Help! Where can I get a good ebike battery UK

raydj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jan 9, 2024
18
1
Hey guys, I've recently purchased myself a CYC X1 PRO gen 4 for my Boardman MTR 9, while I'm waiting for the thing to ship I need to find myself a decent battery, I've looked around a bit and I've realised that it's difficult to find high power shark batteries....

Essentially I need a "normal sized" shark battery (hailong/reention dp style) such that the height does not exceed ~130mm

  • I also need it to be fitted with a BMS that can deliver 50A continuous @ 52V (or any voltage >= 52V that can deliver >= 2500W continuous)
  • The cells as such need to be (per cell) able to deliver at least 20A continuous: e.g., Molicell P42A/P45B/P28A , Sony VTC6....
  • The battery needs to be built with the UK weather in mind! i.e., SOME LEVEL OF WATER RESISTANCE
  • Pack must use pure nickel strips!
Ideally (52V) it should be an 18650 14s5p, or 21700 14s4p pack

There are already batteries within my scope that satisfy these requirements, although I want to assess all my options first before making any commitments, provided some of these options aren't perfect.

Thanks :)
 

matthewslack

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 26, 2021
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If you ride within the same actual power range as top end Bosch etc then there is no need for the battery spec you asked about. If you run at 48V, a large standard off the shelf generic battery is likely to be fine e.g. 21700 4S 17.5 or 19.2Ah with Samsung or Panadonic cells. PSPPOWER would have such a thing. @saneagle has mentioned a 48V supplier a few times recently.

You could get away with a smaller and lighter battery if top notch cells are used, which would mount more easily and make a lighter bike so nicer ride.

50A continuous does not match the responsible riding you describe, and you will stand out like a sore thumb to any observant enforcer, and will not have a leg to stand on in the event of confiscation.
 

raydj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jan 9, 2024
18
1
If you ride within the same actual power range as top end Bosch etc then there is no need for the battery spec you asked about. If you run at 48V, a large standard off the shelf generic battery is likely to be fine e.g. 21700 4S 17.5 or 19.2Ah with Samsung or Panadonic cells. PSPPOWER would have such a thing. @saneagle has mentioned a 48V supplier a few times recently.

You could get away with a smaller and lighter battery if top notch cells are used, which would mount more easily and make a lighter bike so nicer ride.

50A continuous does not match the responsible riding you describe, and you will stand out like a sore thumb to any observant enforcer, and will not have a leg to stand on in the event of confiscation.
Pspower? Yeah no I'm not trying to commit arson.
Also how on earth is a battery in a regular old hailong/reention case pack going to stick out as a sore thumb where most other packs on the market look precisely the same? I'm not going to write in big block letters "52V 50A battery" on the side. You literally wouldn't be able to tell unless you diassemble the battery and check what parts are in there.

Anyways, I'll do more of my own research regarding what my best choice is when it comes to batteries, if someone buys a fast car, it doesn't imply they're going to drive irresponsibly/unsafely, same analogy applies here.

Bye
 

soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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thelarkbox

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Aug 23, 2023
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Considering the Budget and quality of components wouldnt it be worthwhile spending an extra couple of hundred getting it road tested as an emoped/m-bike?? or at least looking into.. it wouldnt be plod stopping and taking the bike that would keep me up at night but the risk of injuring a 3rd party with an ambulance chasing law firm behind them..
 

StuartsProjects

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May 9, 2021
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Considering the Budget and quality of components wouldnt it be worthwhile spending an extra couple of hundred getting it road tested as an emoped/m-bike?? or at least looking into.
Indeed, and then there would be little risk of loosing your driving license if caught riding an illegal electric bike.
 

soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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been riding my illegal bike for ten years now, id get a 20kw motor if there was a cheap option to power it with 200a.
 

Nealh

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Aug 7, 2014
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My 24v battery set up on the Swizzbee is capable of 220a , I have a BMS rated for 60a.
Max draw though I haven't seen more then 30/32a drawn. 7p7s of HE2 & 7p8s of PF , both packs in parallel for 40.7ah or 976ah.
 

soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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i need 72v+@200a it wont go very far atm tho :rolleyes:
 

saneagle

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Oct 10, 2010
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Considering the Budget and quality of components wouldnt it be worthwhile spending an extra couple of hundred getting it road tested as an emoped/m-bike?? or at least looking into.. it wouldnt be plod stopping and taking the bike that would keep me up at night but the risk of injuring a 3rd party with an ambulance chasing law firm behind them..
It can be done, but it's very tricky to make a bicycle conform with the construction and use regulations. There are all sorts of things to catch you out, like wires have to be in trunking, brake levers have to have round ends, you have to have a stand, and all sorts of other weird things.
 
