Hello from Vashon, WA. Been using my Hilltopper kit since 2016 in my gardening business

[Diane Emerson]

I recently ordered a replacement battery, thinking it was my usual lightweight one, the
12-mile 3-lb Lithium Sprinter battery.

But what arrived was twice as heavy, and had a different way to connect to the system on my bike. Ukko Concepts, the new name for Clean Republic, has not returned my e-mails nor my phone calls to technical service. Does anyone know where I can buy one or several of the 12 mile, 3lb Lithium Sprinter batteries? Even used, if in good shape. And does anyone know how I can get the company to respond to me? Thanks for any help you can provide. I could make the heavier battery work, but it needs a different connection than what it has.

Thanks for any guidance you can offer!
Diane

 

[indianajo]

Welcome to the site. Happy your hilltopper has been a productive transport device.
Check out this thread about battery repair services in LA, Denver, and Ohio. https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/electric-bike-battery-repair-repacking.16033/
In general you an individual can't ship your old battery to the repair facility, but maybe the services know a way. Small batteries as for power tools can be shipped, and this sounds rather small.
If you can provide a picture of the old connector, and the new connector, maybe somebody can recognize it and know where to buy it. The cells are nearly all the same, the mounting provision and connector are all that make a battery unique.

 

[harryS]

I looked up your web site, Diane. Nice. You can probably find someone who can put on the right connectors if you don't have the tools/experience. Mybe a PC repair shop, or other electrical repair place, as long as the tech has some brains and doesn't attach it backwards.

 

[Diane Emerson]

Thank you for your help and suggestions, Indianajo and Harry. I also approached my local bike shop, and they may be able to switch out the connector so the new battery works with my older system. Fingers crossed! I would still be very interested in obtaining additional smaller batteries, like what I have been using. Especially when my gardening clients are too far to reach by bike, and I bring my gardening tools in a backpack, and put my bike on the bus to get close enough to ride the rest of the way. I will now have to disconnect the battery before putting the bike on the bus. Not the end of the world....

Since my lithium bike batteries arrive UPS, couldn't others ship them to me that way too?

 

[indianajo]

Certified hazmat shippers can ship batteries all the time. To ship the old one to a repair shop, you are not a certified hazmat shipper, and cannot afford the training and insurance required to become one. There is a lower limit below which shipments are permissable. One of the battery repair shops could guide you as to what AH or weight limit that is. 12 miles is a low capacity bike battery.

 

[tomjasz]

Thank you for your help and suggestions, Indianajo and Harry. I also approached my local bike shop, and they may be able to switch out the connector so the new battery works with my older system. Fingers crossed! I would still be very interested in obtaining additional smaller batteries, like what I have been using. Especially when my gardening clients are too far to reach by bike, and I bring my gardening tools in a backpack, and put my bike on the bus to get close enough to ride the rest of the way. I will now have to disconnect the battery before putting the bike on the bus. Not the end of the world....

Since my lithium bike batteries arrive UPS, couldn't others ship them to me that way too?

Hey! Nick Penovich, a master soil restoration guy is near you. Link with someone local with basic soldering skills. Changing connectors is a skill worth learning. Better yet, become self sufficient and learn how to sort connectors. You’re a gardener, giving you more common sense than the average rider! Add some pictures of the connectors and we can guide you through learning to sort.

 

[Diane Emerson]

Hey! Nick Penovich, a master soil restoration guy is near you. Link with someone local with basic soldering skills. Changing connectors is a skill worth learning. Better yet, become self sufficient and learn how to sort connectors. You’re a gardener, giving you more common sense than the average rider! Add some pictures of the connectors and we can guide you through learning to sort.

Thanks, Thomas. Interesting that you mention soil restoration. I am currently researching compost tea as a cure for soil borne fungal diseases, affecting the Japanese Maples and cherry trees of several of my clients. I may contact Nick about that. These are the kind of additional life skills I wish to add, rather than learning to re-wire my bike, at this time. Though in saying that, I am a big fan of our regular FixIt Cafes, and may bring the batteries there if my local bike shop can't help. If I do, I will watch closely, and learn.

