Need a 48v 13ah battery under $300

[My Alien LIfe]

Looking for a 48v 13ah battery under $300.
Everything is ready to go with the Voilamart 1000 watt rear motor.

What kind of luck have you had with a battery in that price range.

Thanks

C

 

[JRA]

Given shipping costs of a battery that can be up to $100/ you will be looking at the actual battery cost including markup of $200 which means less than $100 construction cost so luck will have to be involved for sure.

 

[My Alien LIfe]

I’m specifically asking people if they’ve had any experience with the batteries I’ve mentioned. You find them on eBay, Amazon or Walmart.

 

[tomjasz]

Sure. It’s a coin toss. Worse odds than Lost Wages Nevada. You’ve been warned. Once again Mr. Necro Poster links to a supplier he knows nothing about. See George S and Gioni posts and their experiences with his linked company. At BEST you’ll get cheaply sloppily made generic cells or relabelled low grade rejects.

 

[tomjasz]

doesn't seem to be the case

Based on what experience? FFS several trusted members here, not YouTubers with unknown adgendas on YouTube, have reviewed the cheap seats and revealed the pitfalls. Ever tried to return a battery to China? Hell it’s a PIA stateside.

They’re a good source for a few LiFePO4 prismatic and cheap but OK fanless chargers. I have both. But generic 18650 suck. Rewraps suck.

 

[tomjasz]

A quick update as this battery is being referenced elsewhere.
At 8 months the battery became useless.
On the last two charges it quickly ran down and started showing a 5 - 6v sag where it was 2-3v on initial use.

Lessons learned.
First and foremost... I like having a 10ah in the triangle better than 17.5ah on the rear rack enough to deal with less capacity. Being unsure if it would fit and it does just fit by millimeters, it was worth the price of admission to experiment with a low cost prototype and not end up with a quality battery costing 5x more with no use.
Second... LIITOKALA provided absolutely zero support both before and after opening a dispute and gave no argument during the dispute
Third... Aliexpress Guarantee is questionable at best. Though they did end up giving me a 50% refund.. it required more than necessary proof with multiple videos in an attempt to wear me out. Additionally since LIITOKALA gave no explanation or solution replies during the dispute it tells me that they have a back channel to communicate with Aliexpress.
Fourth... Getting the remaining refund from Citi/Mastercard also took a bit more effort than necessary... But if you insist on whether or not they cover receiving defective goods they will cover you. It was evident that the Money talks to Money (Bank - Large Vendor) was that was their initial priority.

 

[Gionnirocket]

If this is all you can afford I would save a little more and get a reputable battery.
I took the LIITOKALA challenge and lost as far as getting a dependable battery.
I knew going in it was a gamble and it was worth it to me as I had multiple reasons for trying... but most importantly I could afford it if things didn't work out.
The battery became unusable at 8 months old.

Is This Battery Pack for Real ($106) ??

I use Matt Bzura @ Bicycle Motor Works (dotcom) Man! Lots of 52V batteries! I’m moving back to >20Ah 36V. They are getting harder to find. 21700 soft pack from Jenny Mao in route. Asking if Bzura builds 36V. Thank you!

electricbikereview.com

What do you mean by unknown agendas on YouTube?
You're saying that internet forum is more credible than YouTube?

I'm sure there are many credible YouTubers too, how is that different than internet posters?
At least YouTubers are showing their process in the video.

If it's not obvious... Many youtube'rs get compensation, free samples and advertising income. That should explain unknown agenda.
I've yet to receive anything for the bullshit I disseminate here.

 

[harryS]

1st video, Micah allows that he night have rewrapped grade B cells.
2nd video is LiFePO4, off topic.
3rd video, guy is an ass. Waste of time.

GeorgeS first introduced us to the $109 Liitokala 48V15ah 21700 on the forum. He was happy with it, using it sensibly. Gionnirocket bought something similar. He killed it. I knew he would, running an undersized pack on his 750W BBS02. I did the same thing with a $89 Laudation 48V10Ah on my BBS02. They're low end cells, Run them past their max current and they overheat/deteriorate.

