When a warranty says ‘years or cycles, whichever comes first’, estimate cycles per year for your fleet and see which limit you reach first. Ask how the supplier counts a cycle, because opportunity charging can mean many partial charges. Also separate the warranty from the pack’s design life and supp
A single sample checks fit, communication and charging on one truck. A pilot batch shows how packs behave across shifts, operators and sites. Many buyers do both: one sample to confirm the technical fit, then a pilot batch of a few units before the full order. Agree success measures in advance, such
Decide the environment first, then the protection. Write down how the truck is cleaned, whether it works outdoors and how dusty the site is, and agree the ingress rating the pack must meet. Then choose connectors, cable glands, vents and service covers that keep that rating in use, not just on a new
LiFePO4 cells can discharge in the cold, but charging below freezing can damage them, so the BMS normally blocks or reduces charging when the pack is too cold. That is why a cart in a cold shed may refuse to charge in the morning. Check the charge temperature range on your pack’s data sheet, charge
Buyers want proof of the pack’s age, history and condition. Provide the battery serial number and install date, the charger model used, service and fault records, and any BMS data such as cycle count or capacity readings if the pack provides them. State the remaining warranty and whether it transfer
A useful warranty states what is covered, for how long, and what the supplier will do. Have in writing the period and how it is counted, whether any capacity level is promised, what is excluded, how a claim is made and decided, and who pays for parts, labour and freight. Separate the design life of
Focus on the clauses that decide what happens when something goes wrong. Fix the specification and documents by model, define how units are accepted on arrival, set delivery dates and what happens on delay, write down warranty and technical support terms, and agree spare parts, change control and ho
Ask for documents, not logos, and tie each one to a model. A typical set is the UN 38.3 test summary for transport, the safety data sheet, the safety test report to the standard your market or customer requires, the factory’s quality management certificate, and the product data sheet and manual. For