solera ebiker said:
Thanks. I'm looking for reputable pack battery to fit in a bag on the rear rack. LiPo, or the newer Li Mn one. I have been emailing with Ping Battery on a LiPo type lithium. They build to order, so it says on website. Looks like a beefy BMS wrapped to the battery pack. But, like I mentioned, im doing my first conversion. Im a casual rider, no daily work commute, so just need maybe 12ah, on a 48v pack.
With ebiking so popular, why aren't there more battery sellers out there. Im not sure I know all the good ones. So, any help is appreciated. Updated local on my profile, but mostly, I think its mail order anyway. Thanks again.
LiPo-I guess technically, that covers the various types of lithium chem. batteries, but here, LiPo is understood to mean lithium polymer, which I abrivervate LiPoly. This would be in a "brick" form and associated with RC models. Traditionally, it has been popular w/. owners of "high-powered" ebikes due to it's high discharge rate and as such, they were willing to put up with the volatile nature of the powerful LiPoly chem.
Ping batteries are LifePO4 and while these can be remarkably long-lived, their large size and weight make them non-starters for most of us here.
But all that changed a couple of years ago with the introduction of the Multistar line of LiPoly. Designed for quad copters, It trades high discharge rate(C rate) for a smaller and lighter form factor, and just as important, a lower volatility.
Now, instead of removing one's batteries and charging them in a fireplace or Bar-B-Que pit, one only now needs to exerzise a little extra caution and time to use it safely.
The "extra time" comes about due to the fact the LiPoly needs to be "stored" at a certain cell Voltage and then "topped off" before going out for a ride.
The only reason I mention it to you is because you described yourself as a "casual" rider. I too am a casual rider(I'm retired)and I do not mind the extra time LiPoly requires as opposed to a "plug and play" battery. I fact, I rather enjoy futzing over my "babies". If I were commuting to work daily, I would stick with a plug and play Lithium Ion pack from BMS Battery.
https://bmsbattery.com/63-ebike-battery
But for those who are not pressed for time, Multistar LiPoly offers the opportunity to easily put together a pack 1/3 to 1/2 the size and weight of the other chemistries @ 1/3 to 1/2 the cost.
In the past, using LiPoly entailed "breaking" the "string" of bricks that comprise a pack and using RC balance chargers. But thanks to the Multistar being available in large capacity bricks, several of us here have developed the process of "bulk charging", which has simplified the charging and eliminated the need to use unreliable RC chargers.
12S(12 cell) LiPoly is a perfect match for 48 V systems as a 48V controller has a 42 V Low Voltage Cut-off(LVC), which is all the BMS LiPoly needs while discharging.
If this is something you are interested in, you can search here(or my posts), using the Key Words Multistar, bulk charging, etc.
Multistar page at Hobby King. Note the 5200 mAh and larger bricks and how many of those larger 6S bricks are on sale.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/batteries/multistar.html
I just put together two packs, a 12S(44V)/10,400 mAh comprised of 4) 6S/5200 mAh bricks @ $39 ea. Total pack cost was $200 delivered.
The other was a 12S/20,000 mAh pack which was $300 delivered. That's 40 miles on my bike!