battery recell question

mitty

Pedelecer
Mar 12, 2007
41
0
Hello, I recently won on ebay a new ezee liv (with a sprint frame ?).It comes without battery but with a charger. My father has an older torq with 2 batteries which are both on their way out. do you think its worth recelling the old batteries or should I buy new ? what are the rough costs and implications of recelling 1/2 batteries ?

many thanks M
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,761
30,348
If, as is likely, they are li-ion batteries, they can't be recelled.

If they are the early NiMh batteries, they can be recelled in theory, but there are two problems. One is that the very high discharge rate flat ended untagged NiMh cells are very difficult to obtain and expensive, around £10 or more each making the cells cost £300 or more, the other is that the construction in the eZee case is a very awkward one. The cells are mounted in six vertical columns of five cells each and these have to be assembled on a jig with special double headed soldering iron. Just butting up against each other doesn't give adequate contact for the high currents involved.

Since nobody offers a recelling service for them, not a practical proposition.

Also, the charger has to be the right one for whatever battery you end up with, NiMh or Li-ion.
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john c

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jun 30, 2008
18
0
Recell

Dear Flecc, I have a Pro Connect and was wondering if when the time comes when the capacity diminishes wether the battery could be recelled? John.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,761
30,348
I'm afraid not John, again it's a lithium battery. It's unlikely that lithium types will be recellable in the foreseeable future, partly because there are safety implications, partly because they are developing so fast that the newest cells do not match the internal BMS electronics of previous batteries.

The cost difference would be very small anyway, and fortunately your Panasonic battery is one of the longest lasting of current types.
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mitty

Pedelecer
Mar 12, 2007
41
0
Thanks for info/insight again flecc, out of interest what price would you put on a brand new ezee sprint frame fitted with the liv's motor and 3 speed hub with brake. also with new charger but no battery ?

thanks mitty
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,761
30,348
Thanks for info/insight again flecc, out of interest what price would you put on a brand new ezee sprint frame fitted with the liv's motor and 3 speed hub with brake. also with new charger but no battery ?

thanks mitty
That's a very tricky one to price Mitty, because the Sprint part doesn't really count for much and the Liv new price has changed so dramatically over time. It's eZee's most recent introduction, but has changed from an original price of £595 to the current £1195, a near doubling that's unique aming e-bikes.

Cyclepoint are offering new Livs minus battery for £500 currently, so that's a start point for you. If the motor and controller are new it's worth about the same, but if previously used that would reduce it by say £100, making £400. The problem is that with new batteries costing £400 (10Ah) or £525 (14Ah), it's going to be difficult to sell.

Still, at £400 plus battery for £400, the £800 is well down on the new price of £1195 for what is potentially a better bike due to the Sprint frame, so a good buy for an informed buyer.
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