I also had ordered the $109 Littokala 21700 pack, but this time I run it like CLark Kent, and it is OK. It's rated at 15AH, puts out maybe 12AH in real life, and that's a fair value, if it don't blow up. I've charged mine about a dozen times. Very light use,

My ideas on battery construction have changed . I haven't seen any of Micah Toll's recent instructional videos, but in his first ones, he glues the cells together. The DIY world has pretty much abandoned that as unsafe. It's OK for the millions of recharegeable cells in your cable modem, but ebike batteries get shaken on bikes, they tip over, and (gasp) even get dropped. Meanwhile, the cheaper chinese packs are glued, and once in a while we read about them going up in flames.

 

[Gionnirocket]

1st video, Micah allows that he night have rewrapped grade B cells.
2nd video is LiFePO4, off topic.
3rd video, guy is an ass. Waste of time.

GeorgeS first introduced us to the $109 Liitokala 48V15ah 21700 on the forum. He was happy with it, using it sensibly. Gionnirocket bought something similar. He killed it. I knew he would, running an undersized pack on his 750W BBS02. I did the same thing with a $89 Laudation 48V10Ah on my BBS02. They're low end cells, Run them past their max current and they overheat/deteriorate.

I also had ordered the $109 Littokala 21700 pack, but this time I run it like CLark Kent, and it is OK. It's rated at 15AH, puts out maybe 12AH in real life, and that's a fair value, if it don't blow up. I've charged mine about a dozen times. Very light use,

My ideas on battery construction have changed . I haven't seen any of Micah Toll's recent instructional videos, but in his first ones, he glues the cells together. The DIY world has pretty much abandoned that as unsafe. It's OK for the millions of recharegeable cells in your cable modem, but ebike batteries get shaken on bikes, they tip over, and (gasp) even get dropped. Meanwhile, the cheaper chinese packs are glued, and once in a while we read about them going up in flames.

Sorry Harry.... But you are off base with my experience.
The LIITOKALA battery I purchased was being used well within specifications supplied by them. Spec'd at 30a continuous I have my BBSO2B set at a 20a max and I rarely exceed 15a.
It had a defective cell group which I demonstrated and it was destined to fail no matter how it was used.
I have a near identical Sanyo pack from Jenny and I'll let you know in a few months how it's doing.

 

[harryS]

I would suggest to the OP to avoid the shrink wrapped blue brick batteries, because they get knocked around, which isn't good. If you put them inside a padded case, then they're a little safer. Try to find a battery where they tell you more than just 48V13AH. You'd want to know the peak current. A Voilamart 1000W motor should have a battery than can supply 30A. It probably only has a 20A controller, but the headroom is good,

See if they tell you the internal details, like 13S-4P. That means 13 cells in series, 4 in parallel. You actually want more cells in parallel so that the individual cells works less hard, and they will last longer. . A 13S-5P or 13S-6P is a more robust solution. A 13AH battery is on the small size for a 1000W motor. Consider 15Ah or higher. There will likely be more cells in parallel, which gives you higher current in addition to the higher AH.

I'd stay on amazon, even though it's full of shysters these days. Look at the one star reviews, and the critical ones. My first battery came from ebay in 2015, cost $280 for a 36V10Ah, and I still use it. It was advertised as a "Headway" battery, Later, I learned Headways are top quality industrial grade cells, about the size of a hot dog. There is no way there's Headwaycells in that battery, but it has lasted a long time.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I would suggest to the OP to avoid the shrink wrapped blue brick batteries, because they get knocked around, which isn't good. If you put them inside a padded case, then they're a little safer. Try to find a battery where they tell you more than just 48V13AH. You'd want to know the peak current. A Voilamart 1000W motor should have a battery than can supply 30A. It probably only has a 20A controller, but the headroom is good,

See if they tell you the internal details, like 13S-4P. That means 13 cells in series, 4 in parallel. You actually want more cells in parallel so that the individual cells works less hard, and they will last longer. . A 13S-5P or 13S-6P is a more robust solution. A 13AH battery is on the small size for a 1000W motor. Consider 15Ah or higher. There will likely be more cells in parallel, which gives you higher current in addition to the higher AH.

I'd stay on amazon, even though it's full of shysters these days. Look at the one star reviews, and the critical ones. My first battery came from ebay in 2015, cost $280 for a 36V10Ah, and I still use it. It was advertised as a "Headway" battery, Later, I learned Headways are top quality industrial grade cells, about the size of a hot dog. There is no way there's Headwaycells in that battery, but it has lasted a long time.

