Battery Upgrade WE BL-36

[jld3]

I have a Wilderness Energy BL-36 DD front hub motor from early 2010 with SLA batteries. Finally was going to upgrade to lithium but then there is a question of compatibility with my controller. Looking at the following battery and want to make sure it will work with my controller.

http://lunacycle.com/batteries/packs/36v/36v-samsung-or-panasonic-ebike-rear-rack-14-5-or-17ah-w-charger/

Thanks for your help.

 

[Drunkskunk]

Welcome to the forum. Shouldn't be any real problems. There will be some differences, though. The controller's Low voltage cut off (LVC) will likely be too low for the battery, but the battery's BMS will serve to protect it instead. Some controllers simply cut back your throttle when you try to use them below the cut off voltage. BMS often shut down completely, needing a restart of the controller before they work again. It's not a problem, just something to be aware of.

Be mindful of your power use and voltage. SLA lose power gradually as you use them. it's easy to tell when you're about out of power just by the way the bike feels. Lithium keep a near constant power until they are dead, so a fully charged and near empty Lithium battery perform much the same. You really can't tell by feel when the bike is about to shut off.

 

[wesnewell]

Of course it will work as long as your controller draws 30A or less. Still, both are constructed using 1C rated cells. And while the bms is rated for 30A, the actual battery pack is rated under 20A. Voltage sag will be significant. About 4V under a 30A draw. If you must use 18650 batteries, at least use some that are rated higher than 1C. Samsung 25r's rated at 8C are a good choice. Personally I only use 18650's in flashlights and wouldn't even think of using them in an ebike battery.

http://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Common18650comparator.php

 

[dogman dan]

22 amps controller in that WE kit, so no problem with that battery at all.

The lvc of the controller is very low, but that won't matter to the battery since it has a bms.

If you did want more speed and power, you can also go with a 48v battery. BTW, even with 36v lithium, those lame lights on the throttle won't work so great anymore, except as a "its on" indicator. They work best only with lead.