Need inexpensive battery options.
 

I bought a complete 1500w 48v chinese scooter with 4 dead 12v 20ah batterys.

The guy who sold it too me for $200 was using a 36volt charger? Duh!

New batts in NZ are around $450:eek:

I need a new charger too.

Any option ideas? LiIon looks good but I cant even source a charger here in NZ.

I have an unlimited access to used car batts for cheap from my car battery mate, maybe he will order some of the smaller new 20ah sla's for me trade price plus 10% if I speak to him nicely...

If the scoot was 24v I'd remake the battery compartments(2) and use 2 small car batteries. It would cost me $40NZ ($20US) for 2 older batts.

4 is 2 too many to fit under the seat and plastics, weight too.

Ideas anyone? I dont like retail prices, they make me ill.

All you have to do is change the name to 48V CityEL, or for that matter a 36V E-Pod. Right now only my 24V TerraTrike is dependable.

The deep cell 12V x 4 + $1200 = tax.

A 36V lithium battery is available tomorrow- one small problem - $800.

Talk about being ill !:eek:

Motorcycle/4wheeler/garden tractor/lawnmower batteries.

Why is a smallish 20ah sealed lead acid battery twice the price of a car 80ah lead acid?

Market forces....

how about 4x 12v motorcycle batteries? they're about 1/2 the size of a car battery

And still over twice the price

Possibly ask around at a scooter repair shop (or sale shop). See if they got any used batteries you could try? Its gonna be next to impossible to find something else that small. They just aren't used for anything. The only exception I can think of would be powered children's toys. 'Power wheels' come to mind.

Yeah, I was just looking at PowerWheels in fact. Wal-Mart sells a 12V battery for $50. 10Ah if I remember correctly from seeing them at the store.

Is there some reason not to use NiCads? Because I often find NiCad power tools and battery packs in the clearance section of various stores.

You could use them. They're usually just expensive and have low capacity. The new Li-ions have around 1.5Ah which is not gonna carry you very far. But, if you could get enough of them you could always wire them in parallel.

I think the Tool Ni-cads and NiMHs only run from 3 to 6 Ahr at most. But if you could get a huge amount of them dirt cheap, you could run Series up to 48V, then Parallel 48Vs to get your Ahrs. But because you're on a Scooter, you rapidly run out of space-you might have enough room depending on the body style though.

Now if you had a light, roomy vehicle like a Cargo Trike...I once(after an amazing Flea-market find)entertained the thought of making a battery box containing several 18V, 6Ahr Tool Packs in a 36V, 18Ahr config-but the Power packs would stay in the original casings for quick release, held by simple snug latches. An identical set of Packs would be in a similar setup in the bottom of the Cargo bay, coupled to a Charger, and a hinged lid over that so cargo could be loaded on top.

The theory was-you could run the Trike for 17-20 miles on a charge(more with Pedal Power) reach your destination, change out the batteries in under three minutes(clickclickclick!) and have a fresh Pack ready to go while retaining the option of charging your depleted one...in an emergency(nowhere to charge) your total range would still be 35 to 40 miles plus Pedal before you were completely out of juice!

Sadly, I have no Cargo Trike to test this theory on-so I traded my Dozen $3 packs to Dad for one of his antique potbellied stoves, so he's never without Portable Tools and my Barn is no longer cold. :D Still, once i've passed my IT tests and am gainfully employed again I may weld some old Bicycle parts into a 3-wheeled Minicart and see if the Yard Sale Spirits are kind...

So the 3-6 Ahr Packs are multiple cells? I had no idea-next time Dad gets a dead Pack i'm going to have to split the case and do an Autopsy.

The economy of scale thing is screwing me here...

In retrospect, it seems if you can source used car batts that are replaced because they dont provide enough cranking current, but will still last a year or so in an electric scoot, that the costs will be not only bearable but enthusiastic.

The scoot being 48v is the Achilles heel, there is just not enough room to fit them. 24v and I would be a happy chappy

Yep, it's the age-old problem. Bigger vehicles have more room but need more power which makes more weight which needs more power. Smaller vehicles need less power to move less weight but have less room to mount so you cut the cells which gives less power...

Can I have my Flux Capacitor now? I'm not greedy, I just want one...:p

SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEM
UPS & Telecom AGM Batteries | BatteryStuff.com
Visit the link and match up the dimensions of the batteries to fit those shown on the page. I really like the AGM's because they hold their charge for months when sitting unused. I use this website to build small scale battery banks for my battery charger research.

View All | BatteryStuff.com
Here are their 36VDC battery chargers. This one: Japlar 36V 4 amp looks like the cheapest.

Good luck!

Ah, I wasn't aware they made them that large. I assumed they are all around that since my new lithium drill is 1.5 Ah. Of course its not contractor grade so its no big surprise.

Sorry I'm late to the thread.
Here's the same size and rating 12volt battery for $38 each.
Electric Vehicles USA, Inc
$38 x 4 = $152 + shipping

I bought this exact one to upgrade my 48 volt scooter to 60 volts.
http://captainslug.com/temp/xb-600_034.jpg
I also plan to use them in my scratch build because they're a nice size, weight, rating, and price.

If you want to find them in your area you'll have to look into replacement Uninterpretable Power Supply or golf cart batteries because that's what this size is typically used for. Medical and computer supply companies are two places to look.

I did find one supplier on eBay that's in Australia, but their price is almost $60USD each
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=290292618103

The ones I gave Dad were 18V, 6Ahr packs-heavy duty stuff. But for all I know they could just be individual Cells wired together...I was lucky to not get a single dead Pack in the crate, so I didn't crack any open.

Hey, rgathright-thanks for the Link! More goodies to drool over...

And the day I will need this info draws nearer-I just got my Network Certification! A new career should only be a few weeks away now!

Oh, blueflame-since Industrial Batteries were mentioned, do you live near any IT departments, Computer stores or a major Data center? I've noticed that many companies replace UPS on a regular rotation LONG before they die-if you could develop a contact in the business( or the Battery Recycler they deliver to) perhaps you could grab some decent batts for just a core charge. Also, since UPS batts seldom actually discharge their contents barring emergencies, the used ones might have a lot more life left in them than your typical returned Cranking Battery, perhaps two years or more...