Easy Motion Battery Rebuild

[Russnlp]

Has anyone done a rebuild of the Easy Motion Neo City battery? After just over 3 yrs my battery is now running out before I get home. I was quoted $999 AU for a replacement and they wanted another $50 to fit the battery! Buying it from the US works out to about $850 AU but shipping will take a while.
I can see screws that may allow me to get inside the housing but I don't want to destroy it trying to open it. Any hints, tips or ideas?
Where can I buy the replacement cells?

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I have looked into it and have asked few people around.
But they all wanted a donor battery to do the initial testing. Shipping batteries with Hazmat restrictions takes a bit of paperwork.
If you can't find any rebuilder, I will be happy to help you and ship one from the US warehouse.

 

[Russnlp]

I have looked into it and have asked few people around.
But they all wanted a donor battery to do the initial testing. Shipping batteries with Hazmat restrictions takes a bit of paperwork.
If you can't find any rebuilder, I will be happy to help you and ship one from the US warehouse.

Thank you Ravi what would be the cost including shipping to Australia? Is it a 9ah battery or is there a bigger capacity available?

 

[Vern]

Omg. I'm in the same boat. They should at least offer some sort of core credit like they do with car batteries.

 

[mamerc]

Put me on that list, surely one of us would like to see a Youtube take apart.

 

[mamerc]

I am curious on life of battery. I understand time is also a factor on battery life, so f buying a replacement, how long would a shelf battery last. The curved battery is a couple of years old now right?

 

[Russnlp]

Also it's interesting that 36v batteries with a capacity around 10ah cost between $150 - $300 and in a case made for other bikes between $200 - $400. Now I'm all for people making a healthy profit, we all have families to feed, but how is $800 - $1000 not a rip off?

 

[flymeaway]

we all have families to feed, but how is $800 - $1000 not a rip off?

When you buy anything custom built you hitch your wagon to that standard. Competition is the Mother's milk of lowering cost and the generic battery systems have to compete, the custom designs don't. It's not a "rip-off" when you have many more options to choose. If cost is a priority, custom designs don't fit that requirement.

Court J.

 

[Jack Tyler]

"Also it's interesting that 36v batteries with a capacity around 10ah cost between $150 - $300 and in a case made for other bikes between $200 - $400. Now I'm all for people making a healthy profit, we all have families to feed, but how is $800 - $1000 not a rip off?"

It would seem so at first glance...but in reality manufacturers routinely place much higher prices on replacement parts of all kinds than the incremental cost of the same part assembled on the production line. And it's been common practice for decades. They offer a lengthy explanation for the disparity between 'manufactured value' and 'replacement value': different inventory control system, distributor mark-ups, importing/shipping fees, warehousing cost, post-sale tracking & inventory management, and so forth. This is why so many companies now exist that provide after-market, off-branded replacement parts for your computer, that damaged fender on your car, the broken lawnmower part, and so on. If a BH-manufactured, exact-duplicate battery (same fit, same specs, same QA) can be purchased for only double the cost of a generic (non-matching, non-spec compatible) off-brand battery bank offered by an importer, I'd say that's relatively less of a cost mark-up than is more typically the case. Of course, this doesn't make the pain of the purchase go away...

 

[Russnlp]

So the obvious solution is to work out how to open the battery case and buy replacement cells. Has anyone worked out how to open the battery case?

 

[JoePah]

To all you Aussies: we have some exc DIY guys from Aus in Endless Sphere Facebook.

E problem I see with a rebuild is that u need a spot welder, and some experience.

Suggest you join that group and ask for help if there's more than one to build they might take the job

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

So the obvious solution is to work out how to open the battery case and buy replacement cells. Has anyone worked out how to open the battery case?

I need to look into the shipping cost. USPS doesn't handle Li-ion batteries. DHL/Fedex should but they are pricey.
We tried to ship a BH EVO 29er wheel to Finland and the complete wheel shipping came to be ~$850(UPS), $1700(Fedex) , so we stripped the wheel and just sent the motor.

Building a battery into a custom pack is very tricky. You need to purchase exact/similar BMS and make sure everything is accurate or else your display will go wonky. It's going to be a steep learning curve.

If you want to build a battery, here is an excellent resource:

 

[George S.]

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Basically what you need, but not 36v. These fit in a seat pack or small handlebar pack. If you had the right connector, it might work. Shows what the parts are worth. You want 10s by 3p, so two more cells. That would 36v and 10.5 amp hour.

 

[Jasonpb]

DHL/Fedex/UPS all handle Li-ion batteries, shipping an entire bike from Lenny to AU for ~$550 USD so I'd hope the battery on it's own would be a little cheaper.

 

[BurnStar]

I'm about to try and fix the battery (as opposed to rebuild) on my 2013 Neo Cross, it's 2 1/2 yrs old and is now cutting out at 3 bars (in sport mode) under load so I figure I have some cells that are failing as if I leave it in normal mode it doesn't cut out.

I've just purchased a new battery and I'm looking for some donor batteries to use the cells to replace the faulty ones in my old one, I'm in Sydney (Chatswood or City) if anyone is interested in donating their old battery

Once I've practiced on mine successfully I'll be happy to do the same for others. (I just need that first donor battery for spares)

@Russnlp to open your battery remove the screws from the bottom but I believe you will need to apply some heat to the top part of the battery as underneath it there is double sided tape and you need the heat to loosen this up (just use a hair dryer but don't get it burning hot), then gently 'peel' the cover off (you'll need to be patient and just feel the double sided tape give way slowly)

Here's what the inside looks like

 

[J.R.]

