Which battery to go for?

[Andy_82]

Hi All,

I was wondering what battery would you all prefer to have on your ebike. Assuming they are both 36V would you go for LiFePo4 36V 10Ah that can achieve approx 1500 recharge cycles would you prefer to have a Lithium Polymer 36V 13Ah which could do approx 500-600 recharge cycles?

I would very much appreciate opinions of all of you. There is a lot going on around LiFePo4 as these seem to be a future for electric bicycles but still due to size they are slightly smaller in capacity but can do non comparable amount of recharge cycles.

Please let me know your thoughts, many thanks and best regards

Andy

 

[Mussels]

Million pound question that as a larger capacity will help a battery last longer, they prefer shallow cycles rather than full discharge. Bike companies are sticking with polymer as it is better tested but private buyers seem to go for LiFePo4 because of the promises. A private buyer is able to take more of a risk and if it was me I'd probably get LiFePo4 after some more reading.

 

[flecc]

I've only just opted for li-polymer this time for the the convenience of having the bike's standard battery casing and mounting. With luck the LiFePO4 will be a standard supplied item for the bike at next renewal in 2 years plus time.
.

 

[eddieo]

I charge mine approx twice a week so about 100 times a year I would think...

when you put it on charge the fan runs for a number of hours and then the noise subsides but I guess it is still charging? Do most people leave them on charge overnight?

I guess in the future a more compact designed LiFePO4 battery will be avaiable and we could reasonably expect a life of 3 - 4 years life from one?

 

[emissions-free]

I'd definitely choose the LiFePo4. 24V nominal and 9Ah is only just over 2kg in cells, so less than 5kgs for say 36V 12Ah. Even if LiFePo4 doesn't live up to it's claimed 2000 cycles and 5-7 year life cycle, it would have to fall very short to match the 500-600 cycles of Li Pol. For the sake of an extra kilo or so in weight, if that, LiFePo4 is definitely the way.

 

[Andy_82]

thanks guys for your input. It does clarify me a bit but I'm still not sure which battery to go for. LifePo4 seems it should be for the life of the bike if it would really do 1500 recharges, sound really good and hassle free owever the Polymer battery cabn go further being fitted in the same case. I think it will all depend on the individual preferences.

 

[flecc]

Perhaps these other factors could help you decide Andy.

If you are an every weekday commuter the well over 1000 charges of the LiFePO4 could be a more important factor, but if an intermittent user, the Li-polymer life could be well into the future, making the ultimate life not so important.

The power of your motor and it's consumption have a bearing. A high powered motor like those on the eZee bikes and a few others will tax batteries more and shorten the life of LiFePO4 one, making it perhaps only 1000 charges, going by what Li Ping has to say on the matter. If medium or low powered, the LiFePO4 will last well and possibly well exceed the 1500 charge forecast.
.

 

[fishingpaul]

Perhaps these other factors could help you decide Andy.

If you are an every weekday commuter the well over 1000 charges of the LiFePO4 could be a more important factor, but if an intermittent user, the Li-polymer life could be well into the future, making the ultimate life not so important.

The power of your motor and it's consumption have a bearing. A high powered motor like those on the eZee bikes and a few others will tax batteries more and shorten the life of LiFePO4 one, making it perhaps only 1000 charges, going by what Li Ping has to say on the matter. If medium or low powered, the LiFePO4 will last well and possibly well exceed the 1500 charge forecast.
.
What is putting me off li-polymer is the price £400 for my ezee,and as an intermittent user i thought the batteries still only lasted around two years,i am looking into lifepo4 but am put off a little by talk of batteries catching fire and also problems after taking weeks to arrive from china and being no good due to not travelling well,prices seem very attractive on ebay but a little risky, also i am finding it hard to find any comparisons of range beetween the two types.

 

[Bigbee]

Would any of these fit the Ezee?


