Apparatus for mounting a battery on an electrically powered vehicle, as for example a bicycle, including a bracket slidably mounted on the vehicle frame upon which in turn are mounted one of the sprockets of a belt drive system and the battery, the weight of the battery urging the sprocket to tension the belt. The battery is mounted on the bracket by a hinge packed with a compressible resilient material to permit damped rotation of the battery about a transverse axis while dampingly constraining all other movement of the battery. The bracket is further provided with pad means having resilient frictional surfaces to absorb impact of the battery against the bracket and damp transverse movement of the battery.