top of page
Exclusive Lithium Battery with integrated BMS
For electric scooters, lithium-ion batteries last 600% longer than lead-acid batteries and Lithium batteries output 200% more electrical energy per discharge cycle. Triad's exclusive BMS analyzes hundreds of parameters every second to ensure the best performance and safety for years to come.
Electric Scooter Lithium Battery Basics
Answers to all important battery questions
-
What do I do if I let my battery over discharge and now its not charging?Triad batteries last between 3-8 years under normal operations with proper charging practices. The BMS system is there to protect the battery against over charging and over discharging. If the BMS screen does not power up, or the screen indicates the disconnect error code, that means the over discharge protection (ODP, LVC) has been automatically activated. However, Triad has developed a revolutionary solution: battery regeneration. If you are experiencing an error code where the battery is not charging, or the screen does not power on, please complete the form on our Support page to contact Triad with photos of your battery and screen as soon as possible, so we can make a preliminary diagnostic and assist in providing a solution. If the emergency safety valves have not opened, it likely our skilled technician can safely restore the battery to full function.
-
Is BMS installed on all Triad Batteries?Yes. It is included at no additional charge. All automotive grade or industrial lithium batteries require professional BMS to pass safety standards. Triad only uses the most advanced state of the art automotive grade lithium battery chemistry and BMS systems to comply with the highest U.S. and international industrial safety standards. Quality BMS is installed on all Triad batteries.
-
What if I can’t use or download the BMS app?Triad batteries can last up to 8 years with proper charging practices. That is extraordinary! To avoid obsolescence and to ensure access to BMS data without failure, Triad is the only company who has put a hardware touchscreen on the battery itself to read the BMS system without relying on 3rd party app developers. For example, if the app fails to work, or if user does not want to use an app, or if the app developer does not keep legacy code for newer operating systems over time, or if the user does not upgrade their OS on their mobile device, the failsafe hardware touchscreen Triad created and installed on the battery will always work in direct coordination with the automotive grade BMS installed inside the Triad battery. Just press the power button on the Smart Battery LCD Screen to access the BMS data pages and use the touchscreen to cycle through the 3 pages of data.
-
Can I keep the battery charged 100% if being used regularly?Yes. If you are using your battery on a regular basis, you can keep your battery fully charged so it is ready to use. You can also charge it up mid discharge to cut down your charging time. For example, if you start with a 100% battery and use 30% of the battery, you can charge the battery back up from 70% to 100% so you can be prepared to use the battery later that day or whenever you want within the immediate future.
-
Is BMS installed on all battery electric cars, buses, and VTOL aircraft?Yes. It is a crucial component in all electric vehicles to ensure that batteries do not get overcharged or over discharged, thus avoiding damage to the battery and harm to occupants. The BMS is a computerized system that monitors and protects your EV battery pack from overcharging, over-discharging, and excessive current. It's an essential part of any electric vehicle, and without it, your battery pack would be vulnerable to damage.
-
Have car manufacturers tried to create electric cars without BMS to save money?Yes, and because of that fact, one of the big 3 US car manufacturers was forced to recall 140,000 vehicles. Every single electric car ever made prior to August 2021 because they tried to build an all-electric car with no BMS to save money. It cost them over $2 Billion to fix because they cut corners on battery safety. Even though they were using the same cell chemistry in their battery as all the other car manufacturers, by not having a BMS system installed to monitor, regulate and protect the battery, it created significant electrical malfunctions which led to billions of dollars of damages.
-
Can you restore function to a battery when ODP is activated?It is possible to restore function under certain conditions if the emergency safety valves on the cells are not opened, or there is no sign of an external short circuit due to improper charger use. This can only be determined by a skilled technician and the battery will need to be tested by Triad engineers to make a final determination. To avoid ODP and LVC, do not allow your lithium battery to remain uncharged for an extended period of time. Lithium batteries, like all batteries, will lose ability to hold a charge over time, eventually leading to the battery Over Discharge Protection to be activated to prevent electrical malfunctions. The BMS system will activate a safety disconnect override in order to prevent the battery from being charged when the internal BMS computer identifies that the battery has specifically lost its capacity to hold electrical energy due to over discharging. This is a key safety feature found only on professional automotive grade industrial BMS systems. When ODP and LVC is activated, over extended periods of time when the cells drop significantly below 1.5V the emergency safety valves open preventing the battery from being recharged. Even though in this case, the battery has to be replaced, it completely avoids accidental electrical malfunction due to improper charging practices and provides the highest level of safety within this extremely powerful battery. There are many e-scooter batteries out there without BMS. They may be less expensive, but they have a huge safety risk and using a lithium battery without a quality BMS is never recommended.
