Mounting Batteries?

[Easy Rider]

Lately I've been getting the electric bug but it's only going to be for street riding/cruising. I plan on getting a 1000w 48v Magic Pie kit for my GT LTS but I haven't found a kit that has batteries and mounts.

I was wondering if some of you guys can show me pics of how you mounted your batteries or what's the best way to mount the batteries also which kind would you recommend?
Thanks

 

[paul]

i will take some pictures when i get home from work for you. the 48v 10ah golden motor battery comes with a tray that you can mount on most any rack and the battery slides on their and their is a key where you can lock the battery in so it dosn't slide off and makes it harder for someone to steel or you can just take the battery with you. some bikes the battery you can mount in the frame which i am thinking about doing with my trek pure. attached is a picture of how someone did this. you could paint to match your bike. another option is you can put the battery or batteries in a trunk or paniers. its up to your imagination. i cannot wait to see your creation and get ideas. you have always built bikes that are amazing. by the way e-bikes are addicting. you will love it

 

[Mike B]

Both of mine are rear rack mounted. Which works good, just raises the center of mass which is not so good.

Like Paul showed, I would try to get the battery in the frame. Even if it means buying a new bike.

MP's do not include batteries which is a good thing as you are free to get whatever fits the best and has the speed and range you are looking for. You can even do a series connect with 2 packs, ie (2) 24 volt packs in series is 48 volts. This gives even more flexibility.

The Ping packs are the smallest and work well, but do not offer much protection if you dump. There are a lot of packs on ebay too as well as bare cells and seperate BMS boards if you want to make your own battery.

Cool, looking forward to seeing another e-bike build -

 

[Easy Rider]

Thanks Guys,
I'm leaning more towards an inframe battery mount because I would have to make a custom rack for my full suspension bike.
Which type would you recommend? At one race I saw a battery pack catch on fire and it was a pretty big fire so safety is my top priority next to performance.

 

[Mike B]

You want LiFePO4. Lithium Iron Phosphate.

 

[paul]

they make kits where you can buy everything on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/48V-15AH-40...US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item2c68c91a52 a kit like this you could make your own custom box and arrange batteries the way you want them. possibilities are endless. attatched is a 48v 10ah battery from golden motor. they come with the slide tray i have shown in the picture. my plan is having one for the rack and another mount in the frame. most times i only need one battery however if i decide to do a long ride i can put the other battery on the bike. that way i won't be carrying around the extra weight unless i need it

 

[Easy Rider]

attatched is a 48v 10ah battery from golden motor. they come with the slide tray i have shown in the picture. my plan is having one for the rack and another mount in the frame. most times i only need one battery however if i decide to do a long ride i can put the other battery on the bike. that way i won't be carrying around the extra weight unless i need it

Paul, is this a lifepo4 battery pack?
I like the kit that comes from eBay but it seems like I would need to make a custom box. Do these batteries get hot during charging or use? That would determine on the material I'm going to use for my box.
The one from Golden Motors seems so much easier to work with.

 

[paul]

yes it is a lifepo4 pack. and you would have to make a custom box. if doing a custom build i would probably build my own packs just so i could put in the shape i wanted. i like the packs already made that have the on off key and lock on the bike. after all my research i i have done on lifepo4 i wouldn't use anything else. safety, how many charges it will take and everything else make it worth the extra money to me. i always feel the battery when i charge and their is no change in temperature at all. i have seen where people use Tupperware boxes to build their batteries in so i don't believe heat is a problem, this here is pretty good about the different types of batteries http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=42955

 

[Greybeard]

This is one of the areas that I've spent alot of time in, and am more educated but no less confused. We have all kinds of batteries out there, and prices. Some prices justified, some not.
I've run accross a couple custom pacs, could only find this one at this moment.
http://www.falconev.com/LiFePO4_48V14Ah.doc.
A bit spendy, but it includes the bag, like it or not.

 

[Mike B]

Thats pretty cool. Easy inframe mount. I like all the loops to hold it secure.

How much is it?

 

[Greybeard]

I think they want $775 including the bag. Includes bms and charger if I'm not mistaken.
I looked at it thinking along the lines of an MP3 with internal controller. just plug the two together.