I'm about to try and fix the battery (as opposed to rebuild) on my 2013 Neo Cross, it's 2 1/2 yrs old and is now cutting out at 3 bars (in sport mode) under load so I figure I have some cells that are failing as if I leave it in normal mode it doesn't cut out.

I've just purchased a new battery and I'm looking for some donor batteries to use the cells to replace the faulty ones in my old one, I'm in Sydney (Chatswood or City) if anyone is interested in donating their old battery

Once I've practiced on mine successfully I'll be happy to do the same for others. (I just need that first donor battery for spares)

@Russnlp to open your battery remove the screws from the bottom but I believe you will need to apply some heat to the top part of the battery as underneath it there is double sided tape and you need the heat to loosen this up (just use a hair dryer but don't get it burning hot), then gently 'peel' the cover off (you'll need to be patient and just feel the double sided tape give way slowly)

Here's what the inside looks like

That's huge! Thanks for sharing that information, I took screen shots of those pics. I have an Evo, but I expect it's the same, just a little bigger. Anything you want to share, I'll be grateful. I've used and spec'd a wide variety of commercial double faced tape and there are some really strong bonding tapes used in many industries. Your tip about getting the adhesive warm is a good one.

Thanks!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I'm about to try and fix the battery (as opposed to rebuild) on my 2013 Neo Cross, it's 2 1/2 yrs old and is now cutting out at 3 bars (in sport mode) under load so I figure I have some cells that are failing as if I leave it in normal mode it doesn't cut out.

I've just purchased a new battery and I'm looking for some donor batteries to use the cells to replace the faulty ones in my old one, I'm in Sydney (Chatswood or City) if anyone is interested in donating their old battery

Once I've practiced on mine successfully I'll be happy to do the same for others. (I just need that first donor battery for spares)

@Russnlp to open your battery remove the screws from the bottom but I believe you will need to apply some heat to the top part of the battery as underneath it there is double sided tape and you need the heat to loosen this up (just use a hair dryer but don't get it burning hot), then gently 'peel' the cover off (you'll need to be patient and just feel the double sided tape give way slowly)

Here's what the inside looks like

Wonderful!
We have started working on cramming 460 Whrs into 417Whr batteries from Easy Motion. Unlike the old Samsung 22P, they have moved to Samsung 29E.
I have not had time to mess with the wiring but I will be very happy if I can get Samsung 32E in the spots of 29E.

 

[Vern]

Wonderful!
We have started working on cramming 460 Whrs into 417Whr batteries from Easy Motion. Unlike the old Samsung 22P, they have moved to Samsung 29E.
I have not had time to mess with the wiring but I will be very happy if I can get Samsung 32E in the spots of 29E.

I would invest in a business that rebuilds ebike batteries, provided it doesn't get sued. At the very least be the first customer!! Think of the printer cartridge refill. I always order from LD products because they sell printer and toner cartridges for less than 1/2 the price. It seems like a business model waiting for the taker!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I would invest in a business that rebuilds ebike batteries, provided it doesn't get sued. At the very least be the first customer!! Think of the printer cartridge refill. I always order from LD products because they sell printer and toner cartridges for less than 1/2 the price. It seems like a business model waiting for the taker!

That's a great business idea for Asian markets. Here, the market is so minimal (as of now) that the custom tooling cost for making those batteries can't yield such low prices you see on bare shrink wrapped triangle or rectangle pack.
If you're just concerned about the battery, it's one thing but aesthetics is another thing. Easy Motion has adopted this line " Electric Bike that doesn't look like one".

You can see a similar trend in battery frames.
Magnum, Prodeco, Juiced and Flux have alll adopted similar battery frames and this is available in plenty in the Asian factories. The cell quality may vary but the tooling cost remains fairly similar.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

But, I am certain all of this will change in about 2 years. I think 500-600 Whrs would be fairly common on most bikes.

 

[mamerc]

I'm about to try and fix the battery (as opposed to rebuild) on my 2013 Neo Cross, it's 2 1/2 yrs old and is now cutting out at 3 bars (in sport mode) under load so I figure I have some cells that are failing as if I leave it in normal mode it doesn't cut out.

I've just purchased a new battery and I'm looking for some donor batteries to use the cells to replace the faulty ones in my old one, I'm in Sydney (Chatswood or City) if anyone is interested in donating their old battery

Once I've practiced on mine successfully I'll be happy to do the same for others. (I just need that first donor battery for spares)

@Russnlp to open your battery remove the screws from the bottom but I believe you will need to apply some heat to the top part of the battery as underneath it there is double sided tape and you need the heat to loosen this up (just use a hair dryer but don't get it burning hot), then gently 'peel' the cover off (you'll need to be patient and just feel the double sided tape give way slowly)

Here's what the inside looks like

I'm about to try and fix the battery (as opposed to rebuild) on my 2013 Neo Cross, it's 2 1/2 yrs old and is now cutting out at 3 bars (in sport mode) under load so I figure I have some cells that are failing as if I leave it in normal mode it doesn't cut out.

I've just purchased a new battery and I'm looking for some donor batteries to use the cells to replace the faulty ones in my old one, I'm in Sydney (Chatswood or City) if anyone is interested in donating their old battery

Once I've practiced on mine successfully I'll be happy to do the same for others. (I just need that first donor battery for spares)

@Russnlp to open your battery remove the screws from the bottom but I believe you will need to apply some heat to the top part of the battery as underneath it there is double sided tape and you need the heat to loosen this up (just use a hair dryer but don't get it burning hot), then gently 'peel' the cover off (you'll need to be patient and just feel the double sided tape give way slowly)

Here's what the inside looks like