-
Can the battery be restored if ODP and LVC is activated?Previously, if your Triad battery experienced over-discharge or low voltage cutoff (meaning it completely drained and you see an activated error code on the screen or the screen does not power on), the BMS might have disabled charging capabilities as a safety precaution. This previously in most cases resulted in complete battery replacement. However, Triad has developed a revolutionary solution: battery regeneration. If you are experiencing an error code where the battery is not charging, or the screen does not power on, please complete the form on our Support page and contact Triad with photos of your battery and screen as soon as possible, so we can make a preliminary diagnostic and assist in providing a solution. If the emergency safety valves have not opened, it likely our skilled technician can safely restore the battery to full function. Learn more here: https://www.3wheelelectricscooter.com/post/battery-error-codes
-
Why is BMS important with lithium batteries?A BMS (Battery Management System) is essential in a Lithium-Ion battery system. This device manages a real-time control of each battery cell, communicates with external devices, manages SOC calculation, measures temperature and voltage, etc. Controlling and monitoring the total voltage of every individual cell making up that pack is done by the BMS. In order to ensure your lithium battery pack is safe and lasts for a long time, you need a quality, reliable BMS. A quality battery management system analyzes hundreds of parameters every second to ensure the best performance and safety.
-
How do I prevent self discharge in batteries?An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in this situation. Self discharge is unavoidable, but it is preventable. However it is only preventable by the user actively participating in monitoring and balance charging the battery for 20-30 minutes every 4-6 weeks. By reading the BMS app, and/or simply turning on the touchscreen to read the battery SOC (state of charge) at least one time every 4-6 weeks, you can prevent the battery at its optimal performance for operations. To prevent self-discharge during a long period of time when it is not used (dormant storage) the user must maintain the battery with a short balance charge at least once every 4-6 weeks to keep the battery at a healthy SOC (state of charge) between 60%-80%. For long term dormant storage, it is best to check the battery every 4-6 weeks in order to maintain the optimum balance charge on the battery of about 70% - 75%. Once the battery reaches the 70%-80% range, the user must unplug the charger and remove the charger from the battery. Check and balance the battery by pressing one button to read the SOC at least once every 4-6 weeks to be sure the battery remains between 70%-80% so it is optimized in storage and ready to accept a full charge during regular operations.
-
Does BMS prevent over-discharge?BMS provides crucial data to the user in order to prevent and avoid the overcharging and over-discharging of the battery. BMS maintains the charging level between the maximum and minimum allowed charging and discharging capacity of the battery and balances all the battery cells in the battery pack for safety and peak performance. The BMS does not charge the battery, it monitors the user interaction with the battery. The user is still responsible to use the charger to charge the battery according to manufacturer requirements. The user is required to maintain the correct voltage of the battery whether in operations or in dormant storage to prevent over discharge. The BMS communicates battery SoC and SoH data to the user. The user is required to maintain the correct voltage of the battery in order to prevent over discharge.
-
What happens when the battery goes below 1.5V?The BMS will display a specific error code that shows the user allowed the battery to self discharge below its operational capacity to hold energy. The BMS will activate the ODP (over discharge protection) and the battery will not accept a charge. The screen may require the use of the charger to be connected to the battery itself to use the charger itself to power the touch screen because the battery will not power the screen. The screen will read disconnect and 0 sum volts. The BMS app will not work because the battery does not have enough power to activate the transmitter. Please contact Triad with photos of your battery to make a preliminary diagnostic to see if we can restore your battery to full function.
-
Do all kinds of batteries self discharge?Yes. Self-discharge is an undeniable fact of all batteries, and it happens in every type of system (battery) that stores energy. However, the speed at which the self-discharge happens can range based on the way the battery is maintained by the user. If the battery is not charged, the battery performance will decline and the capacity of the battery is completely consumed. Batteries will lose their capacity to use their chemistry to hold energy, and lose their ability to produce electrical current. If you want to get the best results from a lithium battery, it is good to balance charge it at least once every four to six weeks and keep it within 60-80%. It will ensure that you can enjoy using your lithium battery for as long as possible.
-
Does the Triad BMS control battery charging?Yes. There are 12 important functions that BMS controls. Charging and balancing each individual cell in the battery pack is one of the primary functions BMS protection provides.
