Batteries from the USA

[Grizzly Bear]

This is a report on my experience of purchasing batteries from Powerizer aka Batteryspace.

Due to the very favourable exchange rate between the dollar and pound, I thought it would be feasible to purchase batteries from the USA, I found a supplier called Powerizer(Batteryspace). High discharge(50 amp discharge capability) D cell tagged batteries at a very reasonable cost, I ordered 31 cells?(read on) for my 36v battery pack. The batteries were sent using UPS, first shock, I was phoned and asked to pay £55 import duty! On top of the very expensive delivery charge, OK it was still cheaper than purchasing in the UK.

My batteries eventually arrived, and on checking I found that one of the cells was dead, that’s why I ordered 31. I can report that the batteries are top notch however, well the ones that were OK anyway, my bike has more power now due to the high discharge batteries having less voltage drop under load.

Lessons learned :-

Check the discount for quantities ordered, I ordered multiples of individual cells, if ordered in tens it would have been cheaper

Batteryspace are not very customer driven, once they have your money they don’t care!

They requested that I send them images of my debit card and photo I.D. before they would send me my batteries, even though they had taken the money out of my account. This I refused to do and amazingly my money was OK all of a sudden. Don’t send images of your debit/credit card over the internet.

I would very reluctantly buy batteries from them again, but where else would I get 50amp discharge batteries? Are they available from UK suppliers?

So I may have to.

 

[HarryB]

Are these not a good substitute? NewTecs: Superhelle LED's etc.

They came up on a previous thread and I they are my fall back position if 50 cycles cannot get NiMH battery packs in a few months time. Easier to buy from Europe than the states and quite cheap.

 

[Grizzly Bear]

Thanks Harry
my german is only just up to it, but at least I can give Batteryspace the boot, and they deserve it too, not recommended!

Griz

 

[Ian]

Nice find Harry but I wonder if they can stand the required discharge rates, the max is not quoted and the examples of uses shown are all low current applications. My german is Rubbish but heres a machine translation of the spec.

"Detailed description of article: Mono cell (type D) with a nominal capacity of 10000mAh without MEMORY effect. This mono cell is probably at present the capacity-strongest on the market. The Akkus is outstanding suitable for the following ranges of application: For various electronic toy, flashlights, bicycle lamps, milling one and computer active loudspeaker, Getoblaster etc.. We guarantee you a GENUINE capacity of at least 90% of the nominal capacity. The-half we offer Akkus very favorably, however not as cheap product, because the more highly the capacity the proportionally more highly the purchase costs. Technical information: # mono cell NT - 10000mAh P (type D, other designations: R20, UM1, LR20, AM1) # new commodity, warranty # initial tension: rated voltage is appropriate for 1.42 V of # over 60% the Akkukapazitaet over 1.2 V of #: 1.2 V # nominal capacity: 10000 mAh # recommended charging current: 800 - 4000mA # l = 59.3mm (approx. 1mm more briefly than Monoakkus without solder point) # Ø = 32.3mm # entnehmbare capacity with an ambient temperature of 4° Celsius: 95% of the actual capacity with 24° Celsius # weight: 164g # up to 1000 time loadable Scope of supply: # mono cell NT - 10000mAh P (type D, other designations: R20, UM1, LR20, AM1) # with a solder point at the plus and negative pole # color of the heat shrink sleeve can deviate"

 

[flecc]

My last experience of Batteryspace was of them also asking for those credit card copies, and I too refused. Despite emails in both directions, they refused to give way, so it seems they've woken up and relaxed their policy now.

They did have a very bad patch of trouble with dud packs a year or so ago, but made some quality control improvements coupled with big price increases, so hopefully you'll be ok.

Sav in this forum recelled a Lafree battery with a 10 Ah pack from them with complete success around a year ago.
.

 

[HarryB]

I bought the (noname) cells from NewTecs (germany) a year ago. I found them on Ebay.de at 5euro a piece - I paid 1 euro a piece for matching. Can't find them at that price now, though. Mine came in blue shrink with small industrial-like writing on.

They left 2 values handwritten on each cell - maybe that had to do with the matching. I have not confirmed the 11Ah yet.

