I was wondering what all is entailed in wanting to use a Lithium battery over a lead acid one. HOw does one go about using lithium?

click here to see example battery

Has anyone done this already?

Well just to let everyone know last weekend I upgraded my EVT168 to the Lithium battery (with the assistance of Ken Finch). Now I need to explain that this was a complete kit with the highest quality lithium packs, a new controller and charger. I have to say that the difference is incredible. First off by removing the the four lead acid batteries the weight of the bike was reduced by around 120 pounds (this includes factoring in the weight of the new battery pack). It is like a totally different bike, the excelleration is incredible now, the handling is greatly improved (because of the improvement in the centre of gravity), it can maintain speeds of 55-60 km per hr even going up hill. The top speed has not changed (65 km per hr) which is how they have programed the controller which makes total sense so that you will without question get greater range on the charge. I have not been able to test the range yet because I need to break-in the battery pack before I run down the charge really low. I will give a future update once I have had more time to ride the bike. I would also like to mention that this was not a simple project to do, there was actually a lot of work involved and without the help of an experienced technican like Ken Finch I would not have been able to do it.

I have to say that the difference is incredible.

What he said! I have been trying to get across the advantages of lithium to the folks here, even though my own experience w/lithium is zero. But I have been reading messages like this for a year now, in which time the retail cost of these packs has been cut in half, and the life-cycle costs are now less than lead. AND this ignores the other benefits of lithium as noted above (lighter vehicle = better performance - range, acceleration, braking, less voltage "sag" = better performance, not as affected by cold temps = better performance, perhaps 3x the number of cycles before replacement = better performance)

I am disturbed by the ebike retailers that are still selling lead packs and failing to advise their customers about the "bigger picture", lithium versus lead...

tks
LoKc

That's awesome Eric! Congrats!

I agree Lock, totally 100%. Retailers def should be looking at Lithium.

I was wondering what all is entailed in wanting to use a Lithium battery over a lead acid one. HOw does one go about using lithium?

click here to see example battery

Has anyone done this already?

Go directly to pings website, it's a little cheaper (http://www.pingbatter.... Hooking up a lithium battery is pretty easy but you have to be careful. In my case I didn't even have to change my controller. All you have to be careful with is polarity or else BOOM!

That's awesome Eric! Congrats!

I agree Lock, totally 100%. Retailers def should be looking at Lithium.

I also agree. But if you look at this from a retailer point of view. You'd barely ever come back to the shop. They wouldn't make much money. That's being said I don't know why the lithium ebikes are so expensive!

That's awesome Eric! Congrats!

I agree Lock, totally 100%. Retailers def should be looking at Lithium.

I also agree. But if you look at this from a retailer point of view. You'd barely ever come back to the shop. They wouldn't make much money. That's being said I don't know why the lithium ebikes are so expensive!

From what I have gathered from the retailers is that they batteries are not proven yet and people don't like paying extra for the batteries but who know what is actually true.

Have you been using Lithium? If so for how long now?

I bought my BionX PL 350 this past Spring and I have gotten a lot of use with it. It comes with lithium battery pack that also contains all of the controllers and electronics, yet still weighs only 8.2 lbs. I still have no idea how far I can actually go with it despite being on trips that have lasted close to three hours. The longest time it has taken to recharge is less than 1.5 hours.

I spoke to some fellow BionX owners near Asbestos, Quebec where BionX was first developed and manufactured. Some of them have been using their lithium batteries for over 3 years and have had no problems with them.

I tend to recharge my battery whenever I return from a ride and I even recharge the battery in the car using a power inverter when driving from one camping location to another. Now that Magna owns BionX and sales have multiplied immensely, I'm hoping that the battery costs will drop due to the large volumes that are being manufactured.

Hey Ken

Next time you have a Volare disassembled down there, maybe you could tell me where would be the best place to locate a 20Ah lithium pack (or maybe two?). For those of you who aren't familiar with that Volare bike, it is a retrofitted gas scooter (therefore quite rugged), but the 4x12 V SLA batteries are installed two in one place and two in another, because of space/design considerations. This is OK, but is a real pain when you have to change them as it is major body disassembly/assembly -- I did it once just to see.

Aside from all the other benefits of Lithium, maybe it would help address that problem. Also with the strong Cdn dollar and continued advances in technology, they might be even less expensive come March!

Well Fred the best place to put Lithium batteries would be the lower battery position below the seat bucket. That way the center of gravity stays lower. You could also install a second set of lithium batteries in the upper battery area for even more range.

Ken Finch