Tesla 21700 Cells in Ebike Pack

[George S.]

I noticed that UPP, or Unit Pack Power, a Chinese ebike battery pack maker, now lists the Tesla 21700 in their high capacity packs. (See Amazon snip). I don’t know how many pack manufacturers have moved to the 21700. I have to figure that Tesla cells would be highly regarded in the US. I’m not sure why UPP has these cells. I’m not sure why other companies haven’t gone to the 21700, the big names I checked (web pages). There’s a thread where the rep for a Chinese company is discussing their use of 21700’s, in a pack that can ship to North America. That’s on EBR, search for Reention Dorado. Maybe the Reention rep could debate batteries with the Liito Kala rep? It’s interesting what battery vendors say about cells and construction. Some of it might even be true. There are several marketing models out there. Some use heavy branding ties to Samsung 50 or Tesla, but LK is a very value oriented approach. UPP combines both. I wonder which model does best?

 

[mclewis1]

Grin Technologies (ebikes.ca) has been shipping 36 and 52v packs with 21700 (Panasonic) cells for a few years now, so they are well proven. Because of the difference in the individual cell dimensions (compared to 18650s) you'll see different capacities with different battery shells, as some combinations fit some shells well, others not so much. I've been riding using one of their 750w 52v batteries for almost a year now and have been very impressed with it's performance.

 

[George S.]

Grin Technologies (ebikes.ca) has been shipping 36 and 52v packs with 21700 (Panasonic) cells for a few years now, so they are well proven. Because of the difference in the individual cell dimensions (compared to 18650s) you'll see different capacities with different battery shells, as some combinations fit some shells well, others not so much. I've been riding using one of their 750w 52v batteries for almost a year now and have been very impressed with it's performance.

I think Paul at EM3ev discusses the shells. He thinks the common ones are rubbish. That was my experience, that they weren't well made. But you are correct that ebike makers are 'stuck' with certain shell configurations. So then you try to fit the bigger cell in the space. What impressed me about the 21700 was how you could just assemble the pack and wrap it in shrink. The basic pack. That pack is small and light, to me. My pack was $100 but you see loose cells floating around to make packs around that price. It fits in a soft case I had and I don't even think about it. But if a company has a shell and it's full of 18650's and they can't fit another parallel set in the case, then what? So you probably have explained why there is no rush to the 21700. But there are clear advantages. They have been around a while. There are tons of Chinese 21700's.

Aesthetics are a big part of ebike marketing. I ran across this Japanese aesthetic, Wabi Sabi. It's sort of the beauty in the ugly, or making sure that beauty reflects reality. Not simple so I don't pretend to understand. But I am going to say my ebike is Wabi Sabi.

 

[harryS]

Seems a bit high priced for generic chinese 21700 cells at $345.
The lower Hailong case is 90 mm high, instead of 110mm. That's about 3/4" lower. In comparison, I could get their 48V13Ah pack with generic 18650 cells for $65 less, and I'd never miss that 1.5ah.

Meanwhile, you got the 13sx3p Littokala shrinkwrap for around $100. I decided I wanted one too, and mine is still in transit from China, but it was more like $120. I believe I could put the 13x3 pack into an empty Hailong case. I never thought about doing that til today.