Interesting to see that the Electric Transport Shop are offering a 10 year warranty on some batteries, subject to a twice yearly service.

 

Electric Bike Sales - 10 Year Battery Warranty

 

Too late for my bike to qualify, but might be useful for some.

If I've understood it right: £40 for a service twice times 10 years equals £800. I can buy four 10aH Lifepo batteries for my bike for that price.

But despite that I can't see it working.

 

A Wisper battery may just about last three years, though a daily commuter may not be able to get it to last even that long.

 

At most they get £240 during that time, less any servicing costs, but the new battery costs £500 after PX allowance. It just doesn't add up.

 

And there's the 50% capacity before they will change the battery, impractical for many commuters on some of those models. They can't charge during a journey and the scheme only covers one battery.

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I think the 10 year battery warranty is to boost sales

and Like Flecc points out a 50% capacity and change only one battery sounds like a scam

Edited March 27, 201115 yr by stevebills

I absolutely agree with Flecc. If the offer wasn't from such a reputable retailer I would swear it was a scam.

 

If I had a Wisper or (new) Ezee, and was doing a daily commute you couldn't sign me up fast enough - although the small print highlighted by Flecc makes it appear to be a worthless scheme.

This is bound to lead to disputes and disappointment. Yet again, more of this crazy over promising with regard to batteries.

I think Flecc will come up with a way to get the battery to 49% cap

I think Flecc will come up with a way to get the battery to 49% cap

 

Probably not worth doing though Steve.

 

Trouble is that on many e-bikes a battery will no longer be any use well before it's down to 50% capacity.

 

What happens with all the more powerful motors is that voltage slumps under load with a battery as it ages, leading to low voltage cut-outs. The battery can still have two thirds or more capacity at that point, but the rise in internal cell resistance reduces it's ability to deliver current at high enough rates.

 

But on a capacity check basis, it still wouldn't qualify for exchange with this scheme.

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I understand and best to give it to this guy then instead

 

MENKNOWCARS.COM

Fortunately our e-bike Li-polymer batteries are made to higher standards and don't do that these days. Last we saw of that was with the old cobalt cathode li-ions of around five years ago.

 

RC and laptop batteries still seem suspect though, and even small consumer lithium batteries for phones etc can still be a bit dangerous.

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Does that mean I am safe or not running my Li-ion 36 v 22 ah without a bms?

I removed it as it's faulty and will I get more power out of it?

The BMS is very important when charging, but it doesn't control the usage while running. So you could damage the cells during charge or end up with unbalanced cells after charging.

 

If the BMS has a usage low voltage safety cut-out, without it you could run cells into damaging low voltage regions

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Edited March 27, 201115 yr by flecc

Hello,

The 10 year battery warranty isn't a scam, it's just an offer that we think will be useful for customers who do a lot of commuting. If the bike is used for many miles in all weathers then it will need servicing... if we do this twice a year then we can be sure the bike is in good order and we'll offer the replacement battery as and when it is needed. Obviously the servicing costs go some way to enabling us to cover this cost.

We note the comment about the 50% capacity restriction - your feedback is appreciated. If this is too low, any suggestions as to what the battery capacity should be for it to still be useful? What do you think Flecc?

 

Jamie

Obviously it will vary for owners Jamie, but since most commuters seem to use much of their capacity, anything below 70% can become a problem. 50% is unlikely to meet most needs.

 

The biggest problem seems to be the financing though. I don't see the Wisper battery lasting more then three years for a daily commuter using much of it's capacity, and probably not for anyone. For example your income of £240 over that period won't cover your replacement cost of the £500 retail Wisper battery and the service costs as well. Something will have to give.

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Something will have to give.

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Good answer!

For example your income of £240 over that period won't cover your replacement cost of the £500 retail Wisper battery and the service costs as well. Something will have to give.

.

 

Don't forget, it'll only be a very few people that will actually claim.

I think that's what Tesco were hoping....

 

Rog.

Does everyone remeber this one!

 

Hoover's free flights fiasco recalled

 

When Hoover's free flights promotion was launched to a wide-eyed British public in August 1992, it seemed too good to be true. Over the next 21 months, many Hoover customers discovered it was.

I remember it very well Steve as I was one who was affected. To their great credit, Hoover sorted it for me as they did for nearly everybody involved.

 

Strangely, I cannot recall what I bought to become eligible for the flights offer but I really can't remember having anything with a Hoover name tag in my house....?

 

Indalo......F..k me; Ghana have just equalised!

I think there's a bit of difference between spending £100 on a Hoover and getting a free holiday and spending £800 and getting a battery that's probably worth less. I personally don't believe it's much of an incentive apart from for those that aren't smart enough to figure it out.

