Battery Getting Stronger ? ?

[Del 80]

I have had my Powacycle Salisbury for over a month now, it was ''stood'' for quite a long while, thing is the battery seems to have got ''stronger'', I only do about 5 miles a day , to work and back, and only charge it up once a week, is this normal for a lythium polymer battery ??.....Del.

 

[NRG]

Dont discount the affect of temperature, they work much better in this warm weather. The capacity will increase by a few % over the first number of cycles and then settle and tail off as it ages.

 

[Del 80]

NRG, I did wonder if the high temeratures we are enjoying had anything to do with the batteries performance, and of course I must be getting fitter [laughs] I must say I think that E-bikes are marvellous.......wish I had got one years ago....... Del.

 

[Scimitar]

NRG, I did wonder if the high temeratures we are enjoying had anything to do with the batteries performance, and of course I must be getting fitter [laughs] I must say I think that E-bikes are marvellous.......wish I had got one years ago....... Del.

Hah, if I'd only known, I would have, too.

 

[Kal]

Well my battery is gettting weaker, but then it is 4 years and 4 month old! I hadn't used my Synergie Mistral ebike for over 6 months but I was tempted out by the hot weather. I charged the 36v 10ah battery and rode for 4 miles and when I got home checked the battery by pressing the little button on the top of the battery... still 2 of the 3 indicatorlights came on. I wonder how many miles it would go before running out.. used to do 25 miles when new easy. I didn't think the battery would last this long. For anyone interested.. I used the Mistral most days in the summer months, and in the winter aswell when the weather wasn't too bad for the first 3 years in very hilly terain.. 10-15 rides. Had 2 punctures in that time and had to replace the side stand cost £1, I'll leave you to guess where I bought the new stand from. Very reliable ebike.. never let me down.. needs new brake blocks now though. My own fault though, I used to use the rest to support all the weight of the bike to turn the back wheel for cleaning. Anyone know where to get a new battery from for when I pluck up courage to buy a new one? I wonder how much they are.. only seen them sold on ebay from china lately.

 

[flecc]

Synergie were bought out by nearby Alien Ocean who may be able to help or advise.

 

[Kal]

Thanks Flecc

Thanks Flecc. I checked Alien Ocean and 36v 10ah battery is £349 delivered (out of stock though. Blimey, the Mistral with battery was only £450 new. Probably call it a day and sell. I wonder what it's worth... not a lot without a new battery.

 

[flecc]

That's a widespread problem now, former budget e-bikes without a battery are worth next to nothing once the expense of getting them back onto the road is taken into account. The only way out of that other than scrapping is to buy an alternative cheaper battery and carrier mount it, but that will still cost over £200 and involve adaptation work.

 

[Del 80]

flecc, that's one thing I have realised, I paid £250 for my Powacycle Salisbury,it has hardly been used from new, but without the battery it would be worth next to nothing, will anyone ever produce a ''cheap'' battery for E-bikes I wonder......I suspect not........Del.

 

[Kal]

I only used my e bike for pleasure rides but people with a car using an e bike to try to save money commuting should do their sums and work out what the breakeven point is. Could be it's cheaper to go by car when the combined cost of the e bike + battery is used in the calculations.

 

[flecc]

flecc, that's one thing I have realised, I paid £250 for my Powacycle Salisbury,it has hardly been used from new, but without the battery it would be worth next to nothing, will anyone ever produce a ''cheap'' battery for E-bikes I wonder......I suspect not........Del.

Indeed, the Salisbury battery is now £312. They are more expensive to produce now for a number of reasons and exchange rates haven't helped. It's likely that in many cases the battery is subsidised into the new bike's cost to enable the bikes to sell at moderate prices, but of course that's not viable for subsequent battery sales.

I doubt we'll ever see a fundamentally much cheaper original make lithium battery for e-bikes. For the major digital camera brands, batteries are available from other makers at as low as a quarter of the makers own price. But camera models sell in their many millions while e-bike models often struggle to get to thousands in any market and especially in the UK. Small scale always means higher costs and market prices.

 

[flecc]

I only used my e bike for pleasure rides but people with a car using an e bike to try to save money commuting should do their sums and work out what the break even point is. Could be it's cheaper to go by car when the combined cost of the e bike + battery is used in the calculations.

It's certainly cheaper by moped/scooter in many cases, faster, better weather protected and more comfortable too.

 

[Kal]

And the Salisbury battery is smaller,26V 10.5Ah