Lithium battery technology in a bicycle is still experimental and you have to use a lot of common sense when using these batteries. However with a little education and some end user carefulness, you can use lithium batteries safely.

Lithium batteries are currently the hottest battery choice for electric bike enthusiasts. Polymer lithium ion batteries are the most power dense type of battery available to electric bike riders. The problem is that lithium battery packs for e-bikes are hard to find.

If you want a lithium battery pack, one of your better choices if you want to save money and have a lot of output amps is build one of your own. This requires a lot of time and knowledge, not only in building the pack but also in managing it. Lifepo4 batteries can be extremely dangerous and prone to burst into fire if not assembled with a lot of precautions and cared for properly.

Essential for either building or buying a ready-made pack is deciding how large of pack you want and how much you are willing to spend on that pack in terms of weight and price. Lithium chemistry is considerably more expensive than lead acid chemistry. If you are buying a battery pack or a bike with a battery pack, be familiar with the chemistry. For example it’s hard to find a good e-bike for under a thousand dollars with a decent sized lithium pack.

Lithium is pricey. Be realistic in your expectations on e-bike shopping on how much the electric bike will cost compared to what kind of range, performance, and life expectancy you will get out of a lithium battery pack.

When choosing a battery for your bike not only is weight important but also volume. You want your pack as small as possible so it’s easy to stow and easy to hide. Therefore you should consider you 18650 battery’s volume not just weight. For sure you need to go with lithium chemistry and not old school heavy and large lead acid or nickel-metal hydride chemistry. The stealthiest battery chemistry by far is lithium.