Ebay LiFePO4 batteries

[jha07]

Has anyone taken the plunge and bought a Lifepo4 battery off ebay? There are some great deals there. I'm just wondering how good those batteries are.
Compared with NiMh cells, a 48V 10AH would cost me $290 plus shipping. And that's for loose cells.
A 48V 10AH Lifepo4 off ebay goes for $250 plus shipping and comes with a charger. Granted the shipping is a bit pricey.
What I really like is that this battery weighs 10lbs. The NiMh would weigh 14lbs. Plus this battery should get over 1000 cycles.

 

[Jeremy]

Best bet is to watch the debate on the Endless Sphere, as that seems to be where most of the information on these is. Here's a link to the discussion: Endless-sphere.com • View topic - Duct Tape E-Bay Lifepo4s???

Jeremy

 

[jha07]

Thanks for that link. I just spend almost an hour reading all of it.
To summary the whole thread... There were a couple people there that did buy lifepo4 from different sellers on ebay. They both had positive things to say about the performance. One of them tested the battery with a watt meter and it actually supplied what it claimed it would. Both of them were happy enough with the performance that they ordered a second pack. They ordered from a different seller this time and it did not go as well. I think they both ended up canceling the order because of delays in shipping.

I'm not in need of a new battery right now, but I think if I was, I would go for it. Just need to be sure the seller has a good record. But I guess you have to do that for all ebay purchases.

 

[giguana]

I have just ordered one of these, from a pretty new seller but the feedback is good, and I have purchase cover, it's anna.008, all their correspondence seems very honest but it's taking rather a long time.

I think maybe they are a bit slow because I got a cheap price on the auction, the other sellers have a slightly higher margin on the starting price,although it from the same original manufacturer.
the first 10 days was trying to discuss best measurements for the battery, then there was something about testing, then apparently the Post Office sent the package back because the address details weren't right, so I had to send my details again (my paypal details are complete), and hopefully it will be on the way this week.
another guy has bought the same size battery from them and the feedback is good.

as far as I know, I think that there is a burgeoning market in China for this lithium iron technology, that they use with their electric bikes, and it's starting to spill over towards Europe.

 

[jha07]

It's possible they're on the level and they will get the shippment out, but aren't ebay sellers suppose to have in stock what they are selling? 3 weeks delay in shipping seems excessive. I would definitely not wait longer than 45 days, which is the time Paypal gives you to file a complaint and get your money back.
I hope it goes well and you get your battery soon. Looking forward to hearing any feedback you have.

 

[giguana]

actually i just checked over my e-mails again and they had told me that the shipment was returned because of incomplete address details/maybe filled out wrong with the postcode, so I passed my address again and it should be on the way, probably the reason for the extra delay, I think normally it takes them about 10 days to build and perform testing on the batteries once size and shape information has been established,probably best ask them the dimensions of each cell and figure out the possible layouts for yourself....

 

[jha07]

Looking at ebay now, I don't see any more batteries from Anna.008. The thread that I read earlier say that Anna is the same seller as New.Journey07. Two peopel in that thread won auctions from new.journey and both had delays in shipping, which they ended up cancelling because it took so long. So definitely stay on top of your order.

Pingping227 has a lot of batteries for sale. Seems to have a good record too. 14 positive battery sales in his feedback.

 

[giguana]

I think they might be batteries from the same company, ping also told someone there was some kind of delay. I have just written to anna to tell her lots of people are interested in these batteries but tracking numbers and timing info is essential, so she should pass on to me any information regarding technical difficulties and I will explain to everyone what's up, we'll see what she says. I will certainly cancel the order soon if it's still a tarrying. thanks for putting me on guard.

 

[rooel]

These LifePo packs have many attractions, but two drawbacks: first, volt for volt, amp for amp, they are larger than equivalent NiMh or LiPo packs, thus requiring in some cases the installation of a new battery container; second they are almost as heavy as NiMh. The NiMh pack for my Sram Sparc system weighs just over 2kgs, the Lipo pack, just over 1kg, and the LifePo4 pack (assuming a custom built 18 volt pack weighs just over half the weight of a 36volt pack) just under 2kgs.

 

[flecc]

I agree with Rooel's points, and of concern to me is the way manufacturers are deciding against these. eZee ran trials more than a year and ago and at times since and decided against them, David Miall of Wisper has just said they'd rejected them in favour of their upgraded Li-ion, and all the recent designs from the main companies have also ignored them, Giant for example with their new Twist, opting for a choice of NiMh or Li-ion Manganese.

Only the small Sunrunner outfit have adopted them with a low power setup and in a tiny size, giving me little confidence that they are a viable option at present.
.

 

[wisper new milton]

Battery innovations

Toshiba : Press Releases 11 December, 2007

Have a look at this guys!

None of the newer Lithium ion batteries discussed here have had any sort of REAL long term testing yet with electric vehicles, but have had some success in power tools.

We have tested both of these on the Wisper range in China, but the cost is prohibitive at the moment and the only real benefit we found was that there could easily be 1000+ charge cycles and EVEN more on the Toshiba one!

We will keep you informed of our findings.Please call on 01425 627641 as we dont log on too often if you want to discuss this or anything else in more detail, regards Doug

 

[giguana]

Toshiba : Press Releases 11 December, 2007
We have tested both of these ...

We will keep you informed of our findings...QUOTE]

both of which?

very interesting to see these exciting future things from Toshiba- they seem to be some new undisclosed chemistry rather than fepo? wonder how flammable they are. fepo literally can't blow up.

 

[jha07]

From that link, a 24V 4.2 Ah SCiB standard module weighs 2kg.
So you would need 4 modules to make one 48V 8.4Ah pack, which will weigh 8kg or 17.6lbs! That's almost 8 pounds heavier than a LiFePO4.

 

[coops]

Would be heavier than NiMH too! The chemistry is not stated, but it might also be Li-Fe based?

Stuart.

 

[flecc]

I mentioned in here last spring that Toshiba had announced cells that could be charged in as little as one or two minutes. At the time they didn't have a fancy name, but Toshiba said the developments were intended for future electric cars that would have a minimum range of 100 miles and be charged at refuelling points at regular intervals in an acceptable time. They also said the cells were Li-polymer.

While Toshiba do some valuable research, they do have a history of premature and over optimistic announcements. I don't know of any installations of their nuclear batteries from about a decade ago for example.
.

 

[giguana]

anna.008 has given me a tracking number almost exactly 30 days later, and apparently the package is on the way with ems.

 

[jha07]

Just out of curiousity, I went to the Yesa site and ask for a quote for a 48V 10Ah LiFePO4. They want $560 USD for the battery with BMS and a 3A charger. Something I noticed about their battery was it weighed more than the duct tape packs on Ebay. Their 48V 10Ah weighs 5.8Kg or 12.8lbs. The duct tape pack only weighs 10lbs. Which means the Yesa pack is only 1-2 lbs lighter than a simular NiMh.
I'm guessing the Yesa weighs more because of the protective case on each cell. Which would probably be a good thing to add to the duct tape packs.