We've built the Ultimate e-Bike Battery that you can Repair and Refill

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Product concept & design

  • Modular e‑bike battery pack using standard 18650 cells, designed to be user-repairable and refillable.
  • Cells are held in slots (no welding) so users or shops can swap cells and even the electronics/BMS.
  • Target use: e‑bikes (including conversions) and fleet/shared mobility; current version is described as v3, with earlier prototypes used in France for several years.

Chemistry, cells & cost claims

  • Chemistry stated as classical NMC, with one cited model: DMEGC 32E (a “tier 2” supplier).
  • Company claims to buy cells around $1.20 each and suggests a full refill in the $48 range every ~3 years.
  • Several commenters doubt that high‑quality cells can be that cheap in small quantities and question the advertised cost-per-year.

Fireproof casing & safety

  • Strong marketing emphasis on a “fireproof” aluminum casing that contains thermal runaways and vents fumes.
  • Link to test documentation is provided; casing allegedly withstands full pack burn-down without external flames.
  • Critics note that “fireproof case” ≠ no fire risk to surroundings and question whether it can really contain the heat.
  • Design includes per-cell fusing and physical guidance to reduce risks from reversed cells; still concern about novices handling high currents and many cells.

Smartphone app, API & openness

  • Battery works without the app; app mainly for data, alerts, and firmware updates.
  • App is not open source today; protocol and possibly firmware may be opened later.
  • Some users strongly dislike dependency on a proprietary app and want documented, open protocols for long-term usability.

Kickstarter, legitimacy & marketing concerns

  • Product is slated for a Kickstarter; reason given is upfront capital for batch production, despite product already existing in B2B form.
  • Multiple commenters find the website “scammy”: vague pricing, percentage discounts without context, and testimonials that appear temporally inconsistent.
  • Company acknowledges testimonials are adapted from early beta feedback and agrees they were confusing.
  • Some remain uneasy, preferring batteries from large, heavily certified manufacturers; others see the idea as valuable but dislike the marketing tone.

Compatibility & integration

  • Battery is “compatible with major brands” via a supplied dock: users connect bare motor/controller wires into a dock PCB and select the correct CAN protocol.
  • Skepticism about how this works across diverse proprietary connectors and protocols; details beyond this are unclear.