Oxygen Battery on test

[onmebike]

The trial series certainly could be worth a go so that would show what uptake there is. IMHO what we already get from the Li-Po's is very good and the extra 1kg for twice long longevity will be a good option for a frequent every day users.

On the other side of the coin if the 14ah Li-Po pack weights 3.9 kg then the 16Ah will be approx 4.4kg. The LiFePo4 will be than extra kg on top that 4.4kg so we will have pack over 5kg (I reckon 5.3kg in total). It does not matter what cells we are going to use if its Safty or Advanced it's just the Iron (Ferrum) that is so heavy and being one of the major ingredients of LiFePo4 there is no way to reduce this weight is it???

Personally I love the concept of longevity of LiFePo4 but thinking we are crossing that 5kg just in the battery I think it's too much to carry.

I'm still not sure myself if we should try it

All the best

Andrew

I'm not so sure the battery weight really is that crucial. Whats a few kg when rider weights can vary by massive amounts?
Take Dave[oldtimer] and others whom carry several battery's. Personally I think range far outweighs the weight issue.

 

[CeeGee]

The basic electric bike is not light without the battery - an extra kilo or so doesn't mean a lot. Don't forget that until recently the only reliable, affordable batteries were SLA - I still have them on my Shopper, and that battery pack is seriously heavy.

One of the joys of an electric motor is it helps move any extra weight along the road without extra effort from the rider. I weigh approx 70kg - I can afford to carry a heavier battery as well as my 3kg lock, and not notice it when riding.
I managed to get my Wisper, loaded with an extra 10kg or more of luggage, plus the lock, on and off trains and the high speed ferry when I went to the IOW recently without too much difficulty, and if I had had a spare battery I would have taken that as well (although that would have been a struggle to get on the trains).

Distance, longevity and price are what matters in a battery - not a weight difference of 20% or so on what is a low weight to begin with.

Colin

 

[NRG]

Well that depends. If you are loading up a bike for commuting or touring then yes I agree but having recently ridden a 'light weight' e-bike at 17Kg or so vs 25Kg+ the weight is very noticeable and the lower weight makes the bike much better to ride unpowered plus it also handles better, its simply a better ride IMHO. The power density of Li-Po is a lot better and I think it would be a good option to offer both, I would like to see manufactures work toward lighter bikes not go the opposite direction.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Good points

Final samples have just arrived at the factory in our standard 14Ah Li Po case, the difference in weight of the very latest LiFePo4 batteries is not as high as we had anticipated, the existing Li Po 14Ah pack weighs 4.1Kg the new 14Ah LiFePO4 is only .5kg heavier at 4.6Kg.

Andrew, would you be happy to do some tests on one on your daily commute? Our testing is fine but there is nothing like putting the battery onto the road for a few weeks? I would be most grateful.

Best regards

David

 

[andrewgardner]

What's the lowest amp hour battery that's still usefull, I would say 4ah.

What's the highest amp hour battery that you are likley to need, 16ah.

So 4ah for people who only travel short distances.

Two 4ah that snapped together = 8ah for people who require 8amp

Three that go together for folk that require 12ah

4 together if you want 16ah.

Mounted low on the frame not on a rear rack.

Forget all that.

All you need is 4amp battery, if you need more amp hour get a second, third forth, ninteenth one.
So it's personal choice, no point buying 3 pints of milk if you only use 1/2 a pint a day.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Good point Andrew and something we looked into, however it does make the batteries very much more expensive and technically it doesn't work too well.

All the best

David

 

[flecc]

What's the lowest amp hour battery that's still usefull, I would say 4ah.

What's the highest amp hour battery that you are likley to need, 16ah.

So 4ah for people who only travel short distances.

Two 4ah that snapped together = 8ah for people who require 8amp

Three that go together for folk that require 12ah

4 together if you want 16ah.

Mounted low on the frame not on a rear rack.

Forget all that.

All you need is 4amp battery, if you need more amp hour get a second, third forth, ninteenth one.
So it's personal choice, no point buying 3 pints of milk if you only use 1/2 a pint a day.

It's not as simple as that Andrew, the capacity affects the current delivery rate capability on many battery types. This is particularly true with lithium types and it's precisely why Cytronex chose to use NiMh in preference to lithium for their small 4.3 Ah battery.

With each step up in capacity there is a very clear increase in performance, so someone using 8 Ah would be getting better performance than another with 4. With 12 Ah the performance would be much better than with 4.
.

 

[flecc]

Personally I love the concept of longevity of LiFePo4 but thinking we are crossing that 5kg just in the battery I think it's too much to carry.

As little as a couple of years ago we had e-bikes with 36 v 10 Ah NiMh batteries weighing well over 5 kg, eZee for example at 5.5 kilos, even on the legendary high performance Torq 1. Therfore I don't see this as particularly excessive.
.

 

[Oxygen Bicycles]

Distance, longevity and price are what matters in a battery - not a weight difference of 20% or so on what is a low weight to begin with.

