Anyone else had problems with a Batribike battery under 2 year old

[jennyp19]

We bought 2 Quartz bikes just under 2 years ago. Both have been used & charged roughly the same - never been left to run down completely - one is fine the other one goes for about 9 10 miles, & then just drops out.
Just curious has anyone else had the same problem.

We have come to a compromise with the dealer who sold us the bikes, but at his expense. The importers have not supported him at all - sticking to their stance that there is only a one year warranty on the battery - despite also stating up to 1000 charges. These batteries are £350 to replace !!!!!!!!!!!!!! The importers offer to us was to knock 15% off.

 

[flecc]

Only the very best lithium batteries can last 1000 charges, many failing from around 300 charges. I've owned and known others which have failed in months rather than years and manufacturers tend to claim high while not matching the warranty to the claimed life. On the whole though, most of today's batteries should last around 500 charges, with just a few of the best li-polymer and lithium iron phosphate ones lasting to around 1000 charges.

I don't know whether you have the discontinued 24 volt or the current 36 volt Battribike Quartz, but I suspect the latter. The manufacturer doesn't specify the lithium type of either, but given the bike's price band, I think 500 charges would probably be a more realistic life.

 

[jennyp19]

Its the 36v one. They can lie through their back teeth and get away with it. I felt quite sorry for the dealer and he is rethinking selling Batribikes - certainly made him aware.

 

[flecc]

Much of the time these importers simply don't know the battery life Jenny. They bring a model in and with no experience available for at least two to three years, they quote what the Chinese manufacturers of the bike or battery say is the life.

The same is true even of the best models. For exmaple one importer of a top German make now has a new model with a different battery type fitted. The manufacturer says the battery will last 1100 charges and they do at least give a two year warranty, but for a five day a week commuter, that will still typically only cover under 500 charges. It will be four years for most buyers and the importer to find out if the 1100 charge claim is true, and if necessary change the claim.

The same situation prevails with the new generation of e-cars that have arrived in the last year. Claiming up to seven years battery life with a five year warranty in some cases, it will be a long time before we know the truth.

 

[RoadieRoger]

I have done 1300 miles on my Batribike Quartz in 2 years . Assuming about 15 miles before charging , that`s about 80 charges . I have the 24V motor in the front wheel and the 8Ah battery which was the only one available at the time of purchase . I found out that a month later a new Quartz came out with a 36V motor in the rear wheel . I am pretty sure that in 2 years I have lost around 30% mileage distance , mostly on Medium assist . There`s not much point in using Low assist as it would then be easier to ride my 1993 GT TALERA Mountain Bike . I might miss the suspension of the Batribike , but the Speed of the GT would more than make up for it !

 

[jennyp19]

Collected the battery from Fallowfield/Batribikes near Lincoln. (not far from us) The dealer we bought off has got us one - but its cost him.

My husband noticed that it seemed lighter than the original one - so we got the scales out. Original weighs 4.1 kg - new one 3.21 kg - looks the same - so I wonder what they have done to get the weight down!!! less cells???

Unfortunately going back to a normal bike isn't really an option for me - unless I get significently fitter!!!

Re Electric car situation - that would explain that Mercedes were planning to/are not selling you the battery for the new Smart, but renting it to you - covering their backs.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Jenny,the subject of battery life is a problem for us importers. In an ideal world we would be supplying a 16Ah battery,weighing less than 2 kg, that lasted 5 years plus and cost £200 maximum to replace. Kudos got some of the elements right by using LifePo4 battery type but because of the lower energy density this means the batteries are bulkier and heavier and some pedelec members criticise the weight (about 1 kg heavier for 10 Ah)-some customers like the longlife and cheap replacement costs and accept the extra weight. We have a new performance series out later this year,weight will be critical so will have to use LiMno4 and accept replacement after 2/3 years,however replacement costs will only be about £200. We have under test a new battery type which promises 14Ah capacity,only 1.9 kg weight,very slimline shape and 800 cycles,cheap replacement costs. this battery will come out initially on our new crank drive bike. The problem for us importers is that the battery technology is changing so fast but lead times on new models can be 12 months so the battery can be 'last year' by the time the bikes are produced-if we take a gamble without proven testing of the battery that could be risky.
Exciting times for e-bike producers.
Dave
Kudoscycles

 

[flecc]

My husband noticed that it seemed lighter than the original one - so we got the scales out. Original weighs 4.1 kg - new one 3.21 kg - looks the same - so I wonder what they have done to get the weight down!!! less cells???

Re Electric car situation - that would explain that Mercedes were planning to/are not selling you the battery for the new Smart, but renting it to you - covering their backs.

They may well have changed from the older li-ion construction to the newer polymer Jenny, and possibly with soft cell casings. Polymer batteries are generally lighter and also tend to last longer.

Nearly all the e-cars rent the batteries, in their mainstream only Nissan with the Leaf model selling car and battery complete with a fixed term warranty. Even their partner Renault, whose Fluence model is also the Leaf but with a different body, rent the same battery that Nissan sell. There appears to be an element of confidence trick about this, the rental price per annum falling a very long way short of the battery price even if it lasts for the full term. That to me means that the rental charge per annum will rise sharply year by year, Renault knowing that owners who've bought will have no option but to pay up on every increase. Selling isn't an option since no-one will buy an e-car with a partially spent battery as the true battery costs become more apparent.

 

[RoadieRoger]

Must be a moral somewhere Jenny regarding your experience . If I need to buy another Ebike I will certainly buy it from one of the Dealers that are members of this Forum who care for their Customers, as well as contributing to the knowledge gleaned here .

 

[jennyp19]

Unfortunately I have only just come across this site - certainly wish I'd seen it sooner. I will certainly be telling people about it when we go travelling. Lots of folks have tried my bike.

