Tag: e-motor batteries

RIDICULOUSLY TOO BIG

I have been wanting to get a 72 volt battery for my current e-motor as that is what it is rated at. I only have 48 volt batteries. After quite a long period of time using the lower voltage I ordered a 72 volt 40 aH battery which they showed as being just slightly smaller that my 48 volt batteries. I questioned how this could be, but I took their word for it and ordered it. It only took 3 or 4 days to get it. When I saw the size of the box I got concerned. When I opened the box and saw the battery my thought was OH NO! This thing is NOT AS ADVERTISED. It is about 4 times as large as the dimensions they gave. None of their dimensions are right. I would have loved to be able to use it but there is just no way to mount it on my trike. It is just too big. It would probably be fine in a velocar or a custom made quad or something such built with using it in mind. Anyway, I am returning it for a refund and start over in my quest for a 72 volt battery. For sure I won’t be looking for a high aH rating … probably 20 aH at the most.

If I were a much younger man and still had my welding shop I would probably keep the monstrous battery and build a quad around it. I would use larger wheels and tires making it able to be used off road like an ATV. I am sure it would be a great battery to use if there were just a way to haul it. With the power of my motor the thing would probably be a blast to ride.

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E-MOTOR BATTERIES – HOW LONG WILL THEY LAST?

So far I have bought 5 lithium-ion batteries for my e-motor trike. They are all the same size (48 volt 20aH) but they are not all the same brand. I think the first one I bought has been the best. It has held up the longest. I have had various motors thru the years so I can’t really make accurate comparisons of the batteries. The motors have varied in wattage and thus use differing amounts of power from the batteries. All I know is when I first got my first battery I could get about 75 miles out of a full charge. Years later the milage is down to about 25 +/-. But it keeps going at that level of performance so I keep using it. As expensive as batteries are I won’t replace it as long as it is still serving me well and dependably. I usually have 2 batteries on my trike so I am good for about 50 miles of riding. I could always take along up to 2 more as that is all I have left out of the 5 I have purchased.

One of them I destroyed when it got wet riding thu some flood water.  I know … DUH !!!. I didn’t think the water was deep enough to get to the battery but it was and I paid a high price for my poor judgement and bad decision to ride thru it. Probably if I had not been using the battery at the time it would have survived ok by simply opening it up and drying it out. I think the BMS got destroyed. It could be repaired but it cost more to have it repaired than I can buy a new battery for.

Since I have never encountered failure of any of my batteries I don’t know how long they will last. According to what I have read about e-batteries I am well satisfied with the performance I am getting out of my batteries. I have had people tell me to stay away from buying lower cost batteries on Ebay, etc., but that is all I have ever bought. Like I said, I am well satisfied with my lower cost batteries I got on Ebay. I have been impressed with their quality.

I would not hesitate to purchase the same batteries again. They have all been great.

I probably should try using one of the spare batteries I have which have not been used much just to see how many miles I get out of a newer battery. With the motor I have now I would not expect to get 75 miles but hopefully I would get more than 25. But I have not tried it. I just keep using my two oldest batteries. It is my understanding that lithium-ion batteries are only good for so many charges. I am sure I have charged these two batteries well over what they say they are supposed to last. Like I said, I have been well pleased with these low cost batteries I got from Ebay. I will let you know if and when they “give up the ghost”. Meanwhile, my plan is to …

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ARE E-MOTOR BATTERIES SAFE?

E-motor systems on bikes and trikes have become so very popular. It seems like everybody and their cousins are manufacturing and selling them or components such as batteries. As with anything one could talk about … “they are not all created equal”. We all like a bargain … buying things at a low cost … saving money. BUT, is it safe when it comes to E-motor batteries? Most of us have probably seen at least one video of a battery fire. Definitely these fires look quite scary. I was a Navy firefighter with training dealing with special kinds of fires which have to be handled differently. In the video you can see that dealing with a battery fire qualifies as a special fire hazard and extinguishing it involves a different method than a normal fire. If you don’t know what you are doing you can a bad situation even worse and endanger your own life or any other people around the area. Definitely other people need to stay far away from the fire. Fireballs can come shooting out from the battery.

For what it is worth I believe it is possible to buy quality batteries from Amazon and Ebay. All my batteries I have bought from them have been good quality batteries. I don’t know about Aliexpress so I can’t comment. I mention this because in the next video this subject is addressed and he advises against buying from these sources. I have heard this from others as well. Batteries are expensive and I have limited funds. Quite frankly I can’t afford buying a $1000 plus battery from sources this guy gets his from. I have bought about 5 batteries thus far and they have all been well made in my opinion. I do look for things like UL rated and the European equivalent.

About the only thing I do special in caring for my batteries is making sure I never charge them at or below freezing temperatures. I leave them outside in freezing weather and have never had any problems. They continue to function normal other than lesser performance in cold weather. That is a well known fact about these batteries. They perform better in warm weather. I live and ride in northern Indiana so I deal with winter weather.

I have everything mounted on my trike. My two batteries and their two chargers are always ready to be used no matter where I go. I almost always charge my batteries on my trike. I keep my trike in the bed of my pick up truck so the charging goes on while the trike is in the bed of my truck. It always has worked out well and I have a full charge in both batteries when I go out for a ride the next time. Some times I plug the chargers in when I stop somewhere and put some charge back into the batteries while I am out with my trike. I use the chargers that come with the batteries. It is hard on batteries to use a charger that charges at a higher rate. I have one 5 amp charger but I rarely use it. That is the maximum size of charger I can use without concern of damaging the batteries. Even so 2 or 3 amps is best and healthiest for the batteries. It takes longer but that is okay. I am usually done riding for the day when I am charging.

Well, that is about all I have to say about this subject. Now it is time to go ride. I am doing my best to …

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