Which battery supplier?

frank9755

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 19, 2007
1,228
2
London
Which are the best suppliers for a new battery, for a conversion kit bike?

I bought a couple of Ping LiFePO4 batteries from Ping about 12 years ago. I see his site is still going (pingbattery.com). Is that still a good source, or are there other options people use nowadays?

I'm looking for a 36v, 10-12Ah battery.
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
Which are the best suppliers for a new battery, for a conversion kit bike?

I bought a couple of Ping LiFePO4 batteries from Ping about 12 years ago. I see his site is still going (pingbattery.com). Is that still a good source, or are there other options people use nowadays?

I'm looking for a 36v, 10-12Ah battery.
Ping LiFePO4 batteries are hopelessly out of date compared with modern ones. I think they would still be a good solution for a pedicab or something like that, but not for a bicycle.

Show us your bike so we can make a recommendation.
 

frank9755

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 19, 2007
1,228
2
London
Ping LiFePO4 batteries are hopelessly out of date compared with modern ones. I think they would still be a good solution for a pedicab or something like that, but not for a bicycle.

Show us your bike so we can make a recommendation.
Well, it's a 12-year old kit, so maybe old tech might fit with it!

It's a Tongxin motor. It will have a new controller from Tongxin as the old one has got mislaid while the kit has been stored.

The Ping battery performed well. It was still working after about 9 years of light, regular use, when the charger died about three years ago. It may even still work if I get a new, compatible charger! But I'm certainly open to other options, hence the post.
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
Well, it's a 12-year old kit, so maybe old tech might fit with it!

It's a Tongxin motor. It will have a new controller from Tongxin as the old one has got mislaid while the kit has been stored.

The Ping battery performed well. It was still working after about 9 years of light, regular use, when the charger died about three years ago. It may even still work if I get a new, compatible charger! But I'm certainly open to other options, hence the post.
You can get chargers from BMSBattery. My Ping charger packed up too. One of the capacitors suddenly started fizzing and smoking. The BMSBattery ones are adjustable, so you can use them on just about any battery. They'll set them up for you when you give them all the info:
https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-charger-ev-charger/1091-18468-s120m-mcu-oled-display-lifepo4li-ion-battery-smart-charger.html#/540-power-120w

I would have thought that for a bike with a Tonxin, you'd be looking for a light weight battery. There are loads on Ebay and Aliexpress; however, the Aliexpress search function has been ruined recently, making it very difficult to find anything. I just ordered one of these. I'm not saying that they're any good, but they are nice and light:
 

frank9755

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 19, 2007
1,228
2
London
Thanks.
Do batteries like that last OK?
I recall the early lithium battery problems: have they all been solved now?
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
Thanks.
Do batteries like that last OK?
I recall the early lithium battery problems: have they all been solved now?
Probably not. About 3 years for a normal lithium battery as long as you don't press it to hard, but when you get lightweight ones, they have to provide a lot of current per cell, so probably wouldn't last as long. LiFePo4, lasts four times as long, but is a lot bigger and heavier. Plus, there aren't many nice downtube versions.
 

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