BBSHD uk battery reccomendations - 20ah+

[Drunkskunk]

RC lipo (Lithium Cobalt, LiCo) are a bad idea for an commuter bike for several reasons. Compared to the NMC 18650 cells, they have a much shorter cycle life. While cells like the Samsung 22R are good for 2000 cycles, RC lipo cells are lucky to see 300.
Lipo fires. While no battery is totally safe, RC Lipo lacks are unique in that they burst explosively and burn intensely. Here's a video of a single 5000ma Hobby King cell fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzUla1udKuA
Construction. RC Lipo cells are made from thin Mylar pouches wrapped in shrinkwrap. Like Virginity and Balloons, all it takes is one good prick, and it's all over. 18650 cells are metal cans. They can take some real abuse and survive unhurt and unexploded.

Lipo is good for high performance bikes, were weight matters, and things like personal safety and life cycles are secondary to performance. For a bike you plan to use every day, they aren't even an option that should be considered. It's like running your commuter car on Nitro Methane.

You can search through this forum for Lipo fires and see why they are a bad idea for your self. No one here has lost a house yet, but someone did lose their garage, and more than a few member's bikes are gone from Lipo fires.

Getting a setup under $300 is possible, but only if you skip the BMS, and get the cheapest, crappiest chargers you can. In My Humble Opinion, that's asking to receive a Darwin award. It's just a bad idea with such a volatile battery format to use anything but the best equipment. To set up a lipo pack properly, you Should have a BMS, cell monitors, and enough quality balance chargers to do the job right.


Stick with your 18650 plan. Build your own or buy one pre-made. Either way, it will work well.

 

[wesnewell]

I think anyone here could make an rc lipo pouch burst into flames if they tried hard enough. Cycle lives for most batteries are very misleading, like rating them at a 0.2C discharge, as lots of lifepo4 and 18650 cells are rated at. Used at C rates a lot of rc lipos are used, and they'd only last a few cycles instead of the 2000 or more claimed. How hard are they to ignite?
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=27241

 

[Tyler durden]

I'm interested again, especially at under £300 for the battery (time is not a factor for me). But a few other questions have come up.

if you are under 15s battery, use the neptune lite.

What does 15s mean, and is a neptune lite a kind of BMS?

ideally would like 52v 20ah-30ah. plus what chargers and leads etc. would be needed to ensure its kept safe?

Is the 52v the right ourput potential for a BBSHD? Roughly what range would you get from 20Ah or 30Ah, and how many 18650 cells would each of those take to build?


Thanks for all the help guys, this really is an excellent forum.....

If I can end up with something like this I would be very happy.



https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=65719

 

[Dazza22345]

Ok well when you put it like that i'm not so sure. The bike is going to be used and charged twice a day,
so maybe lipos aren't the best idea then, those really do go up with a bang! Riding an illegal bike with a bomb strapped to the back probably isn't the best idea.

I have actually come across a 48v 20ah battery in the uk with a 30a cont. discharge rating.
link here if anyones interested - https://www.pedalease.co.uk/index.php?rt=product/product&path=66&product_id=13172398&session_id=0490e4fa3ccb0181d96125e6fe518631
So i think i'll just go with that to save any messing around/ fire risks. its a frame battery so might be a bit of a pain to fit in a rear pannier, but its the closest thing I've found so far to what I want, apart from getting it made for me at double the price

Thanks for all the advice guys.

I was asking about a 52v pack as the bbshd will handle 59v as a maximum, and a 52v pack fully charged puts out slightly under that, so is about the maximum power which can be used. Not 100% sure on the range but I think a 20ah pack should do about 20-30 miles on throttle along with bbshd, obviously depends on a number of things. if anyone has a more exact idea of how far that would get me I would love to know. Or if that estimate is completely off!

 

[Dazza22345]

To build a pack 52v 29ah I was looking at using
140 Panasonic NCR18650b batteries,
14s 10p

 

[stefan098]

HK factory in the uk? have you got a link to which company you mean, the HK (hongkong) battery company I come across only has a factory in hong kong, so not sure if i'm looking in the right place?

I have considered building it myself, although trying to avoid that if I really can I may still go down that route. Seems it only works out to save a few hundred though so would prefer the reassurance of someone else building it ideally. Will let you know if I give up and go down that route though.
I'm surprised that no-one in the uk has taken the opportunity to start building custom packs yet tbh.

If you did want to build your own Tyler I have found a good link here:
http://www.ebikeschool.com/how-to-build-a-diy-electric-bicycle-lithium-battery-from-18650-cells/

Thanks to all for your help, still hoping there's a site hidden away offering this

just in the thought and planning process right now'

 

[cwah]

have you already bought your ncr18650b cells? i'm considering buying them too from nkon. if we buy together a big chunck (500 cells), we can get good price. keep me informed if u want to be part of it

 

[dvdrwsor]

Hey cwah,

I really want to DIY a battery pack for the BBSHD, but I was thinking LG MJ1. Are you in Europe?

The only thing drawing me back is the lack of a good quality, waterproof protective case.

I only have a limited space in the triangle of the frame (rear suspension; no rack option for me), but I think I can fit 14s 7p, maybe even 8p.

I'm not sure how to calculate dimensions...

 

[d8veh]

If you need a custom battery pack welded up in the UK in any configuration you want with whatever cells you want at a reasonable cost and very fast delivery, try Insatinternational. Jimmy is the guy:
(020) 8361 1790

He can also re-cell any battery, which is cheaper and better quality than an OEM replacement.

 

[dvdrwsor]

Thank you d8veh. I struggle very hard to speak english, but google helps me write and read very well. I found their store on ebay, but no battery. Do you have an email address of his?