Electric Wheel Companys replacement batteries ?

[tepol]

Are there any cheaper options for replacing the battery or making it more economical ?

Iver never done DIY before , but noticed the costs of a new on is a whopping £ 350 .00 - which is way too much .

Thinking there must be somewhere selling it cheaper and remember some folk saying there was a place Israel selling it cheaper .

thanks

t

 

[Pedalo]

The nice thing about mounting the battery inside the bag is that you're free to choose almost any size and shape of 36V battery that would fit. You would need to sort out a connector (and a compatible charger) though.

Freedom ebikes are the company in Israel selling a similar Nano kit with much smaller batteries. We think these are A123 cells probably similar to those used in JerrySimon's homebrew build.

I've bought 2 of these direct from this supplier in China which I've connected in series to give the equivalent of Jerrys & the Freedom solution:
6S1P 19.8V2300mah A123 systems original Li RC battery on eBay (end time 16-Aug-10 10:19:44 BST)

which is slightly simpler than putting together individual batteries. They are much lower capacity than the the battery from EWC though so it's a case of you pays your money and you takes your choice!

(BTW I think EWC did mention they will be making smaller battery options available in future)

 

[Pedalo]

And of course, using a 3rd party battery will likely void your EWC warranty...

 

[tepol]

And of course, using a 3rd party battery will likely void your EWC warranty...

True .

What about other kits like a Micro-Lite geared hub motor see here?

Its only $400 ( I dont about the fitting price ) and looks a lot better than the nano brompton .

Of course, youd be over the 15 mph , but is any one really going to notice or be able to tell if someone is using an illegal kit ? ( Unless its somethign like those hornet kits that can go faster than 50 cc scooter )

I mean , Alien are touting those " off road " kits but I seriously doubt most are using them for just that purpose , perhaps not using them for speed but more for extra milage those kit would bring - at least that would be my intent.

thanks for the response.

t

 

[tepol]

The nice thing about mounting the battery inside the bag is that you're free to choose almost any size and shape of 36V battery that would fit. You would need to sort out a connector (and a compatible charger) though.

Freedom ebikes are the company in Israel selling a similar Nano kit with much smaller batteries. We think these are A123 cells probably similar to those used in JerrySimon's homebrew build.

I've bought 2 of these direct from this supplier in China which I've connected in series to give the equivalent of Jerrys & the Freedom solution:
6S1P 19.8V2300mah A123 systems original Li RC battery on eBay (end time 16-Aug-10 10:19:44 BST)

which is slightly simpler than putting together individual batteries. They are much lower capacity than the the battery from EWC though so it's a case of you pays your money and you takes your choice!

(BTW I think EWC did mention they will be making smaller battery options available in future)

Yes , I noticed that too , I wrote them about this lighter battery because one of they guys ( Martin ) mentioned it here.

t

 

[Pedalo]

True .

What about other kits like a Micro-Lite geared hub motor see here?

Its only $400 ( I dont about the fitting price ) and looks a lot better than the nano brompton .

Of course, youd be over the 15 mph , but is any one really going to notice or be able to tell if someone is using an illegal kit ? ( Unless its somethign like those hornet kits that can go faster than 50 cc scooter )

I mean , Alien are touting those " off road " kits but I seriously doubt most are using them for just that purpose , perhaps not using them for speed but more for extra milage those kit would bring - at least that would be my intent.

thanks for the response.

t

Personally, my preference is to keep it legal.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about that kit, but what sets the Tongxin/Nano motor used by EWC and Freedom apart from the others is its low weight and near silent operation.

 

[tepol]

Personally, my preference is to keep it legal.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about that kit, but what sets the Tongxin/Nano motor used by EWC and Freedom apart from the others is its low weight and near silent operation.

Nano kit with 10 ah 250w 11.42 lbs
Microlite with Regen braking 10ah 400w 7 lbs

 

[tepol]

If I do go with the nano I was thinking of replacing the bag they offer ( I dont if thats possible ) with a solar one to compensate for regen .

Not sure how effective they are in the uk climate , but certainly if I travel go overseas I can imagine them being useful.

t

 

[tepol]

The nice thing about mounting the battery inside the bag is that you're free to choose almost any size and shape of 36V battery that would fit. You would need to sort out a connector (and a compatible charger) though.

Freedom ebikes are the company in Israel selling a similar Nano kit with much smaller batteries. We think these are A123 cells probably similar to those used in JerrySimon's homebrew build.

