So I stumbled into the LiFePO4 discussions while trying to find a better replacement for my 36V E-Bike (EV). Skimming the forum posts for about a year back, I run across several references to individuals/enterprises hoping to produce DIY kits "soon." I'd like to know what the forum believes is a realistic time period for someone to come out with a retro kit for electrically-challenged individuals? I mean, I can wire cells in series or parallel...but beyond that I'd be easily lost. Discharge rates, management systems, balancing connectors...or even having to connect in certain terminals in certain order to protect against damaging cells mystifies me. I would need step-by-step, Murphy-proof directions...
So what are the prospects for user-friendly kits? Do buy a lead-acid to get me through another year or two...or are options available now.
Thanks.
LIFe retro-fit kit prospects
Sat, 07/19/2008 - 08:29
#1
LIFe retro-fit kit prospects
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I don't know about LiFePo, seems like the easiest system people are using is to use the battery packs from DeWalt etc. and bypass the BMS on the units and go directly, but seems like WAAAAYYYY too much soldering for me.
Why not go NiMH? I think NiMH is a stable technology now and dropping in price. It's half the weight of SLA. THe only problem is lower discharge rates, but you can go parallel to solve some of that.
Karen
Working on a Piaggio Boxer (mo-ped) EV conversion: http://gpsy.com/ev
Nope. Just email Li Ping from the ebay lifepo4 sellers. You may need to wait a bit if his backlog is large but his battery is great and real easy to set up for us electriclally challenged types. If you can't wait, there are other sellers for lifepo4 packs on ebay, but Ping has had the best product and trustworhtiness this year for the ebay guys. Get as many ah as you can afford. The smaller sises can have problems on big hills. The larger, like 20ah batteries can deliver more power at once to climb or accelerate. My 36v 20 ah Ping has been great for me, I can go further than my butt can take, at full speed all the way.
Be the pack leader.
36 volt sla schwinn beach cruiser
36 volt lifepo4 mongoose mtb
24 volt sla + nicad EV Global
I have a couple Li Ping packs ... and I agree that it's a reasonable product but there's an angle to this I don't like. First it's questionable what the long term reliability is, there's no warranty, etc. Second, what would be best is for a seller based "local" to wherever you are to be selling a reliable box that contains everything you need, it's ready to go, warranted, etc ... I'm not sure whether Li Ping's sales interferes with the establishment of such a seller.
In any case I've been on this group purchase mailing list
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lifepo4-purchase
That group started out planning to work with LifeBatt but there was some kind of disagreement and a parting of ways and the group is now ordering cells from Headway. I'll have a pack fairly soon ... There are some test results available about the Headway batteries which show fairly decent results.
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
Thanks for the comments and links provided. Seems I'm a day or two behind the 'group purchase' from Headway, but I'd still have reservations anyway...I'd need more help once the batteries arrived as I'm still don't know enough to know what questions to ask.
Re: Ni-Cad. If a no-brainer LiFePO4 is close (and I'll want to upgrade when it is), the extra cost for Ni-Cad doesn't seem to be warranted if I'm just going to replace it.
J
Ping's packs are about the most user friendly thing you can get around now (for a reasonable price). It's not got the best of discharge rates, but other than that it's a pretty simple job of redoing a few connections.
Long term reliability is, like reikiman says, unknown, but I haven't heard any reports of packs getting old yet, and some are getting to the point at which NiXX starts to die. If you can get your hands on a pack, I'd say it's worth it, since it's as much or cheaper than NiXX.
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