This page will provide DOCUMENTED TESTED PROOF that name brand batteries are far better than “domestic no-name brands” on most ebikes made in China. On top of the documented proof, I will provide a real-life example of how much money you will save if you get a bike with a name brand battery.
Rechargeable lithium batteries are made with many smaller cells. The best cells in the world are made by LG, Samsung, Sony, and Panasonic/Sanyo. Those are what I am referring to when I say, name brand batteries.
The battery is the most expensive part of an ebike…more expensive than the motor and the frame. Cheap batteries only save you money initially. But they don’t perform nearly as well, and you have to replace them much sooner at a cost of $400 to $600. Since name brand batteries don’t cost nearly that much more initially, there is a huge dollar savings over time with name brands.
Amp Hours
Most budget ebike batteries are less than 15 amp hours…some as low as 10Ah. Our Golf Ebikes have 20 amp hour batteries made with either Samsung or LG cells. Generally speaking, the higher the amp hours the longer the ride-duration. But that is hugely dependent on the quality of the cells. So all amp hours are not created equally. You get a lot more bang-for-the-buck with name brand batteries.
Duration Per Charge
The duration of a fully-charged battery with name-brand cells can last 3 times longer per charge than cheaper non-branded cells. This is not just theory. We know it from practical experience. Everyone considering an ebike wants to know, “How many miles can I get out of a full charge?” Or with our golf emphasis, “How many rounds of golf can I get out of a full charge?” Those are difficult questions to answer because the variables are unknown. The answer is dependent on how much you pedal, how much you weigh, air pressure in the tires, and even the type of pavement or the softness of the fairway. I am skeptical of ebike-seller claims that specify a mileage distance because they don’t quantify those variables. You just can’t believe the claims unless they are defined.
I can report my own history with our GolfEbike on a variety of local golf courses with modest hills. I weigh 240 pounds (about 40 too much!!!). I am in my mid-70’s, and I get 3 rounds of golf on my bike before needing to recharge. I move my legs on the pedals with modest energy output…more so to climb hills. But by no means am I giving myself a physical “work-out”. My bike is doing most of the work.
More to the point of battery output, we have received many reports from customers with ebikes that have only up to 15 amp hour batteries with non-branded cells that only get 1 round between charges.
Battery Cycles and Life Longevity
Another factor to consider is the overall life of the battery. How long will the battery last before it starts to lose capacity. Related to that is the question, “How many charging cycles before it starts to lose capacity?” It happens. Just like your cell phone, lithium batteries will eventually start to lose capacity. Bluntly stated, name brand batteries last longer…3 to 5 times longer. When you consider replacement cost of $400 to $600, getting 3 to 5 more years out of a battery is worth many hundreds of dollars.
Use a Slow Charger
As it relates to battery life, a slow charger will help your battery last longer. That is why we use a slow charger on our GolfEbikes. There are times when fast chargers can be helpful, but for longer battery life, go with a slow charger if you can. We also believe they are safer.
Real Battery Experience
I golf with a friend who initially purchased a budget ebike with a no-name battery. He got almost 3 rounds out of it when it was new, but after about 20 recharges into his first golf season, it was barely lasting 1 round. He had to get a $430 replacement battery that was only available from the original company. Unfortunately, by the end of his first full season with this ebike, he couldn’t even complete 2 rounds with the replacement battery. The “great deal” he got by buying a discounted ebike was already over the cost of a quality ebike with a name brand battery.
Based on this practical example alone, you can see that a name-brand battery is worth HUNDREDS of dollars in your pocket. Yes, it costs a little more in the beginning, but it saves hundreds of dollars compared to the cheaper no-brand batteries.
There are fat tire step thru ebikes being sold from many different websites for under $1500, even under $1,000. Some claim to have name brand batteries. But that is not possible unless the prices reflect name brand components, or they are close-out sales because the companies have gone out of business, which is usually for good reasons related to poor quality.
Several of our Bag Carrier customers have told us that they got one of those cheap ebikes and regretted it. One customer paid but never received a bike. Another purchased a bike at the beginning of the golf season that advertised it had a name-brand battery, but the battery failed after a few rounds. He sent it to a company that rebuilds batteries and they told him the cells inside were cheap no-name cells that had leaked. $600 later, he had a good name-brand rebuilt battery.
Because of my own real-life experience and observations, I started to do more research into batteries and brands and found this very informative 14 minute video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMZuHMlRw_0
It shows many battery brands being tested under different conditions including the leading 4 brands from China. The clear conclusion is that the Chinese brands all tested very poorly and the name-brands are the best, by far. The following screenshot shows the rating of the mAh-per-cost which shows the Samsung and LG the best. The red underlined brands on the far right are all Chinese brands. This portion of the video starts at about the 9-minute mark.
Another very interesting section of this video starts at the 12:44 minute mark. It is the “Fan Test” to see which battery lasts the longest under the exact same load. This test removes all the variables that would be difficult to control on an ebike such as the rider’s weight, air pressure, terrain, wind, etc. This is just a pure test that proves how much better the name brand batteries are.
The winners are the Samsung and LG which lasted 3 TIMES LONGER per charge than the Chinese brands (circled).
THREE TIMES LONGER.
Not even close.
