dtbaker61

Thought I'd start a thread, perhaps to be promoted to a 'sticky' so we can post best sources to buy batteries....

I was shopping today and found that local shops and even Amazon stores shipping from US stores ask almost 3x the price for what appear to be similar products direct shipped from China. So, I'll start the thread off with what I was looking for, and perhaps people can update with their shopping experiences to keep the group up to date if you find deals!

I was looking for 36v nominal, 10ah or more, to replace an x-go 'kettle canister' battery mounted on a water bottle mount.
Found an exact replacement for $255, with 1-2 week delivery :
https://www.amazon.com/Wallenpower-B...Z/ref=sr_1_21?

Found 36v - 20ah Panasonic 'soft pack' for just $56+32 shipping from AliExpress which will require a bag on the bike rack, but that's ok, but 2-4 week shipping even by DHL air freight
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000559535468.html?
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I never could get AliExpress to accept either one of my credit cards, so maybe I dodged a bullet on this one.

Next best deal I could find was:
36v x 15ah for $250 delivered from US stock in 2 weeks from
https://www.amazon.com/QZF-Battery-W...XZ/ref=sr_1_8?

anybody have any better deals?

Doc_Wui

The second link is impossible, They claim 20000mah (20AH) fromt a 40 cell, 10x4 (10S-4P) pack. The accepted way to figure AH is to add the combined AH rating of the number of cells in parallel. In this case, that would be 4 parallel cells. To get 20AH, you need four 5AH cells. Best cells in the world right now are around 3.5AH. So we can discount this ad as (a) lack of knowledge in English or (b) lies. I lean toward (b).

Finally, lithium batteries rely on circuit protection and well made cells to be safe. It's not a good deal if it burns your house down. Look for a quality vendor.

dtbaker61

I looked a little further down... the specs reference Panasonic cells specifically, but also a capacity of 18ah, which makes more sense, although if I figure it myself I totally agree with you that 10s-4p more likely yields 36v nominal and 3.4ah x4 = 13.6 ah rather than the (overstated) 20 which I suppose could be calculated incorrectly using end-of-charge voltage rather than nominal voltage? It is somewhat questionable whether they are actually panasonic cells or course, which was why I was asking.

the price is very tempting, but only if the internal BMS is safe, which is critical for Li-ion to prevent overcharge and as you note, fires

basically, I'm wondering if anyone has ordered a pack like this and opened it up to verify that the batteries are panasonic, and the BMS is functional and safe for over-charge and low voltage protection on all cells?

dtbaker61

I did just notice the sticky thread on batteries.... after I posted this. so I'll watch both places for now, and post a followup after I've decided what to buy and see how it goes!

Pop N Wood

You need to add cheap battery "from a reputable source". This guys low dollar chinese battery caught fire while just riding along. There is a video on line as well.

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/vi...hp?f=4&t=83208

2old

There's another story on ES about an individual who had his house burn down. The only non-US supplied batteries for me are UPP (Unit Pack Power). I had a 36V, 10 wh that cost $184 with charger. It arrived very well packaged, and AFAICT is a premium product. Batteries are the worst product to cheap out on.

yippee

A close family member really did burn his house down. Not a story. But, we need batteries to do what we need to do so.... I bought a 36V 10Ah battery that I needed to fit inside my Montague type folding ebike from an ebay seller. It was a Laudation battery. Cost $ 136 and change and that included a 2 year warranty from a third party company. A warranty on a battery, first time I saw that on ebay and figured hey. That price doesn't include a charger. I cut the shrink wrap and saw that the cells were stamped Samsung. Are they really Samsungs? Who knows? The thing is that I will NEVER charge a large Li-ion battery inside my house (not even in my garage) unless it's part of a name brand piece of electronics. I charge this battery in my gas grill and will continue to charge inside the grill when the weather gets colder. Frankly, I don't care if charging in the cold ruins my $ 136 battery. As far as your sub-$100 dollar 20 Ah might be worth it just to see if it's any good. You can always use 2 batteries. Let me tell you, there are people that have 36 volt lawn mowers that throw them out when the battery goes and, except for the battery, electric lawn mowers should last 20+ years. I made the stupid decision to replace the lawn mower I found with 3X12v lead acids and spent way more than they're quoting you for yours. But this is an ebike thread, I shouldn't be talking about lawn mowers. If you buy that cheapo battery, please let us know how it goes. But, please, please, tell yourself and follow through, "I will never charge this inside the house, never. Ever"

