50cycles was the very first company to import electric bicycles with Lithium power packs, starting with Panasonic's WiLL bike in Spring 2004. We have a track record in this area that other electric bike suppliers cannot match.
 We are very pleased indeed to be supplying electric bikes fitted with the winning Panasonic motor and battery combination. Since their introduction in 2004, Panasonic have expanded their battery range to include the 26V 10Ah Lithium Manganese stack-laminated technology used in the latest Kalhoff electric bikes.
In terms of both safety and suitability for use in light electric vehicles, stack laminated batteries compare favourably with the other Lithium battery chemistries. Click the image to the left to see the details.
The Panasonic battery pack used in our Kalkhoff electric bikes also benefits from a unique sleep mode function that protects against self-discharge when not in use. It works by cutting off power to the onboard control circuits which would otherwise require a small amount of charge. Panasonic compare this to bears conserving resources when hibernating at winter. The battery can be revived simply by placing it back on the charger.
So when you buy a Kalkhoff pedelec bicycle from 50cycles you can rely on the best, safest and most reliable battery technology available from Panasonic, a brand known worldwide for its quality and innovation. They're so confident that each battery comes with a 2-year warranty, which is unheard of in the electric bike world, where a 6-month warranty is often something to be grafeful for!
Other battery chemistries
The Lithium Manganese battery chemistry is different to that used in standard Lithium ion and Lithium polymer batteries. These usually come with a Cobalt cathode. These are prone to thermal runaway - ie explosion and fire. The bad news is that this variant is finding its way into more and more electric bikes. Manganese, unlike Cobalt, is a safe and more environmentally benign cathode material.
Even worse, cheaper Li batteries often use inadequate battery management systems and unsuitable chargers, which just compound the problems.
If you're buying a Lithium powered electric bike from someone else, ask the retailer about battery safety and life expectancy - if they cannot guarantee that they use Lithium Manganese and don't understand the importance of a reliable, well-engineered battery management system, our advice is simple: don't buy!
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