🇨🇦 LiGo 10X Battery

Introduction

Grin's modular LiGo battery family was born in response to the transportation restrictions placed on large lithium ebike packs. Properly certified batteries under 100 watt-hours can ship with many fewer restrictions than large packs, and are even allowed aboard passenger aircraft with your carry-on luggage. The LiGo battery concept involves creating small stand-alone 99 watt-hour modules which can be easily stacked together in parallel to form a single large battery, but broken down for shipping.

Our original LiGo and LiGo+ modules (2016-2022) had all the cells in 10x1 row, and relied on two pairs of wires with Anderson Powerole connectors for the mating hookup. The replacement LiGo 10X devices have the cells in a more compact 3x4x3 layout with a clip-together mechanical and electrical interface.  

10X Features

• 36V 2.75Ah pack, can stack as many in parallel as required
• Made in Canada 🇨🇦and CUSMA compliant for duty free shipping to USA
• Rugged metal enclosure handles drops and impacts
• FOUR Integrated XT60 connectors (2M + 2F) per module
• Mechanical twist lock and clip latch hold connector packs secure
• Includes overhanging lip for sliding into battery rail on bike
• BLE wireless connectivity with cell phone and see individual cell data and settings
• Integrated momentary push button for on/off and other functions
• Ultra low quiescent current drain (<2uA in ship mode)
• Five embedded RGB LED's for state of charge and other information
• No spark when plugged into capacitive loads
• Cell balancing at all voltages, not just full charge
• IR compensated over-charge and over-discharge current protection (no premature cutoffs from high current)

Connectors

Each battery has two male and two female XT60 ports. All ports share the same common bus and have the same voltage and can be used either for charging or discharging. If used with the battery mounting rail, the two male XT60 pins will mate with the rail dock, leaving the female XT60s exposed for accessories. The dock itself may contain additional connectors (e.g. ST3 or DC 5.5 ports for charging, Anderson Powerpoles for discharging etc.)

Latching

When two LiGo 10X batteries are connected together, they are secured together by four mechanical latches and not just the mated XT60 plugs. On the top of the pack, two snap latches over the XT60 connectors click together automatically and must be depressed to be released. Meanwhile, on the bottom of the battery are two twist lock latches. These rest flush to the surface when disconnected but fully lock the bases together when rotated 90 degrees. Please see our short Instagram video to see how this works. 

Rail

The LiGo 10X rail is machined from aluminum and can be secured to bike frames either through water bottle eyelets or with hose clamps. It is available in various lengths (for max of 3, 4, 5, or 6 LiGos) and has internal spring latches that click and hold the LiGo battery from sliding off.  Each rail can hold from 2 to the max number of LiGos and has two docking options for the pack. Either a basic dock for external controllers, or a folded sheet metal dock that allows for an integrated Baserunner. 

Certifications

The LiGo 10X complies with UN38.3, EN15194, EN62133-2, FCC/IC/CE EMC/EMI, and is compatible with the regulatory requirements governing ebike battery packs in most corners of the world, except...

What about UL2271?

Unfortunately, although we designed the LiGo 10X BMS to comply with the American UL2271, during the testing phase the standard was updated in a way that prevents the BMS from complying without an extensive redesign that could significantly reduce performance without increasing safety, and would require complete retesting against the other standards. Since the LiGo 10X battery was built with safety protections beyond the standards it meets and exceeds those of other products on the market, we don't think it makes sense to delay the release of the LiGo10X Battery further.

For individuals who require a UL-listed battery for various insurance or bylaw reasons, we are planning to complete a UL2271:2023 compliant LiGo 10X battery in 2026 that we will offer concurrently with the Non-UL pack. It will be more expensive due to a doubling of the number of mosfets, but we will work hard to limit the performance reductions stemming from that requirement.

Videos

Here is the main product introduction video, additional videos on usage and installation will be coming soon.

As well, you can see our two submissions for the BC Center for Innovation and Clean Energy from a grant we were applying for a few years ago (but didn't get):

 

User Manual

Please read the official user manual to have a full understanding of the LiGo 10X battery and it's many capabilities. For OEM customers looking to more deeply integrate the LiGo 10X into their system design, we've also published the complete wireless protocol. This will allow your system to connect with each LiGo module and interrogate the state of charge, cell voltages, usage history, and other details. 

 

 

CAD Files

Here are the current CAD drawings and 3D files for the 10X module for those who want to play with design integration. 

Specifications

External Specs

 

Internal Specs

Cell Manufacturer	LG Chem
Pack Resistance	400 mOhm
Discharge Current	6A continuous, 10A max
BMS Trip Current	15.5A  (5C)
Max Continuous Charge Current	3A
Quiescent Current	250uA Operating, <2uA Sleep
Standard Discharge Temperature	-20C to 60C
Standard Charge Temperature	0C to 45C
BMS Cutout Topology	Common Charge/Discharge Port

 

Cost

The LiGo 10X modules are priced at $275 USD each with quantity discounts starting at 3 pieces. They makes a safe, robust, versatile, and cutting edge lithium battery platform with capabilities not found in any other ebike packs, and are the only devices of their kind allowing you to travel freely with a high capacity 36V battery. Even if you don't need to fly with your ebike pack, the features may still be enticing for other reasons too. However, the price per watt-hour is naturally much more than a single large battery that just has one BMS, one set of connectors etc.  

Availability

The LiGo 10X battery modules are available to purchase directly from Grin's store page, either from the LiGo Bundle Page or as one of the drop-down battery options when you purchase a full conversion kit.  They are also available through many of Grin's dealer network around the world.   

We also fully support wholesale orders to OEM clients wanting to integrate the LiGo battery as the power bank for their product. By switching to LiGo's, your customer can easily travel with their device on airplanes, and you can also ship to your customers without needing to use Class9 dangerous goods. They can also be imported into the USA duty free with CUSMA.

Please contact Grin for more details.