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

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.