Lithium Ion Batteries have been in the press recently for all the wrong reasons and we have put some information here about some of the Do’s and Dont’s to inform your buying decision and to increase the life of your eBike batteries
Lithium Ion batteries are transforming the world we live in and increasing mobility not just for people trying to reduce their carbon footprint, but also for those unable to drive or for those with a lack of physical mobility or disabilities that restrict their movement.
We have put some information below and will try and update it as soon as more information becomes available or new advances of technology are available
The general advice is to buy your battery from a reputable dealer or bike shop. When you buy an eBike from a recognised brand, the Motor, Battery and Charger will come with the bike and many are closed systems. This means that the components are not interchangeable with other brands
As an example this will mean you will need a Bosch Battery with a Bosch Motor and Bosch Charger as well as any Bosch display. This is important as they are designed to work together and have numerous features such as Battery Management Systems that monitor the health of the Battery and to stop charging as soon as the battery is at full capacity.
This doesn’t just extend to brands such as Bosch motors fitted to many bikes but also to other closed systems motors such as Shimano, Yamaha, Brose etc and in most cases these are specified on the bike
When you buy a bike that carries a CE Mark from the UK or Europe this should also be specified with a motor battery and charger and although there is more flexibility for example with a Bafang Motor, the battery should ideally be fitted with quality battery cells from companies such as LG, Samsung or Panasonic and the charger is again specific to the bike to ensure there are safety cut outs
Online shopping cannot be ignored but you should exercise a fair degree of caution when buying Lithium Ion Batteries online. In the same way you would not probably buy pharmaceuticals, parachutes, fire detectors, childrens toys etc from any online shop the same point is valid when it comes to batteries and chargers.
Many self build kit batteries are available on the internet and this market is largely self regulated and until more stringent regulations come into force a degree of caution needs to be applied when choosing your battery to ensure is has gone through stringent testing and has quality Lithium ion batteries and a Battery Management System
.Arguably the biggest risk with a charger that is not specified with the eBike/Scooter etc is the fact it may not be suitable or compatible for your battery on your eBike. This is arguably one of the largest risks when it comes to Lithium Ion battery fires, however recent research has shown that over 40% of eScooters have a charger bought after market. If your charger fails make sure you contact the manufacturer of your eBike or battery for a replacement.
