A123 Cell Hobbyking - $7.99

Got a mail from Hobbyking, they now got A123 cells (stated as genuine) for just $7.99 per cell.

OlevinPower 2300Ah, 3.3v Lithium Ion Single Cell. Ideal for custom battery packs or other applications where high discharge rates are required. OlevinPower provide genuine Enerland Lithium Ion~A123 Cells.
Spec:
Nominal Voltage: 3.3v
Nominal Capacity: 2.3A
Standard Charge: 3.6A
Max Charge: 10A
Max Allowable Charge Voltage: 4.2v
Max Discharge: 30A (Continuous)
Burst Discharge: 60A
Weight: 70g
Dimensions: 66.5mm x 26mm
Note: This is a genuine A123 cell.

They're super cheap imo, if they're real A123's. Anyone heard about OlevinPower before? Or someone with experiences with this cell? (I didn't found much with google)

[mistercrash]

That would be a nice candidate to make a battery for an electric bike I been thinking about.

[whitrzac]

these are NOT a123 cells...

they are liIon laptop batts....

[snellemin]

Laptops use 18650 cells. I don't know of any laptop that uses big 26650 cells.

[mistercrash]

This is getting confusing, the ANR26650M1A number refers to A123 cells. But A123 are Lithium Phosphate and this says Lithium Ion. A laptop battery with 30C??? That's some laptop. Maybe it's not good for me at all then. Meh! I'll just buy a Motorino bike and be done with it.

[BrianG]

Don't Li-Ions have a 3.6v nom, 4.1v peak voltage? Although, some Li-Ions have the same voltages as Lipos, but either way, these cells look to have the same voltage characteristics as A123 or LiFe cells in general (3.3v nom/3.6v peak). While the price is definitely nice, I think I'm gonna wait for some reputable testing before I get a bunch.

For longer range e-bike applications, I've been eyeing those 4/8/12/20Ah prismatic A123 cells (I hate paralleling regular LiFe cells to get the desired Ah value), but they are expensive!

[mistercrash]

Yes it is expensive to make a battery for an e-bike. Plus factor in a good donor bike and all the electronics needed to complete and your time. It's a cool project when you have the time to do it. I just don't so I've been eye those Motorino scooters that I see going around town. The Vespa style scooters are around $2200 to $2500 CDN. They also make e-bikes. I just can't get over the last time I filled up my car with gas. 85 frikkin' bucks! I'm fed up with it.

That was the exact same thing I was think to use them for too: my E-Bike. But ofcourse they should be able to handle some power. I'm very curious how these cells will perform. I might buy some to test in my LST, if I like them they'll also go in my E-Bike.

@BrianG: Have a look at the Headway cells, I hear good things about these. They're cheaper than A123 cells too. A 16Ah 10C cell for 24 bucks. http://bmsbattery.com/36-lifepo4

[simplechamp]

Technically, all LiFe batteries are Lithium Ion batteries. From Wikipedia:

"The lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, also called LFP battery, is a type of rechargeable battery, specifically a lithium ion battery, which uses LiFePO4 as a cathode material."

We are just used to differentiating the two, but they are both types of lithium ion.