BionX replacement battery in Toronto or GTA

[yorkman]

Hi guys. I've recently been gifted this ~ 2012 BionX ebike but I need to replace its BionX battery and I'm having problems finding a place that sells them or ships them to Toronto, preferably the 48V or higher capacity batteries. The batteries I found on Amazon.ca all seem to have a different type of discharge cable connection (HT60) to motor (350W). Does anybody still sell BionX replacement batteries or converter of some kind for the HT60 connection? I've attached some pics of my current battery port & its connections from motor.

 

[99t4]

BionX was a proprietary system that went out of business in 2018. Nobody currently makes replacement batteries for them. Nethers Batteries in Muskegon Michigan rebuilt them with good cells but is also no longer in business.

You can do some searching and find some threads of DIY rebuilding of the early 36V BionX batteries.

The main problem is that the rest of the system requires handshaking signals from the additional pins on that D-sub connector you show on your first photo.

 

[yorkman]

Thanks for your input. So what you're telling me is that this perfectly working bike but without a good battery is scrap. Unless of course I use it as a regular bike which I'm not really interested in. What a waste. How can I even buy a new ebike as buying a new battery after a couple of years might be impossible too.

Do you know of any ebike companies in or near the Toronto area that are reputable (and not for rich people, ~ $1000 CAD) that I can also trust to buy a new battery after a few years?

 

[Elmo]

Ugh, proprietary systems are the worst. I feel your pain. Have you considered looking into e-bike conversion kits? Might be a way to salvage your bike without breaking the bank. Just a thought.

 

[99t4]

So what you're telling me is that this perfectly working bike but without a good battery is scrap.

No, I'm not telling you that. I'm answering your question asking if replacement batteries are available. No. Depending on the model, it may be DIY rebuildable. See the Syonyk blog, among others:

Rebuilding a BionX 36v 9.6AH Battery Pack - upgraded to 13.5AH

A month or so ago, I posted a teardown of a BionX 36v 9.6AH battery pack. Some of you may have guessed that I was going to rebuilt it! You were right! As you may recall, the core of the BionX 36v battery pack is a 5x12 grid of batteries glued together. Freed from the power wires, it looks an...

www.sevarg.net

How to Rebuild a BionX E-Bike Lithium-Ion Battery Pack

How to Rebuild a BionX E-Bike Lithium-Ion Battery Pack: Hello fellow Makers, Hackers and DIYers! This instructable will show you how you can replace the lithium-ion cells in a worn-out BionX e-bike battery pack to restore your lost range and even greatly exceed it. It will also show you how you...

www.instructables.com

BionX battery repair or refurbish

EbikeBC can repair or refurbish BionX batteries as well as all other electric bicycle batteries.We will have various solutions for older ebikes battery replacement including BionX battery; either by installation of cased battery packs or refurbishing the existing battery case. You need to send...

ebikebc.com

Unless of course I use it as a regular bike which I'm not really interested in. What a waste.

The hubmotor can be modified to work with a commonly available commodity controller and battery. Informative video on Grin's website:

How can I even buy a new ebike as buying a new battery after a couple of years might be impossible too.

This is the major reason to stay away from proprietary systems!

 

[yorkman]

Thanks for your input everyone. I don't have the skill to do any of these things so either I find someone to do it for me or I'm SOL. Then I'll just have to buy an ebike that's non proprietary, if that's even possible to know prior to purchase.

 

[Chalo]

Then I'll just have to buy an ebike that's non proprietary, if that's even possible to know prior to purchase.

The easiest way to know that is not to let someone else build your bike for you. When you do it yourself, you get chef's choice of both bike and motor system, you understand what's going on in there, and you know what to do when it's time for repair or upgrades.

 

[99t4]

Then I'll just have to buy an ebike that's non proprietary, if that's even possible to know prior to purchase.

Post photos of it on here, we can tell you if it's proprietary or not.