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soundwave

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soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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was the same months ago
 

raydj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jan 9, 2024
18
1
CYC hm would not be my choice of motor BBSHD or BBS for me as for a quality UK made battery you cant beat Jimmy https://ebikebatteries.co.uk/
At 5kW I would never trust the motor I'm getting, seems the issue with CYC is they overrate their kits, the advertising is wrong, although with my use case I'm fairly confident that the kit I get will be fine.

I think I came across that website a while ago, sent in some older requirements (lower A battery) and the price was up there... I've already inquired into their build components/what goes into the cost which might just get ignored because of the owner's health, but I'll wait and see, otherwise at the moment my best option is EM3EV.
I'll have to look into this one some more, although at 50A and MJ1 cells is maxing out the continuous rating at the cell level (10A in 5p), so I don't know whether I'd want to trust it

he is gone :(
He replied to an email I sent him a few days ago even, he's alive and well it seems

Considering the Budget and quality of components wouldnt it be worthwhile spending an extra couple of hundred getting it road tested as an emoped/m-bike?? or at least looking into.. it wouldnt be plod stopping and taking the bike that would keep me up at night but the risk of injuring a 3rd party with an ambulance chasing law firm behind them..
When I eventually switch the motor into a more dedicated frame I'll look into running it at the rating it was designed for and getting it tested as an e-moped, my current solution is intermediary.

It can be done, but it's very tricky to make a bicycle conform with the construction and use regulations. There are all sorts of things to catch you out, like wires have to be in trunking, brake levers have to have round ends, you have to have a stand, and all sorts of other weird things.
When the time comes I'm sure it'd be feasible, get one of those open-frame design and retrofit it with everything needed to make it compliant.

i need 72v+@200a it wont go very far atm tho :rolleyes:
Eat uranium samples, makes you pedal faster (I haven't personally tried this)
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
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well if he is still going then jimmy is the best bet if you can afford it as he has a 30k spot welder he just cant do can bus batts
 

saneagle

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Oct 10, 2010
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When the time comes I'm sure it'd be feasible, get one of those open-frame design and retrofit it with everything needed to make it compliant.
I forgot to mention the main obstacle to registration, which is insurance. It's almost impossible to get insurance on such a vehicle, and if you're lucky enough to find some, it'll be very expensive, which means that, compared with a Honda Cub, you end up with a vehicle that's slower, more expensive, bigger carbon footprint, higher overall CO2 emissions (assuming charging from domestic supply), less range, higher running costs, slower and less practical.
 

raydj

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jan 9, 2024
18
1
I forgot to mention the main obstacle to registration, which is insurance. It's almost impossible to get insurance on such a vehicle, and if you're lucky enough to find some, it'll be very expensive, which means that, compared with a Honda Cub, you end up with a vehicle that's slower, more expensive, bigger carbon footprint, higher overall CO2 emissions (assuming charging from domestic supply), less range, higher running costs, slower and less practical.
Fair enough, will probably just get a moped at some point then lol
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
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Fair enough, will probably just get a moped at some point then lol
Legal pedal assisted electric bicycles are great for shopping, commuting, excercise, touring and things like that. A bit more speed, say up to about 22 mph, is handy if you have a commute of more than 10 miles, and people manage that without getting caught. It ceases to be fun when they go much faster than that. The chances of getting caught accelerate upwards, so you're always looking over your shoulder. You never know if you've been grassed up by some guy in a car that sees you speeding along every day. Drivers can't deal with a bike going that fast. It's outside their frame of reference, so they're constantly pulling out on you and cutting you up. You spend all your time either driving defensively or having accidents. The tyres and brakes can't cope with the speed either unless you build something special. If you want anything more than a teaked 250w bicycle, a moped or small motorbike is the pragmatic solution.

Please don't ask me how I know these things. I just do. God must have put the info into my head by God power or a miracle or something. Maybe if you have a good imagination, you might think of other ways I got it.
 
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