24V 8Ah: 86*155*300mm
24V 10Ah: 110*75*385mm

36V 8Ah: 86*185*300mm
36V 10Ah: 110*75*385mm

 

[my.motion]

,i am looking into lifepo4 but am put off a little by talk of batteries catching fire .

Hi,

Where is the proof that lifep04 catches fire? I thought these things have a safe chemistry?

Thanks

 

[jerrysimon]

Hi,

Where is the proof that lifep04 catches fire? I thought these things have a safe chemistry?

Thanks

Yes I agree and was confused about that comment as well. Its Lithium Polymer cells found in the RC dodel world that have all the fire warnings.

Regards

Jerry

 

[dan]

Perhaps these other factors could help you decide Andy.

If you are an every weekday commuter the well over 1000 charges of the LiFePO4 could be a more important factor, but if an intermittent user, the Li-polymer life could be well into the future, making the ultimate life not so important.

The power of your motor and it's consumption have a bearing. A high powered motor like those on the eZee bikes and a few others will tax batteries more and shorten the life of LiFePO4 one, making it perhaps only 1000 charges, going by what Li Ping has to say on the matter. If medium or low powered, the LiFePO4 will last well and possibly well exceed the 1500 charge forecast.
.
What is putting me off li-polymer is the price £400 for my ezee,and as an intermittent user i thought the batteries still only lasted around two years,i am looking into lifepo4 but am put off a little by talk of batteries catching fire and also problems after taking weeks to arrive from china and being no good due to not travelling well,prices seem very attractive on ebay but a little risky, also i am finding it hard to find any comparisons of range beetween the two types.

and you buy your battery from China or Ebay and in 6 or 9 months time you have a problem.....is the seller still going to be around or will they help you with warrantee....my advice is always to buy from an established local dealer with a shop or warehouse and normal phone number...they can of course still go broke (powabyke went into administration a couple of weeks ago) but you have more chance with a UK based company than an email address which may be the other side of the world

 

[flecc]

Would any of these fit the Ezee?


24V 8Ah: 86*155*300mm
24V 10Ah: 110*75*385mm

36V 8Ah: 86*185*300mm
36V 10Ah: 110*75*385mm

No, they won't fit, but it's academic anyway. The discharge rates are too low for the more powerful motors on most of the eZee models. They really need the 20 Ah to cope and they are huge and fairly heavy.
.

 

[flecc]

Yes I agree and was confused about that comment as well. Its Lithium Polymer cells found in the RC dodel world that have all the fire warnings.

Regards

Jerry

But not so in our e-bike world, the fires in the RC world are related to the lack of proper cell protection against abuse.

The only lithium battery cell type with an inherent propensity to catch fire is the original lithium cobalt cathode type, and these have long been discontinued in favour of the manganese or compound cathode types.
.

 

[emissions-free]

LiFePO4 is the safest chemistry with regards to catching as far as I know. It's some versions of Lithium Ion that are prone to going up in smoke not LiFePO4. Any LiFePO4 battery pack will have a BMS (battery management system) that will shut down the battery is something goes wrong.

 

[bode]

powabyke went into administration a couple of weeks ago

Did they???

 

[dan]

Did they???

a bike dealer told me

see link

Search Results

 

[dan]

Search Results

 

[flecc]

powabyke went into administration a couple of weeks ago

That's very sad news, they were our oldest established e-bike outlet in the UK and the only remaining British maker of e-bikes of any worth, following TDK discontinuing their Electrobike.

That also means that Frank Curran has lost his job there if they have no buyer to save them. Frank always gave us excellent service within this website. It's also true that Powabyke's service standards were high and they had an extensive dealer network, so it really is a case of there being no justice in present economic circumstances.
.

 

[Andy_82]

Hi,

Where is the proof that lifep04 catches fire? I thought these things have a safe chemistry?

Thanks

I heard that LifePo4 is the safest mixture and never catches fire, maybe what my.motion thought was the polymer battery