Battery and e-bike systems update: 5 hot industry problems and solutions

The provisional agreement on the overhaul of the EU battery regulations is an important step to provide more clarity for the future. In a series of reports, e-bike battery expert James, will address the problems and solutions on making batteries safe in an affordable way. He will also discuss the chip supply chain crisis.

Bike Europe
Battery and e-bike systems update: 5 hot industry problems and solutions - bike europe battery topics and solutions

In a series of reports the problems and solutions on making batteries safe will be addressed. – Photo Shutterstock

E-bike batteries lag behind electric vehicles, energy storage and industrial batteries in terms of lifetime, reliability and safety, James Post wrote in the Bike Europe whitepaper.

In a new series on battery and e-bike system safety he will address these 5 hot industry problems & solutions:

  1. Chip supply chain crisis causes & remedies. Opportunities to save money.
    • This reports puts up the question: why use automotive components to circumvent supply chain shortages? The redesign of the BMS with generic chips is a better solution to solve this problem. E-bike manufacturers, who buy batteries, and e-bike kit vendors, should at least have a Plan B. The R&D costs are less than €10,000 but pay back in lower BMS production cost.
  2. How to design much safer e-bike batteries – at little extra-cost.
    • Low-cost Chinese and often smart BMS’s don’t come with the feature of safety malfunctioning. They don’t switch off at too high temperature and charging voltage in case of a BMS break down. This often happens due to insufficient input protection. A self-test is needed and can be done at low-cost. E-bike (kit) vendors: if your BMS’s have no self-test, read this article.
  3. Safer LFP (now) & Na-ion (2025) batteries – not expensive & heavier.
    • LFP (LiFePO4) batteries are mainstream with EV’s, industrial and other applications, and are much safer with a roughly double cycle life. More than 50% of all Tesla’s in 2022 came with LFP batteries, Thanks to larger cells (e.g. 33140 – 15Ah), the pack-cost, weight and volume are similar to NMC batteries. Don’t miss the boat – get informed!
  4. Crucial, important and useful BMS functions –most of them are cheap.
    • BMS self-testing (does the BMS switch off at too high temperature- & charge voltage?); safety (monitor increasing degradation) is crucial. Accurate capacity display (coulomb counting), document warranty violations and eligibility. E- bike (kit) vendors: Is your BMS state-of-the-art?
  5. How to get smooth drive-off, higher motor efficiency/low wear/noise.
    • Without expensive torque sensors a (much) smarter motor controller can offer a smoother ride, especially driving-off from standstill. This is a major issue among especially older consumer. Thus, the system cost is less than with low-cost motor controllers and torque sensors. Get to know all the benefits of better motor controllers.

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Dave Petri

Lost Paddle Events

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