Tuesday, September 14, 2010

From the Ashes...

With a bunch of burned out chargers and smoked battery, things were not looking so good.  I contemplated buying replacement chargers or more of the Battery Tenders, but that would mean buying a battery or two.  Unfortunately, I could not justify $2000+ for Thundersky or CALB units, and even if I could, what would I charge them with?

Epiphany:  If I use a cylindrical cells, I can put together a modular pack that will handle my daily commute with a lower initial cost.  I may need to charge at work, and watch my Amps carefully, but at least I will be on the road.  As funds allow, I can add more batteries. Sure, the $/AH will be higher, but if my goal is decent acceleration and a 10.0 mile round trip, this really makes sense.

Big Break #1:  One of the guys on ElMoto.Net was selling a 72V charger made for Headway batteries.  It was a bargain so I jumped at it, thinking it could be used for any LiFePO4, and even temporarily for SLA's, if I stay that route a little longer.

Big Break #2:  Headway comes out with a new bigger cells (40160S).  These 16AH cylindrical cells will do 5C continuously and 10C for 30 seconds.

Big Break #3:  Manzanita Micro starts carrying Headway cells.  A reputable US based supplier is critical.  They are a long time player in the EV industry and have a terrific reputation for service.

So I dropped a small fortune on 25 cells, bus bars and holders.  Only problem now is all the empty space that is left.

3 comments:

  1. The bike looks great. Blue is definitely your color!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love how compact it is, you must get crazy looks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for stopping by to check out my project. Glad to see you made the LiFeP04 plunge. Bike looks really nice, you do great work.

    ReplyDelete