reason for the lower limitation when charged by 120VAC in the US is the amount of power the wall outlet can proved. Most 120 circuits in the US are 15 or 20 Amps. The formula for Power (watts) is current X voltage so the most power you can get out of a 15A circuit operating at 120VAC is 1800W. Since most circuits power more than one thing, charger manufactures limit their chargers when powered with 120 to 1300-1500 W so they don't continually pop the circuit breaker. With 240 at 20 Amps, your power limit is 4800W, so the charger is the limit. The Alta standard charger works fine with 240 and will charge at 2500-2700W, you just need an adapter to power it. The amount of current that the charger draws varies slightly, because in the US the voltage fluctuates +- 5%,, so at higher voltages the current for the same amount of power will be lower.

 

[Fod]

He says towards the bottom “Charging at 240VAC is faster than charging at 110VAC”. So apparently they don’t like assigning a number to it officially. I never actually timed mine from fully discharged but the charging rates I’ve seen using the standard charger on 240v would seem consistent with a 2 hour from totally dead estimate.

Ohh that could explain why I struggled in school!