I wouldn't have minded so much if the battery had not been sold under so many claims - & the importer had backed up the dealer. I really felt sorry for the guy who sold it to us as he has clearly been let down by Batribike/Fallowfield..

 

[Jimo]

Hi folks, my first contribution on this site....Back in 2006 there werent many choices of electric bikes and I bought two Powrbykes - all chinese with spokes laced cockeyed, soon found that dear wifey found hers too high - even at lowest saddle height so both she and I did not use the bikes extensively but I charged them occasionally, last year I gave wifeys bike away to a friend who has since used it at least twice a week in Belgium on its original battery, my other Powrbyke has become too large for me and sits in the garage, I last gave it a run albeit short about a year ago and it ran fine with no probs.
I have to choose my transport between the car, the Powerbyke or one of my motor cycles but more often the car wins.
I’ve just bought a used Batribike Quarts LCD which was new in 2011, 1 owner and has been little used - and it does run!
Batteries can be subjected to quite a few forms of abuse so I accept this while not moaning about it, Ok a replacement batterymay be needed one day but I’ll cross that bridge when it comes, I chose the Quartz because I’ve liked it for several years past and couldn’t miss an opportunity to acquire one - which will be delivered on Monday next. I don’t anticipate doing a great mileage on it but at 81 I am unable to walk more that about 50 yards so the bike will allow me to get into town a bit easier than using the car.
My biggest worry though is that of THEFT wherever I park it even if locked , just an indication of the state of Britain today!

Jim

 

[mike killay]

My resolution this year is only to get batteries re-celled in the UK.
You can be certain of what you are getting.
Obviously, being what is essentially a chemical process with lots of pitfalls, batteries can fail early or go on for years.
My electric boat is using 7 year old lead acid traction batteries without any sign of degradation so far. (I use a smart charger). Unbelievably, I use a lead acid battery that came out of a Mazda sports car in 2006. It was already 10 years old then, yet it sits in the trailer for my inflatable boat and regularly powers the air pump to inflate the boat.
On the other side of the coin, the battery in my Zafira failed suddenly and totally after 6 years.

 

[RoadieRoger]

My Batribike Quartz SE battery is awaiting collection for Jimmy`s attention at INSAT as I write this . It was re-celled by Jimmy 3 years ago with instructions to use the new charger he supplied and not the original one supplied with the Quartz 8 years ago . Well the charger supplied with the re-cell expired recently and foolishly I recharged with the original . Although the Batribike Charger output is only 2 Volts higher than the 29.4 volts of the newer one , it seems to have caused a problem, resulting in the Battery now measuring only 13.6 volts at the bottom contacts and showing only 1 of 4 led`s illuminating at the top . When charging it exhibited the correct sequence of red and green charging lights over the 3 or 4 hours of the procedure but the handlebar Control led`s would not light . It is a 24 volt battery by the way .
I do have a new Pro Rider Flare 28 in. wheel Mid drive with the Dapu Motor as well , but I like the compactness/ manoevreability of the Quartz Folder with 20 in. wheels and prefer the overall power output characteristics of the hub motor , in the front wheel in this case . The Dapu motor is a fantastic hill climber but I don`t spend all my time riding up hills .

 

[Jimo]

Something wrong somewhere, all I’ve read of Quartz bikes says they were 36v not 24 - especially the Quartz LCD, mine arrives on Monday and I can’t wait, I’m told by its previous owner that it is running fine with only a few hours use from its 2011 battery but if it later fails then I’ll find a new replacement without cribbing about it.

 

[RoadieRoger]

Batribike changed the set-up in September 2010 from 24 to 36 volts, weeks after I bought one . Mine is a run-out model called the SE which was £100 cheaper at £699 , as the battery was 8Ah instead of 10Ah . The motor complied with the UK Regs at the time with a max. of 200 Watts , later going over to the EU Regs allowing 250 Watts . The original Batribike Charger puts out 31.5 volts for the original cells and the Samsung Cells have a Charger putting out 29.4 volts giving no problems for 3 years of charging .

 

[Nealh]

Whatever battery one uses 12v, 24v, 36v or whatever the charge output voltage should be about 2 volts higher, to use an inappropriate (wrong voltage) charger almost certainly would spell trouble.

Not good advice to charge any battery with a charger with a higher rated voltage output.
In the case of 24v 7s then the charger should have a max output of 29.4v and as we all know 36v should have a max output of 42v.
Over charging cells will destroy them in time and result in a possibility of a fire, esp if the bms fails to do it's job.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Jenny,the subject of battery life is a problem for us importers. In an ideal world we would be supplying a 16Ah battery,weighing less than 2 kg, that lasted 5 years plus and cost £200 maximum to replace. Kudos got some of the elements right by using LifePo4 battery type but because of the lower energy density this means the batteries are bulkier and heavier and some pedelec members criticise the weight (about 1 kg heavier for 10 Ah)-some customers like the longlife and cheap replacement costs and accept the extra weight. We have a new performance series out later this year,weight will be critical so will have to use LiMno4 and accept replacement after 2/3 years,however replacement costs will only be about £200. We have under test a new battery type which promises 14Ah capacity,only 1.9 kg weight,very slimline shape and 800 cycles,cheap replacement costs. this battery will come out initially on our new crank drive bike. The problem for us importers is that the battery technology is changing so fast but lead times on new models can be 12 months so the battery can be 'last year' by the time the bikes are produced-if we take a gamble without proven testing of the battery that could be risky.
Exciting times for e-bike producers.
Dave
Kudoscycles

Not sure what was offensive language in this post,Jarob 10 are you sure you hit the correct button.
KudosDave

 

[Jimo]

Dave - There was positively NO OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE in yourpost - rest assured, some folk are like that!

Jim