48V 12Ah E-Bike Battery

The 48V 12Ah E-Bike Battery is a 48-volt LiFePO4 pack of 576 watt-hours with a 24-amp continuous rating, rated IP65 at 6.5 kilograms. It fits the frame or rack bay of a pedal-assist commuter bicycle.

Range

What 576 watt-hours carry

A pedal-assist bicycle uses 5 to 15 watt-hours a kilometre depending on how hard the rider works and how flat the route is. At the efficient end 576 watt-hours cover more than 100 kilometres of gentle assist. At throttle-heavy riding on hills the same pack gives 38 to 50. A commuter riding 15 kilometres each way charges twice a week rather than nightly.

The Rider

What moves the number

Rider weight and terrain move range more than any other factor. A heavy rider sees 70 to 85 percent of what a light one gets from the same pack, and a route with sustained climbs takes 25 to 40 percent off the flat-ground figure. Size the pack against the worst commute rather than the best.

Weight

Six and a half kilograms

On a bicycle the battery is the heaviest single component after the motor. At 6.5 kilograms this pack keeps the bike liftable onto a rack or up a stairwell, and mounted low on the down tube it barely changes how the bike steers.

Protection

What the board guards against

The management board holds four limits on a bicycle: it stops the charge at the top of the pack, opens the circuit on a short at the connector, cuts discharge before the cells go too deep, and refuses charge below freezing. The last one catches a rider who brings a cold bike indoors and plugs in immediately. Give the pack twenty minutes to warm before the charger goes on.

Data

Datasheet

Fit

Charging

Charge at 54.75 volts from a 48-volt lithium charger. A 2-amp charger fills the pack overnight; a 5-amp unit does it in under three hours. Match the charger to the pack rather than to the bicycle brand.