The electric bicycle – and everything that resembles it – is conquering the street. In the Netherlands, one per year half a million e-bikes sold and there are now such five million round.
That is also five million bicycle batteries, which wear out and need to be replaced. Depending on how you use it, the battery may need to be replaced after five years. A new battery quickly costs four hundred euros, there are also models that cost double or triple.
Isn’t it better to repair such a battery? Just like you stick a tire or replace a sprocket. It is a specialty where a large number of battery fixers (refurbishers ) sees bread.
Repairing is good for the environment, good for your wallet, but not good for Conebi, the trade association of bicycle manufacturers. That club lobbies against repair of batteries. This position runs counter to the European one right to repair. That legislation has been in preparation for two years and was recently six months postponed.
Bicycle manufacturers prefer that you buy a replacement battery from them. That would be safer and save money; original batteries are quickly 150 to 200 euros more expensive than remanufactured ones. Moreover, bicycle brands are sensitive to the negative PR effect if a burning e-bike makes the news.
Battery overhauls come in all shapes and sizes, from bums to large companies. The Fietsersbond is not against repairs. On the contrary, says a spokesman. “If bicycle manufacturers do not want batteries to be repaired, then they should make their original batteries cheaper.”
But what if the original battery is no longer available or your e-bike’s software prohibits you from replacing parts? Do you have to throw away your whole bike?
The road to a fresh bicycle battery is full of pitfalls, according to a tour of dealers and electronics experts. Most of them do not want their name in the newspaper, but they are known to the editors. They like to share their knowledge. And their frustrations.
New cells under the saddle
Without elaborating on amp hours, voltages and others details: a bicycle battery consists of dozens of separate battery cells (cylinders that resemble an AA battery). They are connected together to provide enough power to the electric motor.
A battery management system or BMS checks the status of the batteries. This is a printed circuit board with a processor on which software runs to connect to the display, lights and sometimes a GPS tracker or phone charger.
If a battery no longer works, you can replace the individual cells. Experience shows that once a few cells are weak, it is better to replace all cells. Otherwise you will be standing still again.
The refurbishers often reuse the original circuit board with it battery management system. A risk, because those electronics also have a limited lifespan: the parts were selected based on the limited shelf life of the battery. Replacement BMSs are not always available, much to the chagrin of repairers.
You can also look for a new alternative battery at battery stores – cheaper than one from the manufacturer. For some batteries there is a warning: ‘must be registered by the dealer’.
This means that you have to go to a regular bicycle repair shop, which registers the new part via online software. Otherwise your e-bike simply won’t work.
This also applies to second-hand parts, such as a replacement display (the screen on the steering wheel). It’s similar to how car dealers repair or update your car – only with the manufacturer’s blessing. One refurbisher calls this software “the sublime tool for cheating the customer”, because the manufacturers read a lot of data without proper control.
The central software should prevent stolen parts from being easily mounted in an existing bicycle. But in practice that doesn’t work. “A wasted nose,” says a battery expert. Some bicycle mechanics are willing to start up the computer and connect a new part for a few tens. As a bicycle dealer describes it: “If a customer says he bought a battery or display via Marktplaats, then I cannot check whether the thing was originally stolen.”
A special case is the ION system that many bicycles from Sparta, Batavus and Koga use. These are older, but very popular models, with a battery in the frame and a variant for under the luggage carrier.
The ION battery and other components of the ION system have been discontinued since this year. It battery management system however, is adjusted in such a way that the bicycle battery no longer works as soon as you put other cells in it. It is a software lock that cannot be cracked.
It is therefore not possible to overhaul an ION battery if you manage to get to the cells of the difficult packaging unscathed. If a dealer still has an ION battery lying around, it is too expensive for the age of the bicycle. So the bicycle is then thrown away (sin) or clandestinely refurbished (also a shame). On the black market, prices of batteries and displays are through the roof. “A screen that once cost 120 euros new is now offered second-hand for 150 euros,” says a bicycle dealer. The Accell group, which includes the Sparta, Batavus and Koga brands, says that e-bike parts are usually available for seven to eight years. Accell is considering developing an ‘umbrella display’.
Bicycle without stand
The boom in worn-out batteries is yet to come. Last year, according to collection organization Stibat, 250 tons of bicycle batteries arrived, about 80,000 units.
Manufacturers make revision unnecessarily difficult, refurbishers believe. They are annoyed by the variety of batteries and chargers. Worse than the proliferation of phone chargers before USB-C norm became. You can make a standard display or battery that fits any electric bicycle. Just like you can put a chain or front tire on any bike.
A bicycle battery lasts longer if it is charged regularly. Even if the charge remains between 30 and 80 percent, your battery will wear less quickly. “A bicycle battery has a much harder life than a Tesla battery,” says Hannes de Jong van Heskon, one of the largest refurbishers. He thinks manufacturers should provide batteries that last as long as your bike – at least ten years. Compare it to the battery of an electric or hybrid car, which works for an entire car life without too much degeneration.
Bicycle manufacturers can extend battery life by taking wider margins and promising a less rosy range. De Jong: “They are now trying to squeeze out every kilometer.”
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