Get 'em while they're hot...

redalpha3

Pedelecer
Oct 31, 2006
91
0
Do you think it is worthwhile buying a NiMh battery and charger as a backup for my present Li-On Battery?. A NimH battery seems a more useful backup as it seems to store better. However,I could be wrong on this!
 

allotmenteer

Pedelecer
Nov 21, 2006
230
0
Aldershot, Hampshire
Do you think it is worthwhile buying a NiMh battery and charger as a backup for my present Li-On Battery?. A NimH battery seems a more useful backup as it seems to store better. However,I could be wrong on this!
Hello Pete

Until lithium overcomes the present drawbacks, i.e. cutting out under load, short lifespan, I have no intention of throwing my money away by buying another one. I'm sticking with nimh.

I only got the ezee battery yesterday and have just done one full charge cycle (it's on charge now). I got 13 miles, 8 at full tilt 22mph+ (19.5mph average with hills) and 4 at slightly reduced speed. This will improve significantly over the next few cycles.

I have a lithium battery (only 24V 6.8Ah) and this is earmarked for powering a couple of 12V halogens for winter use. Best use for a lithium if you ask me.

Paul
 

redalpha3

Pedelecer
Oct 31, 2006
91
0
Good enough for me. Think I will invest. Hope the postal strike doesn't get in the way.;)
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,822
30,383
I think NiMh is better all round as well Pete, but ironically, although they last well, they don't store charge so well.

Once a Li-ion battery is charged, it holds the entire charge, even for a year. NiMh batteries lose charge at about 1% or a little more each day, so after a week they can be 10% down. That's why it's important they are charged at least two monthly if out of use, since if left too long they can get too low on charge to recover.
.
 

redalpha3

Pedelecer
Oct 31, 2006
91
0
I can certainly see the advantages of the NiMh. Most of my knowledge has been gleaned from the forum and I'm better informed than I was at this time last year, however, the nuances of batteries still manage to confuse me. I see the NiMh as a better long-term investment. I've experienced the Li-on fade under load. Not sure I liked it. I'm assuming that the Ezee batteries are perfectly inter-changeable. Would my Heinzmann Nimh charger be safe to use rather than buying another? (Wishful thinking)
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,822
30,383
Quite probably not Pete. The cutoff circuit in a charger is matched to a thermistor which is in the battery. This senses the temperature and lets through the cut off voltage back to the charger at cutoff point. That's what the third pin is for in the charger plug.

Different systems have different thermistor types, so the eZee thermistor may not match the Heinzmann charger's cutoff circuit operating voltage.

I agree that NiMh is a better all purpose battery for e-bikes, and cut out is never suffered, but they have their inconveniences, like having to fully discharge to cut out every so often, and preferably using as much of the charge each time as possible before charging. Since performance of any battery drops as it discharges, for many people who do lots of short journeys that means quite a lot of their riding is at less than peak performance, just to get the charge used up.

With Li-ion, if cutoff problems can be avoided, life is much easier and more convenient. They should just be charged at any and every opportunity, this in turn meaning that performance is kept close to the optimum nearly all the time. That's it, just use, charge, and get the best performance, it couldn't be simpler. As a bonus, they average slightly higher voltage than NiMh, so the bike is marginally faster as well. The one problem is that they don't like continuous high current loadings, these only being possible within the imagination of e-bike suppliers and battery manufacturers.
.
 
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redalpha3

Pedelecer
Oct 31, 2006
91
0
I will definitely go with the NiMH battery which would allow me to have a foot in both camps! As an aside, just had a chat with Tim Snaith via 50cycles website chat facility. What a clever idea for customer service:) He advised me to phone on Monday as he needs to check stock levels. Must be going out like hot cakes!

Edit: They've just rung me back. Still have both kinds of battery in stock. Hooray
 
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