I totally agree with the more cells in parallel, the better. That was my reason for starting off with a 13s5p 17.5ah battery. Downside for me was on my bike I could only fit in on the rear rack. It was great for riding around town and on paved paths... But on occasion I feel froggy and like to venture off road where a rear rack battery was annoyingly rear heavy. Though I gave up the capacity moving to 13s3p...it really is best suited for my bike and what I want to do with it.

Everything is a compromise...

 

[harryS]

Sorry Harry.... But you are off base with my experience.
The LIITOKALA battery I purchased was being used well within specifications supplied by them. Spec'd at 30a continuous I have my BBSO2B set at a 20a max and I rarely exceed 15a.
It had a defective cell group which I demonstrated and it was destined to fail no matter how it was used.

The thing is, they said it was 30A and they lied to you. It was a little 39 cell 18650 battery, and they're claiming 10A continuous per cell on a sub $100 battery. Samsung cells can do that and more, but the cells alone will be over $240 if you buy them at retail in the USA.

I'm glad you stuck their false claims back at them and got your money back.

 

[tomjasz]

EM3ev or Jenny.

No one is shipping now. Locked down and confined to home.

 

[Gionnirocket]

The thing is, they said it was 30A and they lied to you. It was a little 39 cell 18650 battery, and they're claiming 10A continuous per cell on a sub $100 battery. Samsung cells can do that and more, but the cells alone will be over $240 if you buy them at retail in the USA.

I'm glad you stuck their false claims back at them and got your money back.


View attachment 118622

Honesty the cells when first arrived put out very well for my needs... again not pushing them near their rating. The real issue with the pack is the faulty cell group. And as we all know the weak link in any chain ends up being your limit. I'd be curious to see the performance/longevity of a pack having all cells in working order. Since it failed a few weeks ago I haven't cared to see what's going on inside and to know if more cells are failing or if the initial weak group just s*it the bed.
The near identically spec'd Sanyo pack I have now is also rated at 10a/cell max continuous output... Using it as I do it should last me a few years.
Continuous means the discharging at that rate for the entire time. Even though the BBSO2B is rated at 25a..riding it at that continuously would be one damn near hell ride or one big ass hill.
If I charted a typical 20mi ride by current:time it would probably look something like...
0 - 3a: 50%
3.1a - 6a: 45%
6.1a - 9a: 4.5%
9.1a - 15a: 0.49%
15.1a - 20a: 0.01%
I should be well within specs as my brief peaks fall well below the continuous max rating...

 

[Gionnirocket]

No one is shipping now. Locked down and confined to home.

I was second guessing myself when I ordered my battery last September going into the winter and that I possibly should have waited until this spring when I start riding more often and longer.
Somehow I guessed right... how'd that happen?

 

[My Alien LIfe]

Amazon and Walmart have 2 year warranties on their batteries. Yes you pay for that. 2 years is worth it I believe.

Having said that: has anyone tried their multi-brand batteries that are under $300. The question is that simple.

 

[tomjasz]

I bought 4 new batteries and set up a rotation program on my iPhone and setup charging levels and tracking on my satiators. Not answering calls and emails gives me time to play with my Grinspector! No more repairs and time separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

[tomjasz]

Amazon and Walmart have 2 year warranties on their batteries. Yes you pay for that. 2 years is worth it I believe.

Having said that: has anyone tried their multi-brand batteries that are under $300. The question is that simple.

Look if you know better why ask? we’re telling you our experience has shown them to be a risk and not worth $300. Yes,some of us have experience with many batteries from various sources. $300 is a cheap shoot. It may even be dangerous. I’ve seen cheap battery builds ignite. Partly because the users were responsible for miss managing charging and the build hadn’t any of the protection circuits. Those glued cell packs will get very hot when riding fast and draining peak loads.

Read the thread. Yes I’ve had $300 or ,less batteries as have other responders.

for shits and giggles post links to those you’ve found and we'll translate for you.

You’ve been warned.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Having said that: has anyone tried their multi-brand batteries that are under $300. The question is that simple.

I haven't... but you should.

 

[tomjasz]

I bought 4 new batteries and set up a rotation program on my iPhone and setup charging levels and tracking on my satiators. Not answering calls and emails gives me time to play with my Grinspector! No more repairs and time separate the wheat from the chaff.