I've bought 2 of these direct from this supplier in China which I've connected in series to give the equivalent of Jerrys & the Freedom solution:
6S1P 19.8V2300mah A123 systems original Li RC battery on eBay (end time 16-Aug-10 10:19:44 BST)

which is slightly simpler than putting together individual batteries. They are much lower capacity than the the battery from EWC though so it's a case of you pays your money and you takes your choice!

(BTW I think EWC did mention they will be making smaller battery options available in future)

Yes , that would be big problem for me , Im looking to get 20 miles on assistance alone at least .

I heard others talking about how smooth and silent it was , is the noise an issue with other kits ?

I've never used one , just the few I heard on utube - though they didnt sound overly annoying to me .

 

[onmebike]

I recently bought a battery from this company in China. They will build to your own specs and ship by EMS 7-10 days free.

Link is for a 36v 15ah pack and prices for 36v start at approx £165.00 for a 10ah lifepo4 pack. I have purchased from them and find them reliable.

Charger included is a fan cooled one and the BMS is of SmarTEC manufacture.

36V 15AH LIFEPO4 Lithium Battery electric bicycle bike - eBay (item 130380738444 end time Sep-02-10 02:18:00 PDT)

 

[Pedalo]

Nano kit with 10 ah 250w 11.42 lbs
Microlite with Regen braking 10ah 400w 7 lbs

That got my attention! It sounds a bit too good to be true. Sure it's not the weight without the battery?

 

[jerrysimon]

I heard others talking about how smooth and silent it was , is the noise an issue with other kits ?

The Tongxin is very quiet, down to its roller bearings rather than cog gear drives. In fact the Tongxin makes a louder whiring sound when not being powered, than when it is engaged.

It also has an excellent free wheel.

As far as I know it is much quiter than any other geared motor option, although some have had reliability issues.

Regards

Jerry

 

[Scimitar]

The nice thing about mounting the battery inside the bag is that you're free to choose almost any size and shape of 36V battery that would fit. You would need to sort out a connector (and a compatible charger) though.


I've bought 2 of these direct from this supplier in China which I've connected in series to give the equivalent of Jerrys & the Freedom solution:
6S1P 19.8V2300mah A123 systems original Li RC battery on eBay (end time 16-Aug-10 10:19:44 BST)

Very interesting; they also sell larger packs which start to get within a fudge factor of competitivness with SLA 36V10AH Lifepo4 battery pack for ebike and escooter on eBay (end time 04-Sep-10 05:29:07 BST) which interests me greatly, as the LiFePo prices I've seen up til now have depressed me.

 

[jerrysimon]

That does seem very good value.

I purchased all my A123 cells off them and their service is good.

Note though, that battery is not made from A123 cells.

Regards

Jerry

 

[tepol]

That got my attention! It sounds a bit too good to be true. Sure it's not the weight without the battery?

I dont know yet ,as that was one of the questions I asked in my email .

You can see here what he offers / claims .


I dont how easy it would be for me to install / setup that Chinese kit , one of the attractive things about this option , is that my bike is already over there ( In the US ) , hence I could just get it sent there and customised , then shipped over here using my banana boat.


tepol

 

[tepol]

That does seem very good value.

I purchased all my A123 cells off them and their service is good.

Note though, that battery is not made from A123 cells.

Regards

Jerry

Is that why the capacity is bad ?

 

[tepol]

I cant find anything about this Micro-lite hubbed motor anywhere i.e. i was hoping there might be someone over here who could help if i had issues , so the alarm bells are starting to go off.

Add the fact its actually 17 lbs inc battery for 48 v - still not bad for the whoe kit ,but If theres no backup other than in the US, then it looks like im going to have settle for 10 ah 36v with 250 w ..

 

[tepol]

I am now being told I could get 20 miles without peddling with 20 ah 24 v battery with the 400 w Micro-lite kit , but is that going to be siginficantly better than 36v 10 ah 250 w kit ?

help

 

[mj8765]

And of course, using a 3rd party battery will likely void your EWC warranty...

Hi, if you buy a kit from us and choose to use your own battery - we will still honour the warranty on our kit. Our controller has a cut out which should protect it from any bad behaviour from a third party battery - as long as it's the correct voltage, and the motor is obviously our responsibility. We realise we are more expensive than ebay or buying direct from China - but I do think we are pretty good at replacing bits that do go wrong. We've been through quite a few suppliers to find ones that give us reliable products that don't cause us too many problems.

Martin, EWC.

 

[tepol]

Martin ,

What exactly is this " lighter " battery you mentioned elsewhere , is it a lighter version of the current 10 ah 36v , or something else ?

thanks

t