Important!

I want to bring to your attention a potential and costly mistake when entering replacement e-bike battery orders. Please don't assume the battery equipped on one e-bike, e-trike, or e-recumbent is compatible with the another.

This is not the case, and everyone needs to be aware of the differences when placing orders. The issue is especially problematic with models like the Sun E350 Trike and E-ECO TAD Recumbent, which have multiple versions.  This should be top-of-mind any time someone contacts you to order an e-bike battery or charger.

We only sell e-bike batteries and chargers for our own models. We do not claim compatibility with other brands, nor do we offer batteries for non-JBI products.

Understanding the Difference & Asking the Right Questions

E-bike electrical systems are engineered around a specific operating voltage, most commonly 36 volts or 48 volts. This voltage determines how the motor, controller, display, wiring, charger, and battery are designed. Although 36V and 48V systems may look similar from the outside, they are electrically and electronically different, and mixing components across voltages is unsafe.

1. System Voltage Must Match

• A 36V motor controller, wiring harness, display, and BMS are all engineered to operate within the voltage range of a 36V battery (typically 30V–42V).
  
  
• A 48V system is designed around a higher voltage range (39V–54.6V).
  
  
• If the voltages don’t match, the electronics cannot communicate and may fail immediately.
  
  

2. Batteries Are Not Interchangeable – Different Battery Architecture

• Cell count and configuration are different (36V batteries use a 10-series cell pack; 48V batteries use a 13-series pack).
  
  
• This changes the total voltage, charging profile, and protection settings inside the Battery Management System (BMS).
  
  
• A 48V battery connected to a 36V controller can overload and destroy the controller.
  
  
• A 36V battery connected to a 48V controller will not have enough voltage to power the system and can cause undervoltage lockout or damage.
  
  

3. Chargers Are Not Interchangeable

• A 36V charger outputs ~42V when full.
  
  
• A 48V charger outputs ~54.6V when full.
  Using the wrong charger is dangerous:
  
  
• Charging a 36V battery with a 48V charger can overcharge, overheat, or cause a thermal event.
  
  
• A 36V charger cannot fully charge a 48V battery and can damage the BMS.
  
  

4. Connectors May Look the Same — But That Does NOT Mean Compatibility

• Even if the plugs fit, the electronics behind them do not. The BMS, controller, and charger handshake protocols are all tuned to a specific voltage system.
  
  

5. Safety Regulations Require Voltage-Matched Components

• Manufacturers design and certify e-systems (UL 2849, CPSC, etc.) as complete, matched assemblies. Mixing voltages violates the engineered design and creates a safety hazard.

6. TRUST, BUT VERIFY every aspect of an e-bike battery replacement request. Assume:

• The customer may not know what battery they actually have or need
  
  
• The part number or description they provide may be inaccurate or incompatible
  
  
• The trike may be a standard trike with an aftermarket e-kit — we do not provide batteries in those cases.
  
  
• They may be trying to use our battery on another brand — we do not authorize or support that

Consequences of Ordering the Wrong Battery

• It will not fit.
  Attempting to force compatibility creates serious safety hazards.
  
  
• No returns on e-bike batteries.
  This policy is clearly stated on the product pages.
  
  
• Dealers are not certified to ship hazardous materials.
  This includes lithium e-bike batteries.
  (Call2Recycle is unrelated and does not apply in these scenarios.)
  
  
• JBI reps cannot pick up batteries during store visits.
  Personal vehicles are not certified HazMat transportation under DOT rules.

Changes / Future Improvements

• As of December 2, 2025 – All e-bike batteries are coded as RP DNS to allow us more visibility on each order so we can manually verify order accuracy before shipment.
  
  
• In the future – We plan to integrate a new Verification Window on the order entry screen that will require a dealer or JBI employee to input the e-bike serial number which will automatically cross reference with our database to confirm battery compatibility.
  
  
• In the future – To avoid confusion, we are exploring ways to reorganize spare parts so that Gen-1 and Gen-2 ebikes with the same model names don't appear together on a single results page.