Engineering a High-Performance Removable Custom Battery Pack for Global Expansion in E-motorbikes

Electric motorcycles have an established niche within a growing e-mobility market by providing a more affordable, practical solution for modern urban life. Alexander Battery Technologies was selected to support an emerging electric motorbike specialist OEM to design a new custom battery pack that would thrive in their established home market while allowing them to expand into a newer international market. Traditional powerhouses of the combustion motorbikes industry have begun to move intro the electric motorcycle space, benefitting from instant torque delivery, regenerative braking, cheaper running costs and tax incentives provided by electric power.

The OEM’s previous vehicle was designed to thrive in its local market, with the electric motorbike battery pack operating reliably under moderate climate conditions. The motorbike’s hot-swappable capabilities attracted customers within urban areas who made frequent short journeys, utilising the battery’s fast-charging capabilities. ABT’s challenge was designing a battery pack that built upon the previous generation’s successes with the added capability of operating in regions with hotter average temperatures.

Technical goals for the battery project

For ABT to fully support the OEM’s growth goal in new regions, it was clear that designing the right custom battery pack to fully support the product would be crucial.

ABT’s task was to develop a battery that could:

• Sustain 80A peak current output in ambient temperatures up to 40°C, compared to a previous upper threshold of ~ 35°C
• Output a top end voltage of 58.0V (with a nominal of 50.4V)
• Remain under 15kg to fit within the existing frame design and handling characteristics
• Improve thermal performance and discharge stability over longer journeys
• Retain removability and ease of use as a key differentiator for the rider.
• Deliver all technical requirements through the use of 21700 cells

Working towards the required specification, the ABT engineering team were able to design a custom lithium-ion battery pack that would match the OEM’s ambitions when creating their next-gen motorbike. With design approval secured, ABT would then manufacture the battery pack with at our UK battery manufacturing headquarters with an on-site end-of-line test to follow ensuring the prototype met real-world performance expectations and regulatory and certification requirements.

What were the engineering achievements

Throughout the project, ABT worked closely with the motorbike’s engineering team to constantly perfect the pack’s design with each iteration, providing continuous improvement in thermal simulations. The end result of the collaboration resulted in a custom battery pack that met the OEM’s brief through the following key enhancements:

• Significantly improved thermal performance: Temperature rise during load testing was substantially reduced providing consistent power delivery in a range of environments. This allowed the bike to perform in the OEM’s home market and the warmer markets they were targeting.
• Consistent discharge behaviour: The available discharge current remained at a peak level for over 125% of the duration of the previous pack, enabling a rider to experience full performance of the motorcycle for a longer duration.
• 7% increase in useable capacity: Driven by optimised cell configuration, thermal integration and BMS tuning resulting in longer ride times and improved battery efficiency.
• Built to UL2271 requirements, with a removable format and robust mechanical housing ready for production scaling and the US market.

This project marked the first time our semi-automated laser welder was used on a live project, providing the welding standards required for on-highway vehicles. This project helped inform future manufacturing approaches for removable EV batteries, and has formed the basis of ABT’s wider move into the e-mobility market.

Commercial and Strategic Outcomes

ABT designed, developed and manufactured a battery system that achieved the OEM’s technical objectives, demonstrating a noticeable increase in performance. The improvements seen in the end product delivered a significant performance boost for customers in their existing market, while enabling the OEM to expand into new geographic markets thanks to the enhanced thermal performance of the new pack.

This collaboration exemplifies ABT’s ability to partner with innovative OEMs to solve complex engineering challenges where pack performance, mechanical constraints and regulatory compliance must all align. Whether it’s powering urban mobility, meeting international certification standards, or scaling a UK supply chain, ABT’s engineering-led approach helps bring the new EV concepts closer to reality. Explore our electric motorbike battery capabilities to see how we support OEMs like yours from concept to scale.