Ebike Battery

Comparing battery sizes  seems to be a very common pastime in the electric bike market and people tend to think that the same size batteries from different manufacturers will perform in the same way. Unfortunately this is not true.

Yes, by right, the same size battery, for example 36V 10Ah, from any supplier should hold 360Wh of energy – exactly as it is rated. From the outside they may look the same.. But this is where it starts to mislead the users.

The most important part of an electric bike is the battery pack as that is the energy source to help power you along the road.  Most of the bikes now come with Lithium ion battery packs – but are they all the same?

This is the question people tend to neglect when they are comparing electric bikes, especially when comparing bikes from reputable suppliers with those sometimes found on the Internet.

The battery cases may look the same, but the battery cells might not be.

Next time you are looking you should be asking what is inside as this is very important when selecting a bike that you hope will last you a long time.

Most battery packs are made up of several lithium-ion cells inside the case and the most commonly used cells are in the 18650 cylinder format. (They look like AA batteries, but are slightly thicker and longer) There are usually 30-80 cells connected together to make up a power pack. The quantity depends on the capacity, measured in Watt hours, of the battery pack

A dedicated supplier of electric bikes like 3E, will particularly emphasise on the quality of these cells.

All the lithium-ion cells that come with 3E electric bikes are provided by Lishen, the largest supplier of EV lithium-ion cells in China. (Official website) and they are all Class A cells!

Lishen is also the OEM manufacturer forVALENCE battery packs which are used in the Segway.

Well, what can the better cells do?

Good quality EV lithium ion cells are designed to withstand more charge cycles and supply a higher current. In simple terms, they are designed to give you more power and last longer. Moreover, all the cells are selected to have identical characteristics which is essential to maximize the power output and life of the entire battery pack. The cheaper cells, on the other hand, tend not to be so carefully matched which reduces the power output and life of the pack.

Battery suppliers 3E recommends apart from Lishen are Sanyo and Panasonic - but here again, you have to be sure that they are using Class A cells.