Ampedbikes battery or Ping battery?

[oldspicejet]

Hi

I'm considering an Ampedbikes kit since its local in Southern California. Ampedbikes is selling their tube battery for $439 and Ping is selling the 48v 10AH for $350+80shipping = $430. It seems the Amped cylinder looks more convenient for mounting and looks. Are these both of the same quality or is one better than the other? With ping I plan to buy a tool box mounted on the rear rack and stuff the battery and controller inside it.

Thanks guys, you have been very helpful on these forums.

 

[Joseph C.]

I assume the Amped battery is 36 volts?

That would make the Ping a better value, bigger battery. 480 watt-hours for the Ping compared to just 360 watt-hours for the Amped bikes

In reality the watt-hours would probably be higher for both batteries but I don't know the nominal voltage for the Amped battery.) The Ping is actually around 52/53 volts nominal. I'd guess the Amped is close to 40 volts.

Tube batteries are a nicer mount though but far from the surreptitious appearance that some crave.

Edit: Basically, you are getting 20 per cent more battery with the Ping.

 

[motomech]

Both the geared and direct drive Amped wheel motor kits come alive at 48 Volts. So unless you are only looking for some pedal assist, go with the 48V battery.

 

[ohzee]

I have purchased a tube battery in the past and afterwards wish I had not.

For a 36v 10ah battery it's fine. My biggest problem was I was told I was buying a 12ah battery but what was
delivered was a 10ah battery. I am not sure how long it's back ordered now (web site says 4-6 weeks) when I
ordered mine I waited over 2 months and anytime I asked was told 2 more weeks. So keep that in mind.

I would also suggest going for the 48V option.

 

[Jason27]

I would go with Amped Bikes. I feel their level of service and support is worth it. Just my opinion.

 

[dnmun]

i think the amped bike motor will require more than 10Ah. assume 48V20Ah as a minimal effort. that will give you up to 40A surge. or a 48V15Ah minimum. the ping pack is lifepo4 too. it will be 16S versus i what i think is 10S of limnco in the bottle battery. double check. li ping is the best for follow up service. best reliability in the cheap packs too, imo. get the biggest charger and pay extra for it, or get the regular charger and add the big charger to the order. 2 chargers is ten times better than one.

 

[rojitor]

I vote for ping!

 

[Sacman]

Where are you getting your price?
I was just on the AmpedBikes website and the Inframe mount lithium Tube Battery 36V 10AH are listed at $629 ($600 + $29 shipping). Battery comes with a 2A charger. It also says they're also backordered 6-8 weeks on these.

At first I was going to recommend you go with the AmpedBikes setup too. i know their equipment is pretty decent for the price. They are just 2 miles away from my office and I've met the owner Danny Ray a couple of times, and I really like him. He's a good guy in my book. But $600 for a 36v 10Ah battery is just too much for me.

 

[motomech]

I payed full retail for my set-up, enough I cringe when I think about it now. But I was a raw noobie and it went together well and worked at the first turn of the key. No regrets.
But now that I have immersed myself in all the info here, I now know I could have done the same thing for 1/2 the plata[spanish for silver].
now I don't begruge a retailer here in the States the right to earn a profit, but I do take exception to deceptive advertising and I think I just saw some.
I just scanned the Amp'ed site to check their offerings and while I think the DD kit is fair enough for $375 shipped, I have a problem with the geared kit.
Touted as "The Third Generation" of their kit, the price reflects that the kit is now made of "Unobtainium".
You know, I was just checking out the MXUS site the other day and I didn't see any new revised motors, maybe Danny gets first dibs before word is out.
But I don't think so.
But what really makes me wonder is why, at those prices, why can't he keep anything in stock?

BTW, the Bottle battery can be had for less than 1/2 their price, after shipping.

 

[ohzee]

Well put moto.. I also bit my teeth on an amped kit and wondered at the time why their geared kit was so much more.

I also agree the bottle battery is over priced compared to other market options.. Still they have a hell of a time keeping them in stock
so someone is buying them up.

 

[Jason27]

I'm sure people are buying them up or the supply chain is needs improvement. 6-8 weeks ..damn

 

[cruiserbikeman]

Hi

I'm considering an Ampedbikes kit since its local in Southern California. Ampedbikes is selling their tube battery for $439 and Ping is selling the 48v 10AH for $350+80shipping = $430. It seems the Amped cylinder looks more convenient for mounting and looks. Are these both of the same quality or is one better than the other? With ping I plan to buy a tool box mounted on the rear rack and stuff the battery and controller inside it.

Thanks guys, you have been very helpful on these forums.

Hi! I do have an Ampedbikes kit and purchased a Ping 48v 15Ah battery a month ago. The 48 volt has more speed and better ability riding up a hill. I paid a total of $594 including shipping. It is cheaper than the $629 36v 10AH battery that Ampedbikes sells. Ping answers any questions you email him about your order. He even customizes things on the battery that you request such as installing Anderson connecters onto the discharge wires. It was my first time ever ordering anything overseas. Ping is someone you can trust!

 

[motomech]

Well put moto.. I also bit my teeth on an amped kit and wondered at the time why their geared kit was so much more.

I also agree the bottle battery is over priced compared to other market options.. Still they have a hell of a time keeping them in stock
so someone is buying them up.

That last part is kinda my point.
I owned a retail motorcycle/scooter store back in the '80's and let me tell you, if something was moving, I sure as heck would get it in stock.
Amped bikes seems to be perpetually O/S on a number of items, yet I could list at least three sources with that bottle battery in stk.
But you know what, they are no different than a lot of busnesses.

