36V Packs using 26650 Cells

[EastsideEBike]

Hello guys, I am new to the board but have been trolling for quite some time.

I am looking to get about 10 36V 10Ah LiFePO4 packs that could be mounted to the water bottle cage bolt holes on a bicycle. I like the over all looks of Crystalytes 36V 9Ah Lithium Manganese packs but I would prefer LiFePO4 cells for more charging cycles. Since it does not seem like anyone makes them I am guessing I will have design and fabricate my own enclosure to house the batteries and mount them to bicycles.

It seems like the 26650 3400 mAh cells from Powerizer/BatterySpace offer good energy density but at over $9 a cell they seem like they may be a little pricy. :| If I do get the packs made and use 26650's I would like to have the cells built like this (see picture). Any feedback you guys could give me on alternatives to the Crystalyte pack or better prices on 26650's would be greatly appreciated.

 

[heathyoung]

Something that is rarely mentioned about Lithium cobalt is its shelf life - used or not, it loses 20% capacity per year after manufacture...

So old cells at a good price may not have the energy density you are counting on (as I discovered using NOS laptop cells - GRRR!)

 

[kZs0lt]

3400mAh for a 26650 format LiFePo4 cell seems a little overrated. Maybe someone with more experience could check this...

 

[EastsideEBike]

3400mAh for a 26650 format LiFePo4 cell seems a little overrated. Maybe someone with more experience could check this...

I was thinking the same thing. Here are the cells

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2385