Qulbix Raptor 140, slimmer with a bigger battery

The Qulbix Raptor has a devoted following as an off-road E-bike that will fit any one of the large and powerful rear hubs that are popular. The large stock battery space of the Raptor frame box is 160mm wide. This is the widest frame space for the battery that is available, and it allows LiPo packs to be mounted sideways. Our original article on the Raptor can be found here.

Some builders wanted a Raptor that was just a little bit slimmer (to make pedaling easier), and others wanted a more square shape to the battery space, so that a Raptor could use the large-format square flat foil packs, since the original Raptor had a more triangular shape.

I scaled these two pics as closely as I could, so we could compare the new 140 and the standard frame shapes.

The new Raptor 140 is 20mm narrower than the original, at only 140mm wide (5.5 inches, less than the length of a dollar bill). However, since the main section of the frame housing has a more square shape, it actually has more volume than the original. The frame continues to be made from steel, but the side plates that cover the battery are made from aluminum, to further save some weight.

This is a single 14-Ah cell from GEB. This is their smallest available cell, they have several larger sizes. The long edge is 222mm (8.7-inches).

What batteries will fit?

The new Raptor 140 can accept flat foil cells that are as large as 200mm X 300mm. (7.9 X 11.8-inches)

The 20-Ah A123 LiFePO4 cells from the EV hybrid car  industry are 161mm X 227mm (6.3 X 8.9-inches)

Tenergy makes a 25-Ah LiPo cell that is 221mm X 223mm (8.7 X 8.9-inches)

Farasis has a 25-Ah Lithium-Ion cell that is 160mm X 230mm (6.3 X 9.0-inches)

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Shenzhen General Electronics Battery Co, Ltd. Li-polymer
10C high discharge rated cell

36-Ah, 3.7V each. (Thanks to Jeff Wilkins for the info!)

218mm*228mm (8.6-inches, by 9.0-inches), I use 26S (2x13S) = 96V on my bike

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Cells from the Nissan Leaf are rated for 33-Ah each, but they are just a tiny bit too large at 223mm X 303mm (8.8 X 11.9-inches). Information about these (salvaged from wrecked Nissan Leafs) can be found here.

Concerning 18650 cells (cylindrical, 18mm diameter, 65mm long), which come from the high-current cordless tool industry…65mm + 65mm = 130mm, so the width of the new Raptor 140 just might allow two 18650 packs side-by side. I’ll have to look into this.

I will try to find out what company makes the largest flat foil cell that will fit the new Raptor 140, so check back in a few weeks if this interests you.

The Raptor 140, slightly narrower, but with more volume.

Here’s a Raptor 140 with the highly recommended 19-inch motorcycle wheel on the back, and a 26-inch bicycle tire on front. This particular Raptor is using the Monster Cromotor with a super-silent sine-wave controller. Pic thanks to ES member “Hyena” in Australia.

Written by Ron/Spinningmagnets 2014