 

[paul]

just let falcon ev know you want Anderson connectors on the battery and it will be plug and go

 

[Easy Rider]

I know this might be stupid questions but I have to ask because I want advice or recommendations from someone that has experience.
So winter is coming or is already here and I'm starting off with 72 volts/1000watts rear magic pie. As we all know it isn't going to be cheap for both the kit and especially the batteries.
My two questions that could save me hundreds are:

1. Are the Magic Pies water proof and can you ride in the rain or will it short out the electronics or hub itself?

2. I plan on putting my batteries in a sealed plexiglass box. Do these batteries need to breath or have air circulation or will they over-heat?
Thanks,
Ken

 

[Easy Rider]

I forgot to mention I will be using lifepo4.

 

[BarelyAWake]

1. Are the Magic Pies water proof and can you ride in the rain or will it short out the electronics or hub itself?

2. I plan on putting my batteries in a sealed plexiglass box. Do these batteries need to breath or have air circulation or will they over-heat?
Thanks,
Ken

Not "waterproof" so much as water resistant, the hub's covers are very well sealed but the keyway in the axle shaft (for the wiring) could still allow some moisture to pass through...

...having said that it would take a full, prolonged immersion - actually sinking the wheel past the axle & leaving it there for any water to enter. I've ridden in the rain with no ill effects whatsoever, in fact this has been a very wet season up here & other than being vaguely annoying there's been no problems. I do have all my wiring & connectors tucked away in the panniers, except the main power supply & 8-pin (need easy access to remove wheel) & those are easy enough to deal with;

If you'd like a bit of extra protection against water intrusion & corrosion - I'd suggest putting a gob of dielectric (nonconductive) grease like: Loctite 37535 Dielectric Grease in the axle's keyway, even smearing some on all the connectors before putting them together. For maximum protection from corrosion during winter use, CRC Industries 06026 Corrosion Inhibitor sprayed on any exposed metal surfaces would help quite a bit... but it is a touch slimy *shrug* better that than crusty I figure lol

As for the batteries, many have made sealed or semi-sealed enclosures for their LiFePO4 battery packs without any issues, mine have never changed temperature whatsoever that I can tell - no matter discharging or charging. Some come in factory-made cases (both stainless & aluminum boxes) so I don't think that would be a problem.


I should prolly mention I dunno what Northern California winters are actually like, but if you do get freeze-ups, if they ever use salt and/or calcium chloride on the roads there - your bike will be damaged no matter the precautions you may take, it's just a matter of how much. The above & frequent washings will help keep it to a minimum... but TBH I suspect it's prolly a lil worse 'round here tho heh

 

[Easy Rider]

Thanks
The winters here aren't that bad but it does rain hard sometimes. I'm glad you recommended dielectric grease because I would have gobbed on the silicone.

 

[paul]

mounting golden motor battery in the frame

i been playing alot with different ways to mount the battery in the frame. as you can see from the photo of the slide it looks like swiss cheese. nothing seemed to hold it solid. i have had up to 4 brackets on it and still it moved way to much for my liking. this mount i used 2 inch muffler clamps (use size that matches frames diameter) and 2 heavy duty L shaped brackets and it is rock solid. nice part with the muffler clamps is the flat side on them to mount L bracket very securely. the results have been amazing to say the least. might not look as nice as on the rear rack however performance and stabilization more then makes up for it

 

[Easy Rider]

Looks great Paul. It gives me an outlook on how big the battry is. I was hoping to mount mine using the seat post water bottle screws but it looks like that's the way to go. Is the battery for longer rides or did you bump up the wattage?

 

[paul]

nah it is 48v 1000 watt battery. however after i put the battery thier the distribution in weight made a big difference. bike is a little faster and climbs better. i am sure the range has increased however most of my rides are around 15 miles and i havnt ran the battery all the way down since the change in setup. i have put close to 100 miles on this new set up in the woods and all over the island and it is a good set up. first one i did i used the water bottle screws and also some extra brackets from the top and side. it didn't hold it securely enough for my liking. needed the flat surface that the muffler clamps provide and the giant bolts. those little 6mm screws that are used to hold a bottle on i don't think will hold up well. i rode some pretty rough places and the battery does not move at all

 

[paul]

i put the magic pie back on the bike with 48v and only noticeable difference is the handling. power up hill and starting out is the same. all i can figure is that the smart pie dosn't have near the torgue as the magic and with all the weight pressing down on the rear wheel with battery mounted on the back when starting and climbing slows it down and that was why i saw a big difference with the smart pie when i moved the battery forward to balance out the weight