Gouach proposes a more sustainable way to power most of the ebikes out on the road, with their new modular and repairable Infinite battery. Instead of expensive and eventually disposable ebike batteries – whether from the original ebike motor supplier or an unknown 3rd-party – the new Gouach Infinite Battery creates an affordable replacement solution that allows the reuse of functional battery cells, easy replacement of any single point of failure (e.g. a cell or controller hardware), a much more fire-resistant ebike battery, and it can be used to power almost any brand of ebike out there…
Gouach Infinite Battery, sustainable universal ebike power
Sure, ebike batteries are expensive and heavy. But for the most part, the environmental impacts of those large battery packs that power the electro-mobility movement are also often overlooked. But Gouach has an idea for a more sustainable solution with their Infinite Battery.
1 modular, easily-monitored, user-repairable, fireproof, and universal battery that could power the majority of ebikes out there.
They call it, “The only e-bike battery you’ll ever need. Repairable. Sustainable. Fireproof.“
Why does universal compatibility & serviceability matter?
While most premium eMTBs that we write about have sleekly integrated internal batteries these days, the bulk of the existing stock of ebikes being ridden around still use external battery packs. But they are not at all standardized – varying in size, mounting style, electrical connection, and even how their power output is managed through BMS.
Plus, all of those proprietary batteries are aging, meaning with each recharge they are incrementally losing their energy storage capacity, inching their way towards their end-of-life. Or after years of riding around out on the streets, a simple failure in a single battery cell (out of 39 total cells, for example) would mean an early death for an entire battery, when most of its individual parts are still fine and functional.
At that point, or simply eventually, they become a heavy, hazardous paperweight – almost never serviceable or repairable because of spot-welded internal battery cell connections. And they most often breakdown as a whole before they really should, due to a single element inside failing. Beyond their environmental impact, replacing ebike batteries is expensive. The retail cost of a standard Bosch or Shimano external battery is typically $600-750.
But the Gouach Infinite Battery proposes a better solution.
What’s so unique?
The Gouach Infinite Battery uses a simple honeycomb carrier to hold the standard lithium-ion cells that power pretty much every ebike battery, and a couple of contact plates on either side to connect those cells in series and parallel to get your desired voltage output – 36V or 48V. It’s pretty much the same concept as how you might drop 4 AA batteries into the back of your favorite RC car. Except, these patented contact plates are designed to deliver consistent power in the most difficult conditions, not hampered by vibration, impacts, extreme temperature swings, etc.
The benefit here, of course, is that if one cell fails, the user can quickly replace that one cell, and be back on the road with pedal-assist power in probably 10 or 15 minutes.
And then the other secret weapon is a smart onboard BMS (battery management system) that can track each cell’s performance and can communicate in the language of all of the major ebike powertrain systems. That means this1 single battery can work for a Bosch, Brose, Shimano, Yamaha, or many other different systems.
Universal compatibility is great, but it also means that you could use this Gouach Infinite Battery on your Bosch-powered flat bar commuter ebike today, and you could still use it on the Shimano-powered cargo ebike you buy next year.
Tech details
- “10 minutes” to replace any individual battery component
- compatible with all major ebike motors and battery systems, 36V or 48V
- 450Wh (48V) or 460Wh (36V) with 1400/2000W max power output
- die-cast aluminum housing for fireproofing
- raw anodized finish and colorful plastic carry handle
- IP67 waterproof
- Gouach battery bracket can be mounted externally on downtube or seattube, or even on a rear rack (most often on existing battery bracket mounts)
- possible to use the Infinite Battery as a 500Wh range extender with an optional Battery Mixer
- Wifi & Bluetooth smart connectivity allows remote battery staus settings & monitoring with a companion smartphone app
- 3.6kg battery weight
Gouach Infinite Battery – Pricing, options & availability
The Gouach Infinite Battery is still technically in development. And it was recently backed by an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign, exceeding their funding target by about 4x. But Gouach has been producing this same general concept for quite a while, and has a bike share fleet of around a thousand ebikes made by Pony, successfully running a less universal modular system for more than a year.
There are 2 general options now to get pre-order pricing for a Gouach Infinite Battery. First is the 317€ Infinite Battery kit which is the fireproof aluminum case with all the key electronic bits inside and the mounting brakcet and charger, just no battery cells – you provide your own, either harvested from another ebike battery or purchased new.
The other option is the 430€ Gouach Infinite Battery Kit + Cells. This gives you everyhting you need to assmeble your own ebike battery and to install it on your current ebike.
There are also then add-on options to add a 2nd bracket for 46€ to use the same battery on two different ebikes. Or more interesting to me, the 65€ Battery Mixer which lets you add the Infinite Battery as a range extender in addition to your current existing ebike battery.
Gouach is fast-tracking the final development of their Infinite Battery now that they have funding. And they anticipate delivery of these pre-orders already starting by the end of January 2025.
