Topic: A newbie's battery questions :)

[marra]

hi J. I have used Lifepo4 in a few C5's and there are 5 people in the north west that use these batteries also, the run is up and down Blackpool front from st,annes to cleveleys return, about 30 mile and the batteries that are 30ah ( 60ah continuous ) still have a good ah left in them. The chemistry is very good in Lifepo4 and with the C rate and they are not effected by the peukert effect as lead acid batteries.
    The best for the C5 are Ping :
http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/StoreFront  . includes the charger with the batteries.  Lie Ping can make any size ah and the dimensions you want, very good after sales and warranty. the BMs systems are by far the best of battery manufacturers to my knowledge other than Heinzmann. They are BMZ of Germany and also incorporate LVC over amp draw and heat protection and long standing state balance, but at £540 each a little high but you get what you paid for and 3 years no quibble warranty a good purchase. The german postal service use these and are on many richshaws .  If the C5 is just a play hobby I still stand to say a lead acid is better unless you plan to use the C5 daily to commute . I may not have the best knowledge with the C5, very little to some on here , but with ebikes I do know my stuff. There will probably be others on this forum that could advise you on whats best for the C5 and value for annual running costs than my recomendation. I would certainly avoid any lipo/feY4/po4 battery without any BMS.
       The other point to make is your earlier post regarding cycles of the lithium battery. dont believe all as its stated unless you know all the ins and outs, such as a BMS system fitted the correct storage, the correct time to charge. you never store one fully charged, when do you put it in the fridge , yes the fridge ! the most likely cycles are 1000  85% .  3000 under 70%, these are if you know what you are doing.
   I think Kamil is the one who uses his on a daily basis and would tell you what is best in Lead acid/gell type battery and their value on an annual basis. may be others who commute also. thanks m

[joerg]

Hi marra,

thanks for the valuable information. The ping batteries look really promising. Concerning the fact that they give you a charger for free, it's not that much more expensive than the winston pack. I have found out from another german winston dealer that these blocks are not really intended in cycle usage, but just as a replacement for a lead acid car starter battery.
So it might be a better idea to send it back and get my money back.

As far as I can see the ping guys don't have any 12V batteries....did you just contact them to make you a custom battery pack? Or are u using a 24V conversion?

Thanks,

Jörg

[marra]

Hi J. Ping can make any battery you want. the 12v 30 ah is the same as 24v 15ah ( there abouts ) The 12v is 4 cell, 24v 8 cell. he has made loads of 12v packs. Like to add, mr ping is no one man job in his back shed, just google Ping batteries and see all the threads of his products, very good and very big. I hope you can/do get a refund as I really do believe you were going down the wrong route on that pack. thanks m


**To add **
  Regarding the cost a little more but getting a charger, you are also getting a very good BMS for protection. The LED status balancing function that it incorporates is very superior to most and I mean most on the market. Also the charger can shut on and off to aid in balancing.

[joerg]

Hi marra,

I'll definitely get a refund. In Germany (maybe this is even valid for the whole EU), there's a law that protects consumers who buy stuff through distance selling: You have the right to send the stuff back to the dealer without giving any reasons and get a full refund in the first 31 days after purchase. The dealer is even required to pay the postage for the returning package.

Oh and btw.: The C5 was made for lead acid 12V batteries which can usually be discharged until the voltage drops to 10.5V. I guess the BMS of the ping batteries takes care of this, doesn't it? It should cut off at 12V (3V per cell), shouldn't it?

Thanks,

Jörg

[marra]

Yes they have LVC in the BMS. The pod lights will just stay on full bars as the pack has hardly no curve, so unless you use a battery status meter that has ah capacity you will just run until it cuts off. m