Lithium-ion Battery Pack For Electric Bike
Could I use a battery from a different brand in my e-bike, or are they proprietary?
Your electric bike’s battery is crucial to your ability to go fast and far (and have fun) on your e-bike. It all comes down to the battery when riding an electric bike. So what should you do if your battery dies or doesn’t hold a charge (and what if you’re not near a power source)? To what extent are you free to use any battery you like with your electric bike?
Batteries for electric bikes are neither standard nor interchangeable, unfortunately. A battery for an electric bike must meet certain specifications, including those for voltage (V), amps (Ah), dimensions (LxWxH), and weight. So, an electric bike designed for a 36-volt battery won’t work with a 48-volt battery and vice versa.
The most common misconception about e-bike batteries is that they are interchangeable because they all look the same.
However, the opposite is true. Make sure the battery you choose meets the requirements of your e-bike if you need to replace it. Otherwise, you risk ruining the bike’s battery and motor, if it ever starts.
Why Can’t All Electric Bike Batteries Be the Same?
It would be fantastic if all sorts of electric bikes could use the same battery. Wouldn’t it be great if you could pick up a spare battery for your electric bike wherever you found them? If your battery were to die while you were riding, you could easily stop and get a replacement. And if you run out of juice, you can always borrow a battery from a friend with an electric bike.
I’m afraid that’s not how it works. Numerous lithium-ion battery options exist, each with its own set of features. They may range from one another in terms of size, weight, voltage (V), capacity (Ah), energy (Wh), and watt-hours (Wh).
In the end, it’s the relationship between voltage and current (in amperes) that determines the total watts of energy present in a given system. Accordingly, the number of Watt-hours produced by a battery with a varied number of volts or amps. More importantly, the wattage of the e-bike and the battery charger you’re using (often the one that comes with the battery) must both be compatible with each other.
A 48V lithium-ion battery, for instance, may already be marginally bigger and heavier than a 36V lithium-ion battery. Even if it had the same number of amp-hours as the 36V bike, its output would be far lower. Additionally, knowing the optimal voltage and amp-hours for your e-bike will help you solve a number of other potential issues.
When it comes to electric bikes, what voltage is ideal?
Most electric bike batteries operate at around 36 volts (V). This is due to the fact that the typical human can only cycle at a maximum speed of about 20 kilometers per hour (12 mph). A 36-volt battery will allow an e-bike rider to travel at a speed that is both appropriate and safe. The maximum speed at which an electric bike can be ridden varies from one jurisdiction to the next… Moreover, some jurisdictions impose limits on how fast an electric bike may go.
However, a 48-volt battery is becoming increasingly commonplace (in countries where such speeds are legal, like the United States) in electric motorcycles, particularly those with greater power output and/or throttle controls. Why? Because faster speeds are desired by cyclists.
So long as we don’t equate higher voltage with more power, this debate can continue (at least not on its own). Increasing the voltage alone does not guarantee faster speeds.
If you use a battery that has a higher voltage than your electric bike requires, you run the danger of overcharging it and causing it to fail sooner than normal. This is a perfect illustration of the incompatibility of several e-bike battery types.
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An electric bike battery contains what?
The lithium-ion cells themselves and the battery management system are the two mainstays of a conventional electric bike’s power source.
Cells in the 18650 Format
With a dimension of 18mm x 65mm, these cells are little over half an inch longer and an inch wider than a standard AA battery. Large-drain devices utilize them because of their high capacity and discharge rates.
These cells typically have a capacity of about 3000 mAh and a voltage of 3.7v. Batteries for electric bikes are typically made up of several smaller cells connected in series and parallel to boost both capacity (Ah) and voltage (V).
A typical 48V / 15Ah pack, for instance, would have 65 cells (3.7v, 3000 mAh). To get 15 Ah (3Ah x 5 cells), we’d connect these 65 cells in parallel in 13 groups of 5, and then connect these 13 groups of the 3.7v packs in series to get a nominal 48 V. (13 x 3.7v).
Electric Power Management System (BMS)
The ‘brains’ of a battery, the battery management system ensures that the various cells inside a bigger battery are kept in optimal balance to extend its useful life. It aids in both charging (by restricting the current) and discharging (by limiting the amps drawn from the pack).
Overheating and damage to the cells can be avoided with the use of temperature monitoring and battery restriction features provided by some BMS. Additionally, some include an on/off button and can sync with your phone through Bluetooth to give you in-depth data about your battery’s status.
A BATTERY EXPERT with more than a decade of experience with electric bike batteries: The most reliable battery packs for an electric bike are made of lithium-ion (li-ion) cells.
