Do I need a Satiator?
Posted by David Elderton on 2018 Dec 17th
Do I need a Satiator?
Do I need a Grin Tech Satiator? This is one of our most frequently asked questions...
The answer is it depends...
The biggest variable is what battery you have, and how you use it. The smaller your battery capacity, the less sense it makes to invest in a Satiator. There are two reasons for this:
1. Larger batteries can often be charged faster, and the Satiator will charge at up to 8 amps, 3-4 times faster than a stock charger. Check with the manufacturer of your battery on the recommended maximum charge. The Juiced CrossCurrent S 12.8 battery can be charged at up to 4 amps, and the large format 19.2 and 21 ah batteries can be charged at up to 8 amps. This means the stock charger will take about 9-10 hours to fully charge a completely depleted 19.2 battery. The Satiator will do it in about 3.5 hours.
The charge current limit can be imposed by the connector (The small barrel connectors used on many e-bike batteries including the Juiced 12.8 ah are maxed out at 4 amps) The battery management circuit inside the battery will have a max charge amp rating, and the battery cells will also have a maximum charge rating.
2. The Satiator can be programmed to charge your battery to less than 100% full, this can greatly extend the life of your battery. the larger your battery capacity is, the more useful this function is. If you regularly discharge your battery deeply in one trip, then you need all the capacity that a 100% charge gives, so the 80% profile will be less useful.
Ever wonder why lithium batteries in an EV car last 10 years or more?
Some even last the lifetime of the car, and e-bike batteries last as little as two years, and often no more than 4 years? The car manufacturers don't give you access to all of the battery capacity, often leaving the last 5-10% off the menu at the top and bottom of the charge. Another reason is thermal management. Cars usually have heating and cooling systems built into the battery to keep it at an optimum temperature.
E-Bikes of course don't have this thermal management, but all things being equal, a big battery will not get as hot as a smaller battery when used hard, therefore extending its lifetime.
Opportunity Charging
If you are on a long ride and you stop somewhere, say at a cafe for lunch, or a ferry trip, you can get much more range back into the battery. The stock Juiced 2 amp charger will give you about 2 amp hours per hour of charging, good for say 10 km of extra range. With a 19.2 ah battery charging at 7-8 amps you can get about 36 km of extra range in that same hour.
The Satiator is designed for mobile use. It is waterproof, and shock hardened. It is also fan free, so no annoying noise from the charger when you plug in at work or at the library.
Universal compatibility
The Satiator is not limited to charging a specific battery type. Instead this one charger model can be configured for virtually any lithium, nickel metal hydride, or lead acid battery pack. The 48V 8A model will charge packs with up to a 63V max charge voltage (15s for lithium), while the 72V 5A model will work all the way to to 103V max (24s lithium).
The Satiator comes with a 3 pin XLR plug that is compatible with many e-bike batteries including the Juiced 52V packs. If you have ordered a bike with a 48 volt pack with the DC barrel connector, or 4 pin XLR, we will include an adapter cable. Other adapters are available for other batteries just ask us.
Informative Display
A large and bright OLED display screen shows all your real time charging statistics; you can see the total amp-hours and voltage along with a clear graphic indicating the approximate charge in the pack.
Programming
You can enable basic charge profiles for different batteries using the built in display and two buttons. For more advanced programming, or to name profiles etc we recommend the USB programming cable and software
Downsides
Not much to say here. The price of course, but this thing should last a long time, and has really excellent Canadian after sales support, as well as free firmware updates to add new features. at 1.33 kg with cords, it is also heavier than the stock charger, which may be a consideration.
More info
Link to the 48V Satiator in our store
Link to the 72V Satiator in our store
Conclusion
So to sum up, if you would like your battery to last longer, and can see the value of being able to quick charge, and especially if you have a larger battery the Satiator is a great addition to most any e-bike.