Can I use a 1000w 48v lithium battery to power 48v 1200w motor

woodman-46 · 24 Mar 2021

Hello,
My son has an Oset 20 electric trial bike that runs off 4 x 12v lead acid batteries. Great little bike but doesn't last long on acid batteries. I know many people have used lithium batteries on these for much longer run time and they are lighter.
My question is per title . A lithium battery that I have seen for sale is 48v 1000w 50 ah but the bikes motor is 1200w. Is there any reason that I can't use this battery to power the bike?
Thanks in advance.
James
PS If anyone has a suitable good condition lithium battery, would be interested for a good price !

bernardgreen · 24 Mar 2021

Lithium batteries can explode if the charger is not the correct charger for the battery.

Be very careful what you buy,

Guitarguy · 24 Mar 2021

I wouldn’t think the wattage is a problem, the bike would probably just not run for as long, I’d hazard a guess that a 50ah battery would give half hour of usage.

Alec_t · 24 Mar 2021

woodman-46 said:
A lithium battery that I have seen for sale is 48v 1000w 50 ah but the bikes motor is 1200w.

Those figures suggest you'd be using power beyond the battery's rating. Even if that rating is genuine rather than 'optimistic', you might well have a fire or explosion! Lithium batteries have to be treated with great care.

Keithmac · 24 Mar 2021

Lithium batteries need a Lithium programmed controller, BMS (battery Management System).

You need to make sure the battery has built in BMS or it's quite a high risk.

Maybe ask if anyone else has done similar and what they used?.

Keithmac · 24 Mar 2021

1200w is quite high, most ebikes are 250w (with burst up to 400w max).

Jackrae · 25 Mar 2021

If the battery is 48volts and rated at 50Ah then its capacity is 2400Wh (Watt hours)

The figure you quote of 1000watt doesn't make sense

If you go for lithium then you must ensure you use a lithium-specific charger and, as has already been said, you will need a BMS to protect the cells from damage.

ericmark · 25 Mar 2021

It does seem the standard size for e-bike is 250 watt, over that and not classed as an e-bike they are a motorbike and need licence etc, not that it makes any difference for the young as 14 year old is minimum age, and also they have to be peddle assist not total electric power, so there are many kits to use 500 watt, 750 watt, and 1000 watt. But is seems 1000 watt seems to be limit, however it says for your bike

It can be set from a very mellow machine at walking pace and low power, all the way up to a competition level machine with maximum power.

so it seems likely you can use the power packs for a 1000 watt motor.

However you have 10 Ah and a 17 Ah costs around £300, so a 50 Ah battery pack is rather costly. But most of the batteries say

Built-in 30A BMS protection board to prevent overcharge, overdischarge, overcurrent, short circuit. Use the key to open the lock to remove the bracket, place the bracket on the electric bicycle, and then fix the battery to the bracket.

so there should be no problem using a battery pack, but not simply a battery, in needs to be a battery pack to include the protective devices.

patstew · 25 Mar 2021

It will likely work - the wattage essentially means the maximum current draw the battery can provide, so you might find that the bike can't accelerate as fast with the 1000W battery. You might also reduce the battery's lifespan by running it near the limit, though the bike won't be drawing 1200W continuously. There's also a good chance that both the bike and battery are advertised 'optimistically', both are probably less powerful than that. Do not use any charger that's part of or came with the bike to charge a different type of battery, especially not indoors or near anything you don't want incinerated.

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Can I use a 1000w 48v lithium battery to power 48v 1200w motor

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