If you are into riding an e bike, you must be concerned about the e bike batteries. Well, it is imperative to have an idea of every minor detail associated with such bikes and their batteries so that you can decide to invest into e bike batteries accordingly.
If you are searching for a detailed guide with all the relevant information, you must read on!
Why is It so Important to Focus on Bike Batteries?
One question you might have in your mind would be why bike batteries tend to be so stressed about? There is a vast difference between regular fuel energy-powered bikes and e-bikes. In the case of a fuel-powered bike, you will find various fuel stations to get the energy for it to be ridden.
This is not the case with e bike, and if you do not focus on the battery of these bikes, you might end up stranded in the middle of your journey. Everyone wants to have a peaceful ride and reach their destination on time. Therefore, focusing on the battery pack of your e bike is very important.
What Is the Range of Journey With a Fully Charged Battery?
Well, this is one of the most important questions you might have in mind. Well, when it comes to assessing, the range of coverage your e bike battery would give you will vary and depend upon your battery.
If you have a lithium ion based battery of 6 lb. to 8 lb., you can safely assume to cover about 20 miles or 32 kilometers. It is also observed that many companies even claim that their battery packs allow coverage of 100 miles for a complete charge. Well, this might be possible if they offer a 40 lb. battery, and this have to be followed by pedaling for about 80 miles. Therefore, technically, it seems impossible to have such unrealistic performance expected by a lithium battery.
What is a Battery Pack and its Components?
A battery pack is a combination of components that have small batteries, and these components being fixed together, each performing a different role. Some of the critical parts of a battery pack are provided below:
Amps and Volts
Volts stand for voltage, which is the speed of energy flow. The more the voltage, the higher the speed of a bike. Whereas amps measure the force, and with the higher amps, thick gauge wires would be required.
Watts
When amps and volts combine, they create watts, a measurement unit for the two quantities.
Amp Hours
Amp hours describe the number of amps held by the battery for about an hour.
Watt Hours
Watt hours describe the amount of energy a battery can offer in an hour. For example, a battery with 500wh (watt-hours) can give 500 watts of energy in an hour.
What Is the Difference Between Amp Hours and Watt Hours?
People are always confused about how amp hours are different from watt-hours. Well, amp hours on their own are nothing unless considered in contrast to voltage. Therefore, watt-hours give a combined insight about the amp and volt hours, which leads to an understanding of how far an e-bike may go.
However, while buying an e bike battery, it is imperative to see the labels of the battery packs because sometimes these might mislead due to a confusion of amp and watt-hours.
For instance, if you plan to invest in a battery pack and look at the watt-hours being 120, you tend to be safer. Because this, when combined with a 48v battery, will give you more range. You must compromise on the range when there are lesser watt-hours on the battery pack.
Factors to Consider When Investing in a Battery Pack
People have different sets of minds and thoughts when choosing a battery pack for their e bike. Some think that the bigger battery would offer them a better range; some believe that a heavier battery is more compatible to give bikes long-range coverage.
Well, when choosing a battery pack for e-bikes, it is imperative to consider three things for sure:
-
Size
-
Weight
-
Shape
It is pretty eminent that when you look forward to investing in a massive battery, you must install it first; this could be a nuisance. Even if you are done installing in any way, hassle of carrying it at any point might also be terrible.
The huge a battery is the more the nuisance and cost. Therefore, saving yourself some money and hassle regarding battery packs is better.
Secondly, a lightweight battery is always the best choice. It is convenient, easy to handle, and light on your pocket. Not everyone needs extended coverage at once; neither is it a daily travel range. Therefore, in this case, if you need to use your bike for a few errands each day and you need to cover just 20 miles per day, investing in a huge battery pack may not be a sensible approach.
Moreover, depending on conditions of roads and sloppy angles, handling a huge battery may be challenging. Therefore, it is better to invest in a lightweight size choice rather than a heavier one.
How to Choose the Right Battery Pack for E-Bikes?
Various things must be considered when choosing a battery pack from different available choices. These may include the following:
Voltage
Voltage is the driving force, and it drives the revolutions over the motor. When the voltage is high, the number of revolutions per minute on the motor would be more and vice versa.
Similarly, when choosing an e-bike, the rating of the battery packs is highly dependent on the voltage; if you invest in an e-bike that has 36v, it will be most compatible with a battery that offers power between 30v to 42v. This bike would work at its fullest when 100 percent charged at 42v. However, as the energy reaches 30v, it will stop immediately so that no damage occurs to the battery.