-
What type of battery is best for an electric scooter?Electric scooters require significant amounts of power to operate. They are high powered devices to carry the load capacity of persons over long distances. Lithium-ion battery technology is better than lead-acid due to its power capacity, reliability, efficiency, battery lifespan, power output, size and weight. These are many of the critical factors that make lithium batteries the best choice.For electric scooters, lithium-ion batteries last 600% longer than similarly rated (amp-hour) lead-acid batteries and Lithium batteries output 200% more electrical energy per discharge cycle, take up 400% less space and are 10X lighter weight.
-
What causes lithium batteries not to charge?The battery is not charging because the BMS safety control recognizes that the cells are in an over discharge state. The battery is in the state of deep discharge and it is so low that it is below the safety cut-off voltage. Over discharge that occurs within the first 3 years of owning your lithium battery is a result of failure to charge your battery. The BMS automatically activates the ODP or LVC for safety purposes as it would in any electric car, electric bus, or electric VTOL airplane using batteries for power.
-
What happens if I am using the battery and it fully discharges in operations? Does that mean the battery cells are below 1.5V?No. The BMS is engineered to cut battery power in use (full discharge of an operational battery) at 1.8V. Even if you fully discharge your battery in use, the battery is still active under normal operating conditions for continued recharging. You will be able to recharge it because the cell strings are above 1.5V and are able to accept the charge cycle.
-
Shouldn’t you just NOT have BMS?Absolutely not. They are there for user safety protections, and any Lithium battery that does not have a BMS should not be considered for use. BMS data and computation serve as the basis for determining if battery packs are properly charged, discharged and maintained for safe operational readiness. Data at the cell, battery and pack level must be cataloged and monitored to determine a safe level of use to prevent electrical malfunction at all times. All lithium batteries powerful and user safety cannot be understated. Anomalous behavior within the battery must be detected using BMS to prevent all electrical malfunctions including battery failure. The charge data needs to be compared over successive charge/discharge cycles to determine where anomalous cells might be and the BMS works to specifically identify over charging and over discharging to prevent electrical malfunction and battery failure for safety purposes. Having a lithium battery in high powered electrical devices like laptops, cellphones, cars, buses, VTOL airplanes, and electric scooters is by far the best choice, but doing so without a BMS system is willfully irresponsible.
-
What is BMS (ODP)?BMS over-discharge protection (ODP) or BMS low voltage cutoff (LVC) is a critical safety feature that quality battery management systems have. This protection setting is only activated when the lithium battery is allowed to discharge below a certain voltage level, typically at 1.5V volts per cell.
-
How does the battery get below 1.5V?Cells fall below 1.5V when basic charging practices are not followed and allow the battery is allowed to self discharge below its ability to accept a charge.
-
Is there a better way prevent over-discharge?Yes. Triad was the first in the world who invented and created a touchscreen on the battery itself so all that needs to be done is to press one button to see the battery SOC so the user air condition can keep the battery within its optimal balanced state.
-
If BMS so important, then why is BMS not on all electric scooters and electric bikes?It is not installed on other products because the price per one battery cell immediately jumps 10 times higher. That's why professional BMSs are not installed on consumer grade electric bikes and scooters. Those products are designed to be built for consumers as inexpensively as possible in order to retail at the highest profit. Including and industrial automotive grade BMS system is cost prohibitive in order to meet industrial safety standards. Triad is the only electric scooter that meets the industrial standards for safety, which by default makes it the best and safest choice for consumers.
-
How do you read BMS data?Quality BMS systems always include a Bluetooth transmitter for computer or mobile apps to interpret the real time data in the battery management system in order to be read by the user. This information is critical in order to understand the battery SoC (State of Charge) and SoH (State of Health). This readable data is part of the BMS system.
-
How long can a lithium battery last without charging?Lithium batteries are strictly prohibited from discharging too much. Low voltage over-discharge will lead to the decomposition of the lithium ion and can not be restored. Lithium batteries must maintain a certain amount of electricity in the battery (40-70%) when in dormant storage. It is critical that users read the BMS SOC to be sure the battery is kept within operating voltage in order to prevent over discharge by failure to charge the battery. Unused electrical capacity drops by 3.5% per month due to self discharge.
