I have been following this thread with a good deal of interest!
I firmly believe that we need a good, powerful, lightweight battery system, to make e-bikes, or any other EV for that matter, viable.
And yes, it is early days. We are seeing people making up there own packs and charging solutions using a variety of available batteries, like A123 and DeWalt batteries. We are also seeing some early? LiFePo4 packs that are reasonably priced, like Yesa, and now these 'duct tape' batteries.
I personally don't wish to buy and pull apart power tool battery packs, and then have to make up a customised charging solution!
These 'duct tape' batteries, despite their shortcomings, probably provide a very good, cost effective solution for us who are on the 'cutting edge' of this emerging battery technology. It is very appealing to think that you can get a battery pack, BMS, and charger, for a good entry level price, right out of the box!
I currently have a Yesa pack that I am using on my MTB, and it is working very well, but it is the bike I use the least.
I am now thinking about one of these duct tape packs for my trike, at 36v, to replace my lead bricks.
I have just removed the whole system from my trike as it was just too heavy to try and pedal the thing around without power! Damn nearly doubled the weight of the trike, and it is only a 10 AHr pack.
I would definitely consider putting the system back together with battery that weighed only 4 Kg's. (1/3!)
My point is, is that these duct tape packs provide a real viable aternative to the DeWalt/A123 packs that other tinkerers are using, without putting a lot of effort into the project.
Just trying to add a bit of perspective to the thread!
Cheers!