Battery pack re-celling

[Nearchos]

Which battery pack brand is the most re-celling friendly?

If I want to buy an e-bike that allows me to replace the cells of the battery without throwing the whole battery pack away every time I need a new battery, which battery pack brand should I be looking for?

Even if we accept that dolphin battery packs are the easiest to re-cell, do certain brands make it harder to have their integrated battery packs refurbished compared to other brands?

 

[Nearchos]

For the record, I do not intend to refurbish the battery myself. I am just a prospective buyer.

 

[soundwave]

well if it is bosch brose shimano ect then it is not a option as use can bus coms to talk to the motor controllers and displays so if the bms power is cut it is a bin job.

you have dumb bms, uart and can bus programming is what most use in there batts.

 

[Woosh]

Most ready made bikes have proprietary casing. The cellpacks are glued to the case, making recelling near impossible.
If you want a friendly pack, you have to start with a kit.
Most batteries that come as part of a kit don't have proprietary anti-tampering. You can remove the old cellpack and install a new cellpack. However, the reverse side of the coin is that it does not save you much money. Batteries that come with kits don't usually cost much to replace precisely because they don't have proprietary anti-tampering.

 

[sjpt]

If you aren't going to do the recell yourself you won't save money on a recell for a standard battery; you'll be paying UK labour charges for a one-off job rather than Chinese labour for mass production.

You will be able to reuse the case which is good for the environment, but I think that almost all the not inconsiderable environmental impact of a battery is is the cells.

 

[Nealh]

Re celling is ideal if one wants to use: 1. Better brand cells. 2. Maybe higher Mah rated cells.
Otherwise generic bought batteries are often more then good enough for use.

 

[soundwave]

i want to double the capacity of my batt from 500w to 1000w in the same size case but with the cells we have atm it is impossible let alone the can bus bs.

 

[StuartsProjects]

Which battery pack brand is the most re-celling friendly?

How much of the cost of an average eBike battery is 'saved' if the battery is re-celled as in all the cells replaced ?

I understand the re-cycle view, as in why throw away a servicable battery case and BMS, but I suspect that 're-celling' a eBike battery is more expensive than buying new.

 

[Woosh]

The bms is built into the new cellpack. You only save on the cost of the case, about 25 dollars.

 

[Nearchos]

If you aren't going to do the recell yourself you won't save money on a recell for a standard battery; you'll be paying UK labour charges for a one-off job rather than Chinese labour for mass production.

You will be able to reuse the case which is good for the environment, but I think that almost all the not inconsiderable environmental impact of a battery is is the cells.

Thanks. It's not only about the savings.

I am based in China. I want to buy an ebike with a battery that will not make me dependent on the producer for a battery pack replacement in the future. I want to be able to replace my battery pack in Europe after I leave this place.

 

[Nearchos]

How much of the cost of an average eBike battery is 'saved' if the battery is re-celled as in all the cells replaced ?

I understand the re-cycle view, as in why throw away a servicable battery case and BMS, but I suspect that 're-celling' a eBike battery is more expensive than buying new.

Thanks. It's not about savings only. It's about extending the life of the ebike.
With a traditional bicycle, the thing you have to get right is the frame. The bicycle will last as long as its frame, everything else can be replaced.
With an e-bike I think it's both the frame and the battery pack, not to say especially the battery pack. If the life of the battery pack cannot be extended (especially with integrated batteries this is a risk because of dimensions), the whole e-bike is useless once the battery pack cannot be replaced.

 

[WheezyRider]

Thanks. It's not about savings only. It's about extending the life of the ebike.
With a traditional bicycle, the thing you have to get right is the frame. The bicycle will last as long as its frame, everything else can be replaced.
With an e-bike I think it's both the frame and the battery pack, not to say especially the battery pack. If the life of the battery pack cannot be extended (especially with integrated batteries this is a risk because of dimensions), the whole e-bike is useless once the battery pack cannot be replaced.

Sounds like you want to buy a case and build your own battery from scratch if you want to be able to repair/modify/adapt for years to come.

Reminds me of the old story about a hammer - "it's been in my family for generations giving useful service. It's only ever had 4 new handles and 3 new heads..."

How many years are you looking ahead? A decent battery pack should last 5 years or more if properly looked after.

In terms of an e-bike, I would look for something where the battery is the least integrated into the frame. Look for a bike as generic as possible, that way you have the best hope of maintaining it/upgrading it.