(Info. No. 2 October 1996, Supplement to Operator’s Manual 2.0)

• Clothing: Despite the windshield and pedal drive, we recommend wearing warm clothing while operating the Twike in winter, e.g., finger gloves, scarf and sweater.
• Frost and ice: Can be carefully melted off the windshield with warm water (do not scrape the plastic). Covering the windshield with a cloth or towel, or parking under cover reduces the need for this. – Take along a towel or other suitable covering when on the road.
• Traction: On snow and ice traction is less than on dry pavement. The possibility of wheel slippage can be reduced by using only the first acceleration stage and avoiding the "full power" of acceleration stage 2. If that is not sufficiently "soft" enough, the current limit of stage 1 can be adjusted downward (Operator’s Manual, p. 42). Applying the cruise control should not make the vehicle "reel" so long as the grade is not steep. When the cruise control is active the computer will limit current (and motor speed, accordingly) to the maximum set in acceleration stage 1. If this still results in loss of traction, again, adjust this limiting current downward. – More tips on avoiding slippage can be found in TWIKE News 15 on pages 10-11.
• Brakes: Use the regen brake first; it is less inclined to lock the wheels than the mechanical brakes. Note that the regen brake only functions after driving off, i.e., after the acceleration button has been used at least once. Drive slowly – especially because if you apply the mechanical brakes and the wheels lock, it will be some seconds before the regen brake can become fully effective, during which, you could slide. – The brake lights do not switch on if you use exclusively the regen brake! Only back pedal pressure (piston switch) or front brake lever action (mechanical switch) of at least 1 cm will activate the brake lights. When using the regen brake you can signal following vehicles by lightly depressing the front brake lever.
• Pedal Drive: When the pedal drive is engaged do not let the vehicle roll back! [Or the wheels may lock. Should this happen, shift out of pedal drive, while holding the vehicle still with the mechanical brakes.]
• Warm Batteries: Do not let clothing or other items obstruct the battery compartment vents. If the battery temperature rises above 50 ºC, avoid using the regen brake. A conservative driving style helps prevent the batteries from heating to this point (generating less heat and permitting longer cooling times).
• Extended Trips: If one wishes to drive farther than the capacity of a single charge permits, one must plan on opportunity charging. When charge time is taken into consideration, the average speed of the vehicle is 20-25 km/h. Increasing speed will gain you nothing, as it will lengthen the charge times. The optimal driving speed, depending on road conditions is between 40 and 60 km/h.
• Vehicle Transport: If the Twike is towed, or transported on a truck or trailer, the canopy and Cabrio-Verdeck (vinyl top) must be secured with cord or tape against opening through vibration and wind.
• Parking: Do not leave lights or other energy consuming accessories on unnecessarily. The battery monitoring system cannot guard against over-discharging the batteries since it cannot switch anything automatically off except the motor and windshield defroster.

• Range Maintenance: If the Twike sits unused for several days or weeks, the battery will slowly self-discharge not only because of the electrical load of the battery monitoring system but also due to the normal chemical reaction in the Ni-Cds. And at the next recharging the batteries will give the impression of being fully charged when they are not. While driving keep close tabs on the voltage reading which is the most reliable indicator of when the battery capacity drops off. The motor output is noticeably reduced when the voltage drops below 310 V under acceleration. On recharging again the battery will be restored to its full rated capacity.
• Emergency Stop/Battery Disconnect Button: Do not plug into an outlet unless the red disconnect button is on (i.e., in the upward position).
• Power and Energy: The Twike charges with the same power consumption of 4 irons in operation. In other words, charging for one half hour is comparable to ironing for 2 hours.
• Energy Costs: One 1 kwh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity costs 10-20 Rappens [4-10 cents at current US rates] (error on page 77 of the Operator’s Manual) depending on taxes.
• Charge Current Reading: Why is less current indicated while charging than has been selected? (Parameters 91 and 92, Operator’s Manual, pp. 34, 43 and 44) – The displayed current is about half of the selected line current. This is because the line voltage, 220 V, is nearly doubled to over 400 V when it reaches the batteries. The current must accordingly drop to maintain a constant power (watts) consumption.
• Temperature While Charging: The temperature of the battery blocks can be different for any of at least three reasons: a) the blocks were already at different temperatures at the beginning of the charge, b) the charge was terminated for one block because of its having reached the 7 C temperature rise criterion, while the other block through a short term temperature rise, or c) the symmetrical (equalizing) phase can intensify small temperature differences. – The maximum safe temperature rise should not be higher than 7 C, i.e., do not attempt to restart the charge until cooling has taken place.
• Charge Energy Capacity: The individual battery block capacities (Ah displays) are stored values and can vary with respect to each other depending on their past history and calibration, especially after partial charges. The value indicated can be more than what is actually available (if the last charge procedure was interrupted after the U-charge phase) or the reverse (if the charge was interrupted during the I-charge). While driving the battery can reach a state of complete discharge at unexpected values: the indicated value thus ceases being a reliable reference. – However, after a full charge the stored values are automatically reset to the nominal 2.80 Ah per module.
• Charge Optimization: If you leave the vehicle on charge a long time (i.e., several hours or days) beyond the point of being fully charged, the operating electronics and fans will consume needless energy. This can be avoided if you charge mindfully. The following table shows the recommended procedure depending on battery state (1^st column) and the amount of time the vehicle will be parked (unused) (1^st row):

• Cold Weather: When outside temperatures are under 10 C, avoid leaving the vehicle with empty or nearly empty batteries. Immediately after driving charge in rapid mode (if the circuit permits).
• Charge Failure: In the following circumstances the charging procedure may automatically switch off early (the display will read "BATT FULL" at too low an Ah reading or a percentage value less than 100%): a) outside temperature rises during charging (e.g., sudden sun exposure or warm garage), b) if the fan at a temperature over 30 C shuts down, the temperature will continue to climb and the temperature sensor will prevent further charging, or c) after a deep discharging the temperature can suddenly rise during charging. Remedy: Unplug, press disconnect, wait 10 seconds, twist up disconnect and plug in. The charging procedure should begin again.
• Main Fuse or Circuit Breaker: Where the fuse or the circuit breaker rating is close to the setting on the adjustable input charge current, there is the possibility of a delayed failure due to the fact that the computer does not ramp up the charge current until several minutes into the charge period. In this situation especially we recommend checking to make certain it is still charging after a few minutes.
• Charge Cords: It is simplest to store the charge cable in a coil on the floor under the seat, making it easier to pull out quickly when charging.
• Worn Cords and Loose Plugs: Can lead to overheated contacts and possible melt downs. – Note: use only CO2 fire extinguishers on electrical fires; other types are less effective and can damage electronics or batteries.

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Translation Copyright © Victor Muñoz