2old

Excellent statement; I'd change and say "I'd never charge or store this battery anyplace where I wouldn't mind a fire.

dtbaker61

so.... I was going to try it, but cannot get AliExpress to accept a credit card. tried two different cards and called bank to make sure cards were not locked. maybe this is a higher power protecting me from AliBaba....

Now my question becomes what are the top 3 'reputable' places to shop for good quality 36v battery +charger to replace my dead x-go cannister battery?
Doesn't have to be a cannister, I'd be fine with a flat pack in a bag.... 10ah or 13ah plenty as this pack is intended for an e-trike with a 250 hub motor.

chas58

By far the best battery packs I have bought are from EM3ev.com. They are located in Asia, but have been doing this a long, long time and have excellent technical and communication skills. I've had them build a custom configuration battery for me.

In the US, I would work with Luna. I worked with the guy before he opened his business and he was very helpful. but now that they have a store I've gotten some odd answers to some questions from salesmen (The technical support should be fine).

I bought that "laudation" battery above. paid extra for the Panasonic batteries (although I opened the battery pack up, I'm a little doubtful if they really are Panasonic). It works as advertised though. Cheap packaging (vinyl and cardboard) cheap wiring, cheap connectors, cheap charger). But for $135 shipped, I didn't expect much more (I change out the connectors as I do with most everything from China - (except EM3ev).
You can see my "review" in post #200 on the battery sticky.

dtbaker61

thanks, I may check them out next time I need batteries. I ended up going with 36v x 15ah pack by QZF for $238
https://www.amazon.com/QZF-Battery-W...XZ/ref=sr_1_8?

I did not take it apart or verify capacity. came with a charger and decent looking wires/connectors.

2old

Looks pretty good. Interesting; perused the description and it stated they wanted to provide a "nice dining experience". Also alluded to US manufacture site (wonder if that meant they put stickers on a Chinese battery here). As with any Chinese battery, I would store and charge where you wouldn't mind having a fire.

chas58

I'm thinking that literally, all e-bike batteries are from china. You might get them from a reseller, but the source country is the same.
Maybe you are talking about the cells in the battery? Certainly if you are not using Panasonic, LG, or Samsung cells, I'd be a bit wary. I'm not too keen on purchasing batter packs made up of generic cells.

PhilWinIL

I puchased a kit bike and converted it to an e-bike back in the winter of 2018-2019. Of all the parts, I found the battery to be the second most expensive part for the entire bike. What I paid attention to was the manufacturer of the batteries. The best ones to go with are Samsung, LG or Panasonic from what I read. The battery I purchased as the Joyisi 48V 10AH Lithium battery with charger, USB port and mount. Here is a link to the Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Joyisi-Ebike-...PBBP9ZAKN00VB3

The cost is still $284.99. From what I read somewhere the batteries themselves are Samsungs. They do also state that they use name brand batteries.

There is a photo of the finished bike attached. Now it is just finding time to get on it!

Phil

A bike kit ordered from 6KUBikes.com at the time and a Bafang 500W 48V rear hub/wheel assembly. Joyisi 48V 10AH Lithium/ion battery.

magicpie55

Hello . Can you please tell me how the QZF battery is working out for you ? I am shopping for one and see they are 1/2 price the dealer battery I bought that lasted under 3 years with mostly light use ..

dtbaker61

The QZF seems to be fine. I did not measure actual capacity with discharge and kill-a-watt meter on recharge... but the wiring and connectors seem decent. It is a 'soft pack', so it needs to be in a bag or otherwise securely held on bike. There is no on/off switch... so I would presume the internal BMS is always presenting a small parasitic load. I'd recommend charging monthly regardless of use.