What to do with batteries after 1,501 cycles?

[FitzChivalry]

So the bike I'm buying has a battery that is rated for 1,500 cycles. That will last me 3-4 years based on my anticipated level of use (commuting an average of 4 days/week, considering that I won't ride on days that it's blustery outside). So, what do we do with the battery after that point? Are there places that will recycle the batteries? Can we get them rebuilt?

One of my motivations is to be more green, and I want to make sure I'm not leaving a toxic mess behind when I replace the battery!

 

[James]

Hey Fitz,

I was thinking about the same thing the other day when I was holding my huge ebike battery... where's this thing gonna go once I burn it out? I looked into some sites (I live in Canada, so we can actually bring them to any of our government bottle/recycling depot's. That being said I found this website that might help:

http://www.batteryrecycling.com/

It looks like they'll take whatever kind of battery you have. I also wonder if as technology improves if the manufacturers of either the batteries or ebikes will take the batteries back and give you some sort of credit or something. Anyway this industry is growing at an incredible rate, and I'm curious to see where we end up!

Cheers,
James

 

[George S.]

So the bike I'm buying has a battery that is rated for 1,500 cycles. That will last me 3-4 years based on my anticipated level of use (commuting an average of 4 days/week, considering that I won't ride on days that it's blustery outside). So, what do we do with the battery after that point? Are there places that will recycle the batteries? Can we get them rebuilt?

One of my motivations is to be more green, and I want to make sure I'm not leaving a toxic mess behind when I replace the battery!

Hi,

I think the battery is rated for cycles until the capacity is reduced to 80% of the original capacity. Every lithium device I have owned gradually loses capacity, especially iPods. So, if you can live with the smaller capacity, you don't do anything. Eventually, it won't be enough.

The cost of lithium cells is dropping. Some people say it might drop 50% in five years. There is a lot of demand for cells, pushing the technologies. Realistically, you might get a lot better pack for less money, when you replace. It's all good, right?

They can recycle the lead in old lead acid (car) batteries, so the old becomes the new. I don't know if they can recover the lithium and other elements. There's 'clean' disposal and then there's recycling.

George

 

[FitzChivalry]

In all likelihood, I'll keep it as a second battery until it gets down to the point where its weight outweighs its benefit as a range-extender. I can totally see carrying around an extra 8 lbs. if it'll give me another 10-15 miles of range for a weekend trip.

 

[Jim]

So the bike I'm buying has a battery that is rated for 1,500 cycles. That will last me 3-4 years based on my anticipated level of use (commuting an average of 4 days/week, considering that I won't ride on days that it's blustery outside). So, what do we do with the battery after that point? Are there places that will recycle the batteries? Can we get them rebuilt?

One of my motivations is to be more green, and I want to make sure I'm not leaving a toxic mess behind when I replace the battery!

Here is a link to website that has all the places you can recycle batteries. http://www.call2recycle.org/locator/

 

[FitzChivalry]

An update on this thread. Sadly, my 48V10AH battery didn't get anywhere near 1,500 cycles on the battery before it no longer got me all the way to work (21 miles). I also noticed that they no longer mention the 1,500 cycles like they had been when I bought my bike in February of 2014. Here's the email I sent to Pedego last August:

My battery no longer gets me all the way to work before conking out. As I recall from when I bought the bike from Practical Cycle in February of 2014, it is warranted to maintain 80% of its original capacity for 1,000 charges. Is my memory correct?

I'm at roughly 3,600 miles, with it having been charged every 21 miles (@work and back @home). That means is at fewer than 175 charge cycles.
​

Fortunately, they applied my prorated warranty to the purchase of an upgraded 48V15AH battery, which I will start using within the next few weeks. I'm still a HUGE Pedego fan, and still consider every dime I've spent on my bike, its accessories, and the replacement battery to be money well-spent.

 

[Va. Bch. Electric Bike Center]

An update on this thread. Sadly, my 48V10AH battery didn't get anywhere near 1,500 cycles on the battery before it no longer got me all the way to work (21 miles). I also noticed that they no longer mention the 1,500 cycles like they had been when I bought my bike in February of 2014. Here's the email I sent to Pedego last August:

My battery no longer gets me all the way to work before conking out. As I recall from when I bought the bike from Practical Cycle in February of 2014, it is warranted to maintain 80% of its original capacity for 1,000 charges. Is my memory correct?

I'm at roughly 3,600 miles, with it having been charged every 21 miles (@work and back @home). That means is at fewer than 175 charge cycles.
​

Fortunately, they applied my prorated warranty to the purchase of an upgraded 48V15AH battery, which I will start using within the next few weeks. I'm still a HUGE Pedego fan, and still consider every dime I've spent on my bike, its accessories, and the replacement battery to be money well-spent.

Pedego's batteries are much better now than in 2014 being that they use a much higher quality Samsung sourced cell. You should get a lot more life out of the new battery if properly cared for. Yea, Pedego's warranty and customer service is fantastic and really stands out in an industry that's getting more and more crowded.

 

[JoePah]

Anyone who advertizes their batteries are good for 1500 cycles is telling fairy tales. Pedego should have given you a new one. Less than two years to replace a battery is not good..

People keep saying batteries are much better now than they were a few years ago, and they may be right.. I just don't believe the 1500 cycles or even close to that... Reason: We use almost the full range of our batteries every time we ride, and they are subject to wide temp swings.

I was able to squeeze 7000 miles out of my A2B with its LiMn battery pack.. When it was down to 60%, got rid of the whole bike.

Your new battery should last a lot longer, since you'll be using a smaller portion of its capacity before you charge.

 

[Ann M.]

I think issues like what FitzChivalry is talking about is one reason Pedego pulled all of its batteries a couple of years ago and started using ones fabricated with better quality Samsung cells which do get the kind of charge cycles we all need. Most lithium chemistries can be put together to optimize either quick power output or greater number of charge cycles, so if the original battery may have had power but no long life. Samsung seems to have managed to optimize both sides of this equation with their current design.

 

[BrianEBike]

Hi i see you had the A2B ebike. their is one for sale near me but i am sure the reason is the batteries are dead. a new one from the uk is 700 dollars wow. i was wondering if you know if the batteries use 18650 cells in them? or what type of cell, also if you know where to get replacement battery that is not so expensive

Anyone who advertizes their batteries are good for 1500 cycles is telling fairy tales. Pedego should have given you a new one. Less than two years to replace a battery is not good..

People keep saying batteries are much better now than they were a few years ago, and they may be right.. I just don't believe the 1500 cycles or even close to that... Reason: We use almost the full range of our batteries every time we ride, and they are subject to wide temp swings.

I was able to squeeze 7000 miles out of my A2B with its LiMn battery pack.. When it was down to 60%, got rid of the whole bike.

Your new battery should last a lot longer, since you'll be using a smaller portion of its capacity before you charge.