Colin

You are right Colin, weight does not matter that much if you ride the bike and you certainly won't feel the difference of 1 kilo. However it matters a lot when you have to take battery with you and carry this around. In London you better take the battery with you to make the bike less attractive for potential thieves. Then if you carry the battery with you it's a bit heavy (at least for me). For ladies that would be even more difficult to do, don't you think? I think whatever you have to carry, is it a laptop or ebike battery then the weight really matters

all the best

Andrew

 

[Oxygen Bicycles]

Final samples have just arrived at the factory in our standard 14Ah Li Po case, the difference in weight of the very latest LiFePo4 batteries is not as much as we had anticipated, the existing Li Po 14Ah pack weighs 4.1Kg the new 14Ah LiFePO4 is only .5kg heavier at 4.6Kg.

Andrew, would you be happy to do some tests on one on your daily commute? Our testing is fine but there is nothing like putting the battery onto the road for a few weeks? I would be most grateful.

Best regards

David

well, 4.6kg is really impressive for LiFePO4 14Ah, When I tried 10Ah pack from CENS Energy a year ago it was exactly 4.6kg. Since I'm always on trying out new tech I would be more than delighted if I could try one on the way to London When do you expect to have the first packs in the UK?

Kind regards

Andrew

 

[Oxygen Bicycles]

As little as a couple of years ago we had e-bikes with 36 v 10 Ah NiMh batteries weighing well over 5 kg, eZee for example at 5.5 kilos, even on the legendary high performance Torq 1. Therfore I don't see this as particularly excessive.
.

Hi Tony,

Yes it was the case few years ago. I remember the Phyllion 10Ah battery at 5kg (which was really bad) but that was few years ago as you said. People were using laptop computers few years ago that weighted nearly 4kg and now we have them at 1.5kg. I agree that they were happy with those but the technology has moved so why not to have one at 1.5kg if its available?

With batteries I think it really might be worth to offer both and the customer will be the one to decide.

 

[CeeGee]

Personally I have no problem carrying the 14ah Wisper battery about - just like a bag of shopping, but with a more comfy handle than my string bags. I normally only have to carry it a couple of hundred yards, but if I take it a lot further then I usually slip it into my backpack.
A 14aH LiFePo4 only weighs the same as a young baby so the weight is not excessive for any reasonable woman to carry.

Now, the Powabyke SLA battery pack, which I have to carry to and from my garage 150 yards from my door - that is a struggle (14kg approx in one hand).

Colin

 

[Wisper Bikes]

well, 4.6kg is really impressive for LiFePO4 14Ah, When I tried 10Ah pack from CENS Energy a year ago it was exactly 4.6kg. Since I'm always on trying out new tech I would be more than delighted if I could try one on the way to London When do you expect to have the first packs in the UK?

Kind regards

Andrew

Yes I was amazed too, I did actually mean Andrew (Mussels) but you would be most welcome. I would also be pleased to introduce you to the supplier.

All the best

David

 

[Oxygen Bicycles]

Yes I was amazed too, I did actually mean Andrew (Mussels) but you would be most welcome. I would also be pleased to introduce you to the supplier.

All the best

David

Sorry David,

I was actually confused if the offer is for me but I didn't know that Mussels is Andy too . Being serious I would be actually keen to look at this if you don't mind.

best regards

Andrew

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Seriously Andrew I would be delighted, I will have the sample here in mid September after we have given it a bashing in New Zealand. If you like it I will give you our suppliers details.

It'll cost you a pint though!

All the best

David

 

[Oxygen Bicycles]

A 14aH LiFePo4 only weighs the same as a young baby so the weight is not excessive for any reasonable woman to carry.



Colin

You mean small baby Colin. My son is 8 weeks old now and weights 5.6kg. If I carry him for a 100 meters is ok but when I have to carry him for longer I get an odd pain in my back ... and believe me I'm not a small lad

Andrew

 

[Oxygen Bicycles]

Seriously Andrew I would be delighted, I will have the sample here in mid September after we have given it a bashing in New Zealand. If you like it I will give you our suppliers details.

It'll cost you a pint though!

All the best

David

Deal done David,

I'll get you two or three pints ... or 5 but just come by train next time that you don't have to drive

Kind regards

Andrew

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I have a 19 year old daughter who weighs 8 stone and she gives me an odd pain in the neck, does that count?



David

(She's lovely really!)
(Just in case she ever reads this!! )

 

[CeeGee]

You mean small baby Colin. My son is 8 weeks old now and weights 5.6kg. If I carry him for a 100 meters is ok but when I have to carry him for longer I get an odd pain in my back ... and believe me I'm not a small lad

Andrew

I'll bet his mum can carry him around for hours - they are made for carrying babies, shopping and batteries - all at the same time. It's all to do with this multi-tasking thingy that women are supposed to be able to do.
Personally I can also multi-task. I can balance, pedal and steer an ebike at the same time, but when it comes to braking as well...

Colin

 

[Oxygen Bicycles]

I have a 19 year old daughter who weighs 8 stone and she gives me an odd pain in the neck, does that count?



David

(She's lovely really!)
(Just in case she ever reads this!! )

That's a good one, off course it counts, I 've got a feeling that when my boy will be 19 year old I will have a pain again but in my head. So far it looks like it's going to be a naughty boy

all the best

Andrew