I organized the pack in 2 * 15 cells - each packed in triangles 3*5 - the packs fit perfectly in 75mm ABS drain tubes available locally (Denmark). Cheap and solid solution, I think. I still need to make nice lids for them and decorate them in a way so I'm not mistaken for a suicidal bomber - they kinda have that look :-(

Cheers,
Torben

The steer came from tourtoe but it looks like, while he got them from this company, they are not exactly the same cells. It is a risk and one of the reason for waiting for the Ezee battery rather than make up my own. From memory I thought somebody was going to buy some of these cells but not sure who or if they did.

 

[flecc]

That charger on the link HarryB gave for the cells is interesting, it looks like the Metco unit that came for a short while with the lafree series when the Panasonic ones failed. That was a very good charger which kept my two batteries going for well over four years and is now with aaannndddyyy from this forum.
.

 

[HarryB]

That charger on the link HarryB gave for the cells is interesting, it looks like the Metco unit that came for a short while with the lafree series when the Panasonic ones failed. That was a very good charger which kept my two batteries going for well over four years and is now with aaannndddyyy from this forum.
.

Flecc - well spotted - I could hardly find my way around this website to buy these cells let alone anything else. I thought you would be a fluent German speaker - there are no ends to your talents!

 

[Tiberius]

I have some cells and a charger in transit from Batteryspace. Apparently they are now at East Midlands Airport, so I expect I will soon get the demand for VAT, etc. I looked at Newtec (ich kann ein bischen Deutsch) and while their spec on the cells looked better, there was a special offer from Batteryspace, and also a promise of faster delivery, that clinched the deal.

Nick

 

[Grizzly Bear]

Hi Nick
my batteries came through East midlands Airport too, the nice lady will ring you soon I'm sure. I hope you ordered the extra cell?!

Griz

 

[flecc]

Flecc - well spotted - I could hardly find my way around this website to buy these cells let alone anything else. I thought you would be a fluent German speaker - there are no ends to your talents!

I'm afraid not Hal, my German language knowledge is mainly limited to the language of classical music. In my brief working spells in Germany I was very dependent on their knowledge of English.

I just recognised the charger, and then when looking further saw that the box with it's SP1 marking was the type that Metco use.
.

 

[giguana]

I found a supplier that seems to be pretty good, there were already prior users and reviews on some other form, they have batteries on eBay from 24/10ah up to 48/20ah , LiFePO4 electric bike Scooter battery 36V 10Ah NEW !!! - (eBay item 270194107855 end time Dec-15-07 02:03:19 PST)
they have a company website as well

 

[giguana]

LiFePO4 Battery,LiFePO4, the best choice to replace Lead acid battery!

 

[Ian]

Of more interest is their 400 farad 48V capacitor system. Quick mental calculations suggest that the energy released in discharging it from 48V to 32V would be roughly equal to that stored in a 4Ah 36V battery. And even I would be satisfied if it reached a quarter of its claimed life of half a million cycles.

 

[flecc]

It's here giguana, scroll down a little.
.

 

[JohnInStockie]

Very interesting packs, any potential as upgrades?

LiFePO4 Battery,LiFePO4, the best choice to replace Lead acid battery!

 

[flecc]

I don't have much faith in these LiFePO4 giving enough current for our higher power motors, and that one could even fall short on a Panasonic power unit.

So far the e-bike manufacturers seem to have avoided them, except with very small batteries in the odd low powered bike like the Sunrunner.
.

 

[giguana]

thanks Flecc with Chinese being keen on electric bikes super capacitors are going to be developed pretty nicely I should think, and to think that China has 12 times more population than Japan...

John here are some references on the yesa batteries
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/battery-faqs/1055-lifepo4-2.html

 

[Ian]

Wai Wong Ching, the head of Ezee, explains here that the LiFePO4 batteries that they have so far tested have failed to live up to the hype surrounding them, so often the case with new technologies.

 

[tourtoe]

The steer came from tourtoe but it looks like, while he got them from this company, they are not exactly the same cells. It is a risk and one of the reason for waiting for the Ezee battery rather than make up my own. From memory I thought somebody was going to buy some of these cells but not sure who or if they did.

The picture is the same as it was on ebay - they note that the shrink vary. Mine is blue and marked 11Ah. I have no reason to believe that the current cells aren't the same.

I have 5 cycles/185km on the battery - so far all is good. Should have bought 60 then, though

Cheers,
Torben aka TourToe
Electric Focus Sport 2007