Hence when choosing e bike kits, the most important thing to see is the battery's voltage.
Amps
Controlling the power of e bike is very important; to pick the battery accordingly, the controller plays a significant role. It helps you exercise control of your speed. Therefore, when the controller starts to play a role, it controls the number of amps allowed to flow in your bikes motor.
Let's say, if you invest in a battery with 10ah, you might need a controller having a value of 20 amps. It is imperative to check on it, as it plays a role in keeping the bike's fuse away from blowing off and controlling the ebike from overheating.
Quality of the Battery Pack
Quality plays a magnificent role when choosing a battery pack for an e-bike. As long as a battery is brand new, it will work wonders. As soon as it gets old, the trouble starts. This, however, shouldn't be the case. One rule of thumb that should be exercised when purchasing e bike batteries is to choose a reputable vendor. In this case, you will end up paying a higher price, but it is worth the investment.
A battery pack is made of numerous lithium ion batteries combined. Therefore, these batteries' quality plays a role in offering the right power and capacity to cover the maximum range.
Things have changed a lot, and fantastic quality battery packs are available for the e bikes that don't drain when not in use. However, choosing a reliable vendor offering a warranty with these batteries is very important.
Battery Monitoring System and Chargers
It is commonly observed that the type of chargers and their quality is mostly neglected in the battery pack selection. This could lead to the worst damage; ensuring that high-quality chargers being used in the battery packs is essential. Sometimes the charger of inferior quality ends up destroying the entire battery pack.
In the same way, BMS stands for Battery Monitoring System is also equally important to take into account. It is placed between wires and battery and monitors the voltage and amps that flow into the e bike.
The lithium ion batteries are seamless in their functioning and relatively light in weight as well, but they have certain limits that should be considered. If the limit of usage crosses the line, the BMS will intervene and stop the battery, which will save battery pack from any damage. The main aim of BMS is to protect the battery from any damage in case of overuse.
Size and Mounting Capacity
Mounting the battery pack on your bike could be a serious concern. Sometimes, if you think of investing in a smaller battery, you might find it easier to mount this battery pack. However, the range coverage will decrease because of the smaller size.
Secondly, when it comes to a bigger size of the battery, you might need to struggle with the mounting task. However, the best place to mount the battery pack is between the inner frame and the wheels. However, you can add more protection to this battery pack by considering an aluminum cover or a thin shrink wrap.
The aluminum cover is durable but will add weight to the battery pack. The battery pack would stay fragile but light in weight in a shrink wrap case. Depending upon your use and routes, you can decide what suits you the best.
Taking Care of Battery Pack
As much as it is essential to choose the best new battery pack, similarly, to keep it in good condition is also equally important. Always ensure you are not crossing the limit of power available in your battery. Although the battery monitoring system takes care of it, it also avoids covering the entire charge.
Also, in cold weather, never charge a battery that is in a frozen state; instead, make it a little warmer and then use it. In case you get a chance to charge the battery in the middle of your journey, make the most of this opportunity. It will increase the range of your battery and would be significantly eased.
Shipping of Battery Pack
Shipping battery packs is a sensitive topic, some vendors ship legally through UN-certified ways, but they charge a lot. Since the power present in a battery is relatively high, there are specific terms that need to be met to ship the battery pack.
However, on the other hand, some small vendors will also ship the battery without the label of UN-certified shipping, and that’s illegal. So, according to the budget, a decision can be made, keeping in mind that if something goes wrong with the warranty, the same procedure would be followed to send the battery back.
Energy Density of Battery Pack
By way of the energy density of a battery, it refers to the amount of energy that a battery for a given volume can hold. In the past, things were not revolutionary, and a lithium battery of 18650 cells helped 1000mah. However, today the same cells are equipped with a capacity to hold 3500 mah. The range of such cells now is three times more than what was offered a few years ago.
Type of Battery
The type of battery distinguishes between two options available, the first one being a lithium ion battery and the second being lead acid battery.
Lithium batteries are more expensive than lead ones but offer better coverage. Whereas, when it comes to lead acid batteries, they have a lower price, but their range is also less. Hence, lead acid batteries must be kept as the last choice.
In the case of a lithium ion battery, a 6 lb. battery can offer 9 ah, whereas a lead acid battery of 30 lb. can offer 15 ah.
E bikes are a blessing to the environment, but there are various things, especially in the case of batteries, that need to be considered when choosing to buy and use them. The above details will help make a rational decision regarding the battery packs.
