Electric bike: inexpensive battery replacements?

[e9999]

been thinking about electric bikes.
One thing I'm wondering about is the potential cost of battery replacements for proprietary systems. The packs won't last more than a few (5?) years I imagine, but I'd want to keep the bike a long time. I do not like items that are throwaway if the battery conks out... So battery replacement is likely in the cards for me. I'm thinking that with batteries that are built into the frame in particular, you are probably dependent on the manufacturer, short of rigging something outside with custom wiring or replacing cells. And I can't imagine they will be selling the fancy built-in OEM batteries cheap, if they will even be available 5 or 10 years from now.

Is this a real issue? If so, what is the best approach to preventing or solving that problem? Are there brands / systems that are much better than others in terms of longevity / replacement availability and cost?

 

[ravewoofer]

been thinking about electric bikes.
One thing I'm wondering about is the potential cost of battery replacements for proprietary systems. The packs won't last more than a few (5?) years I imagine, but I'd want to keep the bike a long time. I do not like items that are throwaway if the battery conks out... So battery replacement is likely in the cards for me. I'm thinking that with batteries that are built into the frame in particular, you are probably dependent on the manufacturer, short of rigging something outside with custom wiring or replacing cells. And I can't imagine they will be selling the fancy built-in OEM batteries cheap, if they will even be available 5 or 10 years from now.

Is this a real issue? If so, what is the best approach to preventing or solving that problem? Are there brands / systems that are much better than others in terms of longevity / replacement availability and cost?

I may be biased because I don’t ride an e-bike, but I think e-bikes, like most things are designed with planned obsolescence. Very doubtful that emotors and batteries for a bicycle will be compatible 5-6 years in the future.
Bicycle specs and standards change Willy Nilly at the manufacturer’s/designer’s discretion.

 

[e9999]

Don't get me started on planned obsolescence!

If I'm going to spend, say, a couple of thousands on a bike, I would be ticked off if I can't find a battery for it in 5 years cuz that would make the bike worthless at that point. That would be a bothersome loss for frugal me. My human-powered bikes, even very old, can be fixed today (not that they ever need it) with no fuss, that is a big difference, those are essentially a completely modular design that is pretty much timeless.
It is true, that for a competent DIYer, it should be possible to rig something with an external battery but that would be/look awkward and would likely result in the bike being hard to resell too. So I'd rather not be forced to go that route.
You would hope that bike companies would have come up with a "universal" battery system that would greatly expand the pool of replacements available, but of course that would eat into their profits. Just like the power tools manufacturers...

 

[ravewoofer]

Don't get me started on planned obsolescence!

If I'm going to spend, say, a couple of thousands on a bike, I would be ticked off if I can't find a battery for it in 5 years cuz that would make the bike worthless at that point. That would be a bothersome loss for frugal me. My human-powered bikes, even very old, can be fixed today (not that they ever need it) with no fuss, that is a big difference, those are essentially a completely modular design that is pretty much timeless.
It is true, that for a competent DIYer, it should be possible to rig something with an external battery but that would be/look awkward and would likely result in the bike being hard to resell too. So I'd rather not be forced to go that route.
You would hope that bike companies would have come up with a "universal" battery system that would greatly expand the pool of replacements available, but of course that would eat into their profits. Just like the power tools manufacturers...

Are e-bikes that inexpensive (couple thousand)? I think any e-bike with modern features ( thinking more of e mountain bikes) start much higher.

 

[e9999]

I have seen bikes in the $1000+ range but those seemed very entry-level, possibly lower quality. The impression I have is that a couple of thousands would give you a decent quality fairly simple bike. Of course, a good MTB with suspension, or high power bike, etc, is likely a lot more than that.
But, yes, more expensive would make the issue worse.

added: it is really weird how expensive some of those electric bikes are. I was just looking at the Trek site and I saw quite a few electric MTBs around the $7K range. Of course, those are great bikes, but if I look at their pic, there is objectively not much there compared to -say- a 2024 Suzuki DR650 with a MSRP of $7k too, a great motorcycle itself. So from a purely functional equipment point of view, I'm thinking these may be really overpriced.

