What battery is most popular?

[Catalyst82]

So.... what type of lipo/ lipofe battery do you feel will be the most popular choice for ebikes? Take into consideration, rc packs, headway cells, a123 prismatic cells, a123 cylindrical cells, or any others you may feel are the best choice for building an ebike....

[chroot]

Either 3 choices of the popular batteries are LiFePo4 Ping (Ping Li) or A123 custom pack (Paul (Cell_Man)) and LiPo from Hobbyking Turnigy (this is my prefer choice) and Zippy LiPo from Hobbyking too.

I also have 16S headway pack battery, and They are not great due awful bad sag.

If you are not experience with the electronics skills and I would not recommend you run the LiPo battery pack due dangerous blow up and endanger possible fire the house or property include death. Lot of us trying steer who is an first time or not experience with the electronics skills toward to the LiFePo4 battery pack for the safety sake.

[dogman]

I'd say the most popular is still lead acid. Popular here, is another story ES'ers have taken the ebike to a level never dreamed of by China. After lead, the next most numerous might be limn, which is common in kits that come with a battery, or ready to ride ebikes.

Popular with hot rodders here, lipo for sure. Also favored by those who want the lightest possible rig, like pedalers that only want assist on part of the ride.

Popular with commuters here, lifepo4 such as pingbattery. Or other lifepo4 such as A123 or headways.

[Tommy L]

That is a broad question....

I'm finding that you use choose Cells/Battery based on what you want your out come to accomplish.
All Cells/Batteries need understanding for safe use. LiFePO4 can be safer than other chemistry's.

These are some that are mentioned in this forum often:
Lipo: Turnigy, Zippy
LiFePO4: Ping, A123, Headway

You have to know specs of each of these and choose what you might need to accomplish your specific goal.

I use Headway individual Cells so I can determine the voltage/load for a given build. If a cell fails, easy for me to fix.
If they actually charge 2,000 times, then great value in the long run. I use 76.8nom 8ah (24 cells) in my back pack.
It weighs 20lbs. It will take me 30km distance at 80% DOD. Work is only 12km away so I can charge at work with less than 40% DOD
or commute both directions under 80% DOD. After seeing Low Racer, look up YouTube Chris Luxemburg, Lipo pack catching on
fire, I decided that I would not put Lipo in a back pack. If I use Lipo, I will put it in Metal Case and have a quick release system
to separate it quickly from ebike incase of fire.

I like the back pack because it adds stealth to the ride.

There are those here that are Lipo users for many reasons. Read read read!
I believe that these are 500 charge. Many here have used Lipo safely and with no fire for many charge/discharge cycles.

Knowledge is the key. Self educate as much as possible and the possibilities are some what endless!

Tommy L sends....

[dogman]

Yep. Choose the right tool for the job. I run both lifepo4, and RC lipo. The lifepo4 runs my 20 amp controllers on utility transportation bikes. The RC lipo runs a trail bike and a hot rod racing bike. Sometimes the RC lipo is carried on a utility bike, to increase range on a weekend ride.

[o00scorpion00o]

LiPo is for people that do a lot of research here on E.S in the battery threads or this will happen



LiPo offers the smalest size and lowest weight and the highest power that we can currently get our hands on!

LiFeP04 such as pings make great low to medium power commuters, it's bigger and heavier than LiPo or LiMn, but it should last the longest and you can safely leave it in the house or apartment.

The A123 LiFeP04 packs from cell-man would probably be the highest power you can get ready made for high power bikes, but I think most people that want high power go with LiPo.

I won't choose anything else other than LiPo because I want the smallest and lightest battery possible, that is able to give out the power I need for a bit of fun, and the Zippy compact from Hobby King will be my next choice unless something better comes along in the mean time.

[Jason27]

You gotta be very careful with lipo or you could start a fire. Almost happened to me once.

[dogman]

Yes, you cannot treat RC lipo like it's safe to do anything with it. Don't overdischarge, really don't overcharge, don't let it get punctured yaddda yadda.

First lithium fire I ever read about was a shorted out lifepo4 pack though. So don't let batteries rub and chafe on sharp things, no matter what the chemistry. I shudder every time I see a bike with RC lipo taped all over it, waiting to fall over and puncture the cells. They always say the same thing, " I ride carefull, I won't crash" . Yeah right.

[Tommy L]

Yep. Choose the right tool for the job. I run both lifepo4, and RC lipo. The lifepo4 runs my 20 amp controllers on utility transportation bikes. The RC lipo runs a trail bike and a hot rod racing bike. Sometimes the RC lipo is carried on a utility bike, to increase range on a weekend ride.

Hi Dogman!

What Lipo do you use? I haven't tried Lipo yet....but I'm tempted! lol
and what is your LiFePO4?

Tommy L sends....

[jojothedog]

I'm very familiar with LiPo batts because I use them in my high powered R/C helicopters. As a personal choice for me and a commuter bike they are not what I would choose. I much prefer all the benefits LiFe04 offers. Ping is rating their new LiFe04 at over 2000 cycles now. One more thing... you discharge LiPo too low and they are ruined. It only needs to happen once. They are very powerful but they are fussy. $500 of lipo can be rendered useless very easily.

[Tommy L]

I'm very familiar with LiPo batts because I use them in my high powered R/C helicopters. As a personal choice for me and a commuter bike they are not what I would choose. I much prefer all the benefits LiFe04 offers. Ping is rating their new LiFe04 at over 2000 cycles now. One more thing... you discharge LiPo too low and they are ruined. It only needs to happen once. They are very powerful but they are fussy. $500 of lipo can be rendered useless very easily.

This is awesome info! Greatly appreciated!

I'm using the Headway 38120HP screw top cells. Easy to change configuration They don't like much more that 4 or 5 C and can hold voltage above
3.0v per cell with 40 amps against them. I run 28s1p Time to build a bike frame to hold 28s2p
Then I could run 7kw with out sag/damage to my cells

Tommy L sends....

[D-Man]

I've been sitting on lead for a long time watching others experiment with the lithium. Its amazing what people will go through to get them wired up and working. Its either a rats nest of wires, connector crazy, or soldering insanity or just plain crazy. The headway screw tops seem to be the most user friendly if they don't unscrew and short everything out. The 20ah pouch cells have yet to impress me as far as being a cheap battery which they are not if you have to run 48volt. Plus they are fragile and need better methods of connecting up.

[Jason27]

Dman not all packs are rats nests of wires. Some are made very well.

[Tommy L]

Dman not all packs are rats nests of wires. Some are made very well.

I couldn't agree with you more. But mine does look like the Rats Nest! lol. I prefer to keep my LiFePO4 of Headway with no
shrink wrap and no BMS. I have 7 JX-HST coming off it. Allbeit, nicely tied down. So maybe fair to say, partial Rats Nest. lol.

Well worth the weight savings as mine are in a back pack. I would not be comfortable with 4X the weight of lead in my pack.

My screw tops do not come loose. Each screw has a lock washer and seems to be holding up. Sure, you have to check them, but
I like to look, tweak, maintain things.

Tommy L sends....

[dogman]

I've been knows to run an RC lipo pack that looks like a plate of spagetti. But the commuters 12s 10 ah pack is quite tidy. It's just when you have a dozen packs strung together that it gets a bit whack.

I'd love to see them start making 2p 6s 10 ah bricks, but not a long pack. Just a square like two 6s packs taped together. That would cut the wiring tangle of 12s and 18s down a lot.

A pingbattery lifepo4 is nothing but a tidy brick, with one plug to fill it, another to empty it, and a bms on top.