Well lets give them chance to amend the warranty or remove it

I think ETS is hoping to get some more revenue from the 10 year warranty scheme. At the end of the day they will be getting £40 every six months for labour costs, that amount is does not include the parts which frankly will have to be replaced several times anyway over the 10 year period. i.e

 

Electric Parts:

Bafang motor won't last 10 years if used daily

Controller might go too after few years

Brake cut outs too

Throttle might need to be replaced too

 

Other parts:

Freewheel and chain - least twice over 10 years

Brake pads - least 7 times over 10 years

Rear rim on 905, 705 - about 3 times over 10 years

Tyres - at least 10 sets over 10 years

 

Remember that on replacing all of these components ETS makes a profit because they will be selling those at the retail prices so the revenue from sales of those is quite significant.

 

Eventually not everyone wants to keep one bike for 10 years so I think only few people will claim the new batteries. To me it is a clear selling strategy that will not only boost sales but also bring a nice stream of revenue to the ETS.

While I know that failure to claim is a very common phenomena in protection schemes, I very much doubt this will be the case with £500 batteries.

 

That cost will focus the mind wonderfully.

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So the scheme is to boost servicing to make profits and is hidden under a 10 year warranty that we dont think meets a resonable replacement criteria at below 50% drop in performance.

Comments regarding the 10 year battery warranty from The Electric Transport Shop

 

Hi Members,

 

Along with Jamie I am co-founder of The Electric Transport Shop.

 

This is my first post on any forum...ever. I feel a small rumble of anticipation...is that normal?

Firstly thank you to Wisper, Flecc, SteveBills and John, for bringing the topic of this thread to our attention.

 

I think several members have rightly pointed out that the 50% capacity limit in the terms and conditions of the 10 year battery warranty may look like commitment escapism.

I feel we had better explain ourselves a bit and hopefully you will believe that we are sincere and our customers wont be disappointed by the scheme.

 

Our Customers

Most of our customers use their ebikes over distances of less than 15 miles/day and for their purposes 50% capacity will generally be fine unless they have hills/loads that cause voltage drop trip. We generally get to advise our customers which bikes best suit their needs and therefore will take hills/loads into account at the outset.

We are seeing the average daily distance cycled increase because more young commuters are finding their wings on ebikes (and no doubt joining you on this forum). If the intended use of the bike is fully explored at the outset we are able to recommend appropriate battery/bike care to ensure our customers will be happy with the outcome.

 

In reality what will happen is that our customers will see us twice a year and a good relationship will be built with our store managers and colleagues. Whenever a customer justly requires a battery replacement to use the bike as they intended then they will get it, no delay, no quibble.

 

Most of the customers we initially approached with this idea loved the thought of having a real incentive to keep their ebikes in good condition with regular servicing and not having to worry about the cost of replacement batteries.

Because the warranty is transferable they can sell their regularly serviced machine for maximum value with battery warranty and service log book.

 

Our Colleagues

are professional, enthusiastic, honest people. They would not recommend or stand behind any ideas I presented to them unless they believed in them and trusted that they added real value for their customers and the business.

The guidelines are there and our store managers have to decide when it is time to replace their customers batteries...face to face and seeing them at least twice a year....and possibly living just up the road from them.

 

Our Suppliers

We work closely with all of our suppliers to ensure we can offer more real value to customers. As an example: one of our suppliers has been making some interesting developments regarding the voltage drop BMS trip. I'm sure you will hear more in the near future.

 

Is it possible/sane?

Our sincerity regarding this offer comes from the knowledge that there are sound business ideas behind it.

We are always looking to improve the value we offer to our customers. That needs to be done with a view to the future and the reasoning may not always be obvious at first. Indeed some of that reasoning we cannot reveal. Andy 82 has made some insightful comments.

Many people have bought bargain or discounted ebikes that have proven to be a false economy. Most people do not have the time to learn about the inner workings of the machines they use, and possibly not even the time or desire to service them themselves. Reliability and back up is crucial to the care free enjoyment of these products and that is where we believe the real value lies for our customers and this offer is an extension of that belief.

 

In Conclusion

We are not a faceless operation. We are very much involved in the promotion of ebikes in our localities. Our store managers are the very best we could find: knowledgeable, down to earth people.

All of our offers are genuine and sustainable.

We hope this offer leads to less ebikes being scrapped and more availability of quality used ebikes on the market.

The 50% battery capacity requirement is more of a guideline and an attempt not to encourage unnecessary waste and cost.

 

I can say we want to be absolutely fair about this and would like to invite productive discussion about what the requirements for battery replacement should be.

 

End of War & Peace :-)

 

Eddie

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