-
Does NOT installing BMS on electric scooters make them vulnerable?Yes, by not including BMS with the battery, it does make the device vulnerable. It may work without a BMS, but not safely. The BMS will prevent you from running the battery outside its safe limits and will manage charging and prevent electrical malfunction when batteries are neglected or allowed to over discharge. Battery Management Systems monitor the state of each cell in a battery pack ensuring that each cell is properly charged and that cell temperatures stay within safe parameters, among other things. Building a battery pack without a BMS is a risky proposition. Professional battery management systems are engineered to prevent thermal runaway which is the worst case scenario especially when batteries are neglected and users do not follow proper balance charging procedures.
-
Cell phones, laptops, tablets and smart watches all run lithium batteries. Do those have BMS?Yes, since 2016 all laptops, tablets, smart phones and even smart watches use a smart battery packs. The rechargeable battery pack in all these mobile devices have a built-in battery management system (BMS) installed. It is absolutely necessary. It is further controlled by the actual computer hardware physically inside the device itself.
-
Why is BMS important with lithium batteries?A BMS (Battery Management System) is essential in a Lithium-Ion battery system. This device manages a real-time control of each battery cell, communicates with external devices, manages SOC calculation, measures temperature and voltage, etc. Controlling and monitoring the total voltage of every individual cell making up that pack is done by the BMS. In order to ensure your lithium battery pack is safe and lasts for a long time, you need a quality, reliable BMS. A quality battery management system analyzes hundreds of parameters every second to ensure the best performance and safety.
-
What else kills lithium Batteries?Exposure to high temperature kills lithium-ion batteries. If you remove your Triad battery from the vehicle and store lithium batteries in an areas where it can be exposed to direct prolonged temperatures over 98 degrees F, that can cut your number of charge cycles in half and potentially damage sensitive electronics in the battery and BMS. If the battery is installed in the vehicle, then the battery compartment provides insulation from direct sunlight and heat. For example: It is not an issue to use your vehicle and battery on a hot, sunny day over 100 degrees out. The battery is insulated within the battery compartment and shielded from the heat and direct sunlight when installed. It would be an issue for example to remove your battery and store it in a non ventilated exterior metal shed during the summer in a heatwave where the interior temperatures of the shed can soar above 120 degrees.
-
What do I do if I don’t use my battery that often?If you are not using your battery regularly, it is very easy to use the BMS app or Touchscreen on your battery to be sure you keep the battery SoC (state of charge) at 70%. Be sure to check it at least once every 4-6 weeks to be sure it is maintained at a balanced charge state within this 60-80% range while the battery is not in use (dormant storage). Do not expose your battery to extreme temperatures during dormant storage. Each battery cell string must be kept above 1.5V at all times or you will allow your battery to fall below operating voltage, and it will not be able to be recovered.
-
Can I store lithium batteries in cold temperatures?It’s a good rule to avoid exposing lithium batteries to extreme temperatures even though they do perform much better than lead acid batteries in below freezing cold temperatures. The main thing is to avoid discharging lithium batteries in temperatures below -4 degrees Fahrenheit and to store and charge them above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Some battery chemistry, like lead-acid batteries, can freeze solid and explode below 32 degrees F. This happens to lead acid batteries when the battery is discharged while it is frozen, because the liquid electrolyte that stores chemical energy has changed physical properties, and the stored electrical energy being discharged cannot flow properly in a frozen battery. That’s not the case with lithium batteries, because the electrolyte does not change its freezing point, however, the act of battery charging (creates battery internal heat); and charging a lithium battery after prolonged exposure to below freezing temperatures can cause damage to the battery due to dendritic lithium action. The electrical current being put into the battery while charging slows under extreme cold conditions. That doesn’t mean you can not charge it when its below freezing, but you should absolutely make sure that the battery itself is above 38 degrees before charging. For example, if the battery was exposed to prolonged below freezing temperatures, then bring the battery into room temperature for 2 hours before attempting the charging of the battery.
-
Which is more environment-friendly Lithium or Lead?Lithium-Ion batteries are greener as Lithium is not as hazardous as material compared to lead. Lead is a carcinogenic material that is harmful to the environment. Lead-acid batteries contain other chemicals such as sulphuric acid and other chemicals that are poisonous. While lithium-ion battery do contain landfill -safe materials, due to the process of battery manufacturing it is required to recycle high powered lithium batteries.Additionally, with a 3-6 times longer lifespan than that of lead-acid batteries, it can be argued that lithium-ion batteries are “greener” on their lifespan alone.
-
Why not use supercapacitors instead of batteries in electric vehicles?Supercapacitors are not preferred in electric vehicle applications because supercapacitors lose energy very rapidly and release energy instantaneously when activated.
bottom of page