 

[PDXzap]

Is this the battery you're looking for? Spare 24v Sprinter Battery Pack
As mentioned before, pictures of the old and new pack and connectors would help us help you

 

[tomjasz]

I am currently researching compost tea as a cure for soil borne fungal diseases, affecting the Japanese Maples and cherry trees of several of my clients.

I did the compost tea work in Las Vegas with Fusarium in Canary Island Date Palms. We were able to show 100% partial inhibition in the lab and completely arrested the progression in the entire population. Nick visited me when he bought his first spray truck and went on to incredible successes.

 

[Diane Emerson]

Is this the battery you're looking for? Spare 24v Sprinter Battery Pack
As mentioned before, pictures of the old and new pack and connectors would help us help you

Thank you for your offer to help, PDXzap. The link you provided is the battery I ordered because I thought it was for my bike, but it is not. Clean Republic apparently no longer carry the small battery I have been using, and want to continue using. I have attached photos of the battery I am looking for: 3lb, short range, with these connections. Both the large and the small batteries are 24 volt.

 

[tomjasz]

Finding those connectors will be a total pain. Their battery to motor connections likely are simple two wire, positive and negative. Simply change connectors. Any small battery will work.. See sites like eBikes.ca for connector pictures and options. Many here can guide you. We’re more than happy to help you to be independent and easily replace connectors.

Connectors - Learn

There are lots and lots of connector types used in the ebike industry, so many that it would be a very tall order to try and list them all. In our business, we focus just on aftermarket conversion kits and have tried to keep the connector styles down to a well chosen minimal set. This page...

www.ebikes.ca

Definitive Guide to Ebike Connectors

Editor note: Part 1 of a 5 part series on the wiring of DIY ebikes Choosing the right connectors for your electric bike battery can be a critical decision for a person who is new to electric bikes.…

www.electricbike.com

How To Swap An Ebike Connector

www.ebikeschool.com

Email or continue here for more help. I’m not aLuna fan, but they have small batteries. I don’t see where you posted the battery voltage? I’m sorry if I missed it!

 

[tomjasz]

Given the quality of battery you started with, unitpackpower soft case would be a good choice. They can also match connectors, but use your multimeter to ID which pin is negative, and which is positive. Probably well under $200 delivered.

 

[Diane Emerson]

Email or continue here for more help. I’m not aLuna fan, but they have small batteries. I don’t see where you posted the battery voltage? I’m sorry if I missed it!

24 Volt. I have 3 of the small batteries. One is completely dead, and I can hopefully use the connector from that dead battery to modify the new, heavier battery to be used on my bike. Thank you for your help and the links, Thomas. I have many more options now!! And on Monday I will bring the old dead small battery and the new heavier battery to my local bike shop.

 

[PDXzap]

Diane, I found this wiring diagram online but without having the parts in front of me it's hard to say this matches your setup.

It was on this website.
Court reviewed a Hilltopper here and if this is the same setup as yours then your battery bag also contains a controller?
I see you just replied so best of luck at the LBS and you might want to reference that wiring diagram to your LBS when you go in.

Edit: The first linked website refers to SLA batteries but the setup should be similar for lithium assuming your new, unusable battery has a BMS... most do.

 

[Diane Emerson]

Yes, the pack contains a controller. Thank you so much for the diagram. That will help immensely when changing out the plug. I very much appreciate the time you have taken to find these resources for me, PDXzap.

 

[PDXzap]

Glad to help. It could be as easy as cutting and stripping the battery positive and negative wires and wire nutting them back together. Best of luck.

 

[tomjasz]

Yikes! Never occurred to me that there were still SLA battery kits out there. Wow!

 

[PDXzap]

Yikes! Never occurred to me that there were still SLA battery kits out there. Wow!

I found it on a post that was 9 or so years old.