lithium battery source/price thread

[nebster]

If you're not getting shipping included there, and if 180Ah cells fit your space, you could get new CALB CA180s from ECPC at a similar price. They're a good vendor stateside.

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by nebster

If you're not getting shipping included there, and if 180Ah cells fit your space, you*could get new CALB CA180s from ECPC at a similar price. They're a good vendor stateside.

Link? Thanks.

[nebster]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

Link? Thanks.

Sure https://electriccarpartscompany.com.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by newhaul

we had this discussion last year they are considered standard cargo

I believe you mean domestic freight?

Or are you saying also applies via DHL/Fedex/UPS? From overseas?

Just went through hoops from Montreal, and the batteries were very expensive compared to the motor and controller.

[john61ct]

ECPC electriccarpartscompany.com are a small company and apparently do not (will not, cannot?) deal with QA / guarantee issues on expensive battery orders.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by john61ct

I believe you mean domestic freight?

Or are you saying also applies via DHL/Fedex/UPS? From overseas?

Just went through hoops from Montreal, and the batteries were very expensive compared to the motor and controller.

I had my cells air freighter in from overseas to the U.S. No issues at all must be Canadians stirring up for money .

Does this mean you have finally pulled the trigger ? Welcome to the Lfp side .

[john61ct]

There are hundreds of suppliers both international and domestic that are either ignorant or knowingly willing to roll the dice violating US shipping regs, perhaps because they are not making a distinction between LFP and the less safe LI chemistries.

But I believe fines are on the order of $2000 per shipment when enforced.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by john61ct

There are hundreds of suppliers both international and domestic that are either ignorant or knowingly willing to roll the dice violating US shipping regs, perhaps because they are not making a distinction between LFP and the less safe LI chemistries.

But I believe fines are on the order of $2000 per shipment when enforced.

Lfp is a class 9 hazard therefore does not require placating or a hazmat enforcement to transport .

[tanglewood]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Lfp is a class 9 hazard therefore does not require placating or a hazmat enforcement to transport .

I believe it's a bit more complex than that. See attached 2019 IATA regs. Page 7 has a flow chart showing what's allowed and what's not. Notably, there is no distinction among the different Li-ion chemistries, so no special treatment for LFP.


The salient path through the flow chart is for Li-ion cells or batteries >20wh of capacity. These are prohibited on passenger aircraft, and allowed on cargo aircraft up to a max of 35kg per shipment. So you can package and ship up to 35kg. Anything more has to ship via surface cargo. It's worth noting that some of the larger batteries are more than 35kg.

[nebster]

Originally Posted by john61ct

ECPC electriccarpartscompany.com are a small company and apparently do not (will not, cannot?) deal with QA / guarantee issues on expensive battery orders.

Show your source for this statement.

[john61ct]

I have not been storing up evidence over the years to make a case, just passing on an observation from many dozens of incidences across many forums, which anyone can find googling.

Ask him yourself, I don't think he's dishonest, just doesn't have the resources.

[john61ct]

Here's one ongoing now in DIY Electric Car

https://www.diyelectriccar.com/forum....php?p=1016595

[nebster]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Here's one ongoing now in DIY Electric Car

https://www.diyelectriccar.com/forum....php?p=1016595

Thanks for the link and heads-up.

From that side of the story, it sounds like pure dishonesty.

However, I spoke with Carl's son, and the other side of the story is... he bought a particular off-brand of cells whose manufacturer went under between the time of the purchase and the time of the claim. ECPC just acted as the middle man, but did not step up to cover the loss when the underlying manufacturer disappeared on them.

On one hand, that doesn't seem so great for ECPC's reputation. On the other, I'm not sure you get anything more by sourcing the same cells from someone farther away or more obscure.

Finally, he did say that they will support a warranty claim against CALB (presumably less likely fly-by-night) and that they handle their own warranties on their Fortune brand.

I have no association with them other than that they have been around a long time in lithium battery terms, and each time I've spoken with them I feel like I'm speaking with a company principal who does, in fact, care. Still, caveat emptor.

[john61ct]

Great stuff, I agree and it does seem he does his best, including to be transparent as possible.

If I were buying a large lot of CALB perhaps I'd do it in stages?

[sparrowhawk1]

Nothing in life is simple, so it seems. I've gotten several emails. the seller wants more for shipping and wants to do it outside of eBay so I just sent him this. we'll see what happens.