 

[little_joe]

Even if the mfgrs make batteries available for 5-10 years (some already have eclipsed that timeframe), finding one new could well be a problem, and cost will likely be high hundreds. Used/aftermarket - well, it's your life, house.

I'm starting to see a burgeoning battery fixup industry, right now it seems mostly just local dudes doing it. Yet another crapshoot in my mind, but if some reputable firm jumps in, I suppose it could be viable? But this is primarily for the cells, not the controllers. And who knows what easter eggs the mfgrs have in their firmware or controllers if they detect non-mfgr parts. And yes, the integrated batteries seem even more problematic as the bike would have to be disassembled to even get to them.

 

[e9999]

evidently, this is a topic much discussed in the ebike community, I just saw a bunch of discussions about this while googling. Interestingly, there are apparently quite a few people who just take the approach that the ebikes are basically disposable items. Might make for some good deals later on for somebody with some skills.

One type of battery I saw a fair bit is the Bosch tube. Seems to be used by other manufacturers (like Trek) and maybe is a bit more common than others. But being Bosch, probably not cheap compared to others.

 

[little_joe]

None of the batteries are cheap. Bosch is likely the most sold reputable brand, and personally I'd not hesitate to go with their system in <whichever> bike.

 

[coleAK]

Are e-bikes that inexpensive (couple thousand)? I think any e-bike with modern features ( thinking more of e mountain bikes) start much higher.

Cheep ones are $3-$5k. “Nice mtbs” are $8k-$15k

 

[coleAK]

I’ve been an avid cyclist for going on 40 years and I’ve had teslas in Alaska for 10 years now and I have installed and maintained a solar/battery bank on my camper, home, and cabin.

First off good question. A few things to consider. Modern batteries don’t just fail (unless they are defective) they just degrade over time (well really the number of charge cycles or more accurately amount of time fully charged or fully discharged). My 10 year old Tesla (110k miles) has lost 8% and my 6 year old Tesla 85k miles has lost 4%, so essentially max charge is now 92% and 96%.

I’m in Alaska and have many friends with e-bikes (pedal assisted), they have revolutionized hunting in many areas. Lots of out areas are “controlled use” no motorized vehicles. My kids and I caribou hunt off bikes, with e-bikes hauling 200-300 lbs of gear/meat just got a lot easier. I also know a dozen or so guys that commute on an e-bike year round here in AK.

I have a few friends with 4-6 year old e-bikes. A guy a regularly ride with has an original specialized levo, he is 72 years old and has >4k miles on it over the last 4 summers, he is a beast, rides 150-400 miles every week. The bike is as good as new he can still ride all day and easily get 60-70 miles (30 or so running 3/4 to full boost) from a single charge. On the other end I have a buddy that went the cheep China bike route and had one last 2 years.


I’ll bet With a high quality bike/drivetrain you should easily be able to get 10 years. Stick with Bosch, SRAM, Specialized, or Shimano. Then don’t store it for long periods with the battery >90% or <10%.

Wheels, bearings, drivetrain, shocks will all wear out way before the battery.

 

[coleAK]

On the cheaper end, these are the bike for backcountry travel/hunting here in AK, as none of the brand names make anything like it (a fat tire full suspension). I have a few friends that have had one for 2-3 years with no issues.

E06

DENGFU E06 is a fat E-bike, used for snow/sand riding. Equipped with BAFANG M620 G510 1000W 48V motor and DENGFU Lithium-ion 48V 14Ah 672Wh battery. TORAY T700 carbon fiber frame, 120mm full suspension, internal cable routing, post mount disc brake. Normally we use EMS and DPD as our logistics...

www.dengfubike.com

 

[ravewoofer]

Cheep ones are $3-$5k. “Nice mtbs” are $8k-$15k

I know, that's ridiculous! Any bike costing close to 15k better have a gas motor!

 

[coleAK]

I know, that's ridiculous! Any bike costing close to 15k better have a gas motor!

My boss just paid almost $20k for a road bike. No battery or motor. And he has >50 bikes…