I'm curious about battery life compared to the Enertia when used for a commute that requires say 90% of Enertia's capacity. IIRC they are comparing 500 cycles vs 2000 cycles...would that mean that the Plus batteries would only last half as long? (4x fewer cycles in life but 2x fewer charges required) Also, would the Plus actually have twice the range?
How will the Empulse 6.0 compare to the Plus?
80% capacity and 23° C are pretty standard, if not otherwise specified. Usually the quoted capacity is < 1C.
Valence quotes 2500 cycles @ 0.5C, 23°C and 1500 cycles @ 0.5C, 45°C (to 80% capacity).
Leyden Energy specifies > 1000 cycles, likely @ 0.5C, 23°C, and to 80% capacity.
Now, in the Enertia you're typically going to be running at 1.5-2C (45-55 mph). Pack temperature may be higher than 23° C as well. 1000-1500 cycles is about what you'd expect, giving you about 30-50k total miles on the pack (to 80% capacity).
The Leyden Energy batteries will likely be operating at 0.75-1C, which should be a slightly lower drain. Pack temperatures again will be higher than 23° C (though LE claims their packs are optimized for high-temp operation), so I'll take a wild guess at 600-700 cycles @ 80%, or around 35k-50k miles.
But since the LE pack is almost twice the capacity of the Valence pack, at 80% you still have twice the range (say 50-60 miles instead of 25-30 miles). If you need 90% of the capacity of the Enertia 3.1 pack, it's going to quickly become incapable of making that commute (20-25k miles). The Enertia+ should make that same commute for well over 100k miles, assuming linear capacity loss.
Also unknown is how the two packs respond to near-complete depth of discharge. LE quotes 100% DOD in their lifecycle specification, which might mean their pack will tolerate extreme drain well. Some lithium packs will be permanently damaged if completely drained.
The Empulse 6.0 should have the same pack as the Enertia+, but it will be capable of much higher discharge rates (Enertia+: 2C peak, ~1C sustained .. Empulse 6.0, ~7C peak, likely ~4C sustained). If operated in the same fashion, the Empulse should get nearly the same battery life (slightly heavier, larger drag profile). If you use the Empulse for highway commuting or for enthusiastic riding (and who wouldn't), you might see lower battery lifetimes (20-25k miles to 80%?).