But my reference to other sources brings up another point. They are all in China. As recently as a couple years ago, most here would probably say that would be rolling the dice. But things are a little different now. There is a couple of vendors over there that, well, one we like a lot and the other, while we might not like them, at least we are gaining confidence that something will arrive. And it's getting better every day.
I just saw a new vendor in China. I was Googling Ebike kit when this popped up at the top of the page,

http://www.mc-ebike.com/index.asp

 

[TonyReynolds]

I may be too late in joining the party here, but I looked long and hard at AmpBikes, and ended up going with cell_man.

Did I pay more? Yeah, especially considering shipping, but I got a far more versatile kit. I wanted 48V and Danny just didn't seem to have that option and that tube battery is limited in capacity by well, the tube. There's just so much battery that can be crammed in there. In the end my frame pack battery is probably more "stealth" anyway.

I don't want to disparage anyone, and I'm sure Danny is trying, but I read too many lukewarm or negative comments in my research and ended up staying away. In the end, (as I learned from the good folks here), there just ain't a cheap solution if you want something that will perform and that will last. Best of luck...

 

[Ypedal]

well.. a 48v supply will perk a motor up over a 36v supply, no doubt about it.

V x A = W

More watts.. means more

 

[Jason27]

I may be too late in joining the party here, but I looked long and hard at AmpBikes, and ended up going with cell_man.

Did I pay more? Yeah, especially considering shipping, but I got a far more versatile kit. I wanted 48V and Danny just didn't seem to have that option and that tube battery is limited in capacity by well, the tube. There's just so much battery that can be crammed in there. In the end my frame pack battery is probably more "stealth" anyway.

I don't want to disparage anyone, and I'm sure Danny is trying, but I read too many lukewarm or negative comments in my research anended up staying away. In the end, (as I learned from the good folks here), there just ain't a cheap solution if you want something that will perform and that will last. Best of luck...

I'm curious to why you think cellman is more "versatile" than amped??

 

[999zip999]

Ping 48v20ah at 25amps.

 

[ohzee]

I may be too late in joining the party here, but I looked long and hard at AmpBikes, and ended up going with cell_man.

Did I pay more? Yeah, especially considering shipping, but I got a far more versatile kit. I wanted 48V and Danny just didn't seem to have that option and that tube battery is limited in capacity by well, the tube. There's just so much battery that can be crammed in there. In the end my frame pack battery is probably more "stealth" anyway.

I don't want to disparage anyone, and I'm sure Danny is trying, but I read too many lukewarm or negative comments in my research anended up staying away. In the end, (as I learned from the good folks here), there just ain't a cheap solution if you want something that will perform and that will last. Best of luck...

I'm curious to why you think cellman is more "versatile" than amped??

id say the fact alone that cell_man can custom make you batteries of different types of components not to mention selling the same products at slightly more then 1/2 price.

 

[Jason27]

How does he make any money then?

 

[Diamondback]

cell_man's mark up wouldn't be as high, and he would rely on volume of sales to make decent profit.

im using a ping v2.5 48V 15A pack, and have had no major troubles.
(once i replaced a bad BMS that is. Mr Ping was very helpful in diagnosing my trouble, and sent the replacement BMS immediately)

Mr Ping's customer service is great imho.

Jason.

 

[dogman dan]

Firstly, I'm still confused as to which motor kit we are talking about powering.

10 ah of ping or bottle type would be big enough for the small gear motor, if it's got a 15 amp controller. Pings is lifepo4, the bottle battery is limn I believe.

For anything with a 20amp controller 15 ah is recomended, unless you buy batteries with a higher c rate, such as Cellmans A123's.

But no, you don't need a 48v 20 ah, it's too big and cumbersome to carry. Only to run a 30 amp controller would you have to carry that much ping.

 

[tomk2]

I have an Amped "Tube" battery. It's well made. Initially, I had some FET problems but Amped always came through for me and fixed things quickly. It helps that I live close enough to drive to their shop. I do wish they were more communicative on their website concerning issues and availability of batteries.

Amped Bikes is a startup and has had considerable problems with the DOT (shipping Lithium Ion batteries) - they are now Hazmat certified. DOT requires them to ship in a large government approved "fireproof can" that looks like a refugee from an old Soviet Union factory. In addition they had multiple problems with the battery produced by the current factory (Panasonic) that was sourced after the original factory (in Sendai) was wiped out by the tsunami.

They also struggle with customs getting supplies through in a timely manner.

I like my Amped Bike (TREK 7500) and will continue to work with them.

I admit that I would like to try a 48 V Ping though.

 

[dogman dan]

I've heard the Amped battery is good. I'm just not personally convinced it's C rate is up to the task of running larger motors when you use 10 ah size.

FWIW, many vendors don't sell batteries as big as I recomend. 10 ah seems to be the typical size. Most don't need 20 mile range anyway. Most don't live on top of a hill 1.5 miles long like I do. I am conservative in my recomendations, because people never mention that they also live up on top of the hill.

I'm not saying the amped battery can't do it, just that I recomend more headroom in a battery choice for the dd motors and 20 amp controllers.

 

[ohzee]

When I had my amped tube battery I complained about the voltage sag and was concerned mine was defective somehow
just because of that.. now that I know a bit more I understand exactly what you are saying that 10ah is pushing it for a
dd motor.

I sold my tube battery to someone else on this board and it still seems to be going strong so it does seem like a good product
it's just limited for people who need longer distances.

 

[dogman dan]

Yep, it's not just the amped battery that has this problem, if you run a 20 amp controller with a 10 ah battery that has a fairly low c rate. 1c-2c. Those of us that need big amps often run batteries in 10 ah size, but the c rate is 20-c 70c. Lipo has it's risks, but for 40x the amps, it can be worth it.