Are you looking for your battery to last for a long time? It’s understandable since you won’t want to run out while you’re in the middle of nowhere. With that, what are the ways for you to prolong your e-bike’s battery life?
To keep your battery alive as long as possible, you need to avoid extreme temperatures, which means you need to store your battery at room temperature at least. Overcharging is also a big no-no since it makes poor charging cycles, so don’t leave your batteries in the charger for several days. A good way to avoid this is to either set an alarm on your mobile phone or buy a smart charger that automatically shuts down once it’s done charging.
Why Does Electric Bike Battery Care Matter?
The first reason for you to start taking care of your bike is the fact that it’s expensive. With proper battery care, you don’t need to replace it often. After all, batteries will lose their capacity as they get older.
Lithium-ion batteries will decrease its capacity after some time. It means the total charge capacity will have a permanent reduction. You can’t recover this no matter what methods you try.
By charging your bike battery correctly, you will slow down the aging process of your bike battery. This will allow it to hold more charge for a longer duration. With that, you’ll travel further without the need to change your battery.
What Is the Best Way to Charge Your Bike?
When charging batteries, make sure that it charges slowly. Always remember that smaller battery packs need slower charging time. The measurement used to ascertain its capacity is through amp hours (Ah).
If your main concern is battery life, make sure to avoid buying the charger with the highest amperage. In most cases, you should stick to the ones with a low amperage, especially within the 2 – 3 amps range. With that, you’ll charge slowly and prolong the battery lifespan.
How Often Do You Need to Charge Your Bike?
If you have a lithium-powered battery for your electric bike, know that it lasts longer when used regularly. That means you need to charge it as much as you can. As a general rule, you don’t need to discharge the battery of your electric bike in its entirety.
With that, you need to charge the battery when it’s between 30% – 60% of its remaining capacity. But some experts suggest that you should still drain the battery now and then. As a general rule, you should do a full discharge after every 30 – 40 charges.
That’s why you need to use your e-bike as often as you can. If you don’t, it’s bound to make your battery less efficient due to deterioration. This results in shorter battery life in the long run.
How Long Does an E-Bike Battery Charge?
Assuming that you’re using lithium-ion e-bike batteries, it will take anywhere between 3.5 and 6 hours. This applies when you completely drain your e-bike’s battery. Otherwise, a partial recharge will take a lot less.
Another thing you should remember is that the last hour of charging is for topping-off the cells, meaning it’s maintaining the full capacity of the battery. This process isn’t required since it doesn’t affect your battery’s lifespan. To get your batteries charged at 90%, it will take around 2.5 hours on average.
To make your charging easier, you should opt for a smart charger. It has a switch mode power supply with the means of communicating with your battery’s management system. That way, it can track and control the charging process.
How Long Should a Fully-Charged Battery Last?
There are a lot of factors that can affect the lifespan of a fully-charged battery. It will depend on the battery’s power as well as the bike’s power. You also need to consider your battery management system and your riding habits.
Depending on your bike model, you’ll have an option to pick various assistance levels. This lets you choose whether your priority is speed or battery life. All these facts make battery life computations harder.
But most experts agree that a fully-charged battery will last you around 25 – 70 miles (40 – 112 km). It’s assuming that you’re traveling normally without a lot of assistance. Otherwise, doing a rough ride at full power will drastically reduce this distance.
No matter how you ride your e-bike, always note that you don’t need to charge the battery after every use. These aren’t the old lead-acid packs that decrease in lifespan when you don’t charge it. With lithium battery packs, you don’t need to worry since you can charge it as needed.
The battery management system is an electronic system used to ensure the functionality of a rechargeable battery, whether it’s a cell or a pack. It protects the battery from going beyond its safe operational area while tracking its state and a host of other features. It can calculate various secondary data and give you reports while ensuring an optimal environment for charging.
Can You Overcharge an E-Bike’s Battery?
It’s not advisable to leave your e-bike’s battery on the charger for several days. If you do, the battery may start discharging energy. This will leave it at around 95% of its capacity.
With that, the charger will start doing its work — topping off the e-bike’s battery. The discharge and top off cycles will continue as long as you leave the battery on the charger. It will result in poor charging cycles, shortening its lifespan.
To make sure you don’t forget, try setting a reminder on your mobile device. That way, you’ll get the alarm once the battery gets fully charged.
Where Is the Safest Place to Charge Your Battery?
A good fact to remember is that all large lithium-powered batteries can become fire risks. That means you’ll need to charge it in a safe space, most likely outside your home. You can also charge it in the middle of your garage floor, away from any flammable material.
You have the option of buying a fireproof bag to charge your e-bike’s lithium battery. That way, you won’t need to worry about charging it even when your home has a lot of clutter. Regardless, don’t charge your battery inside your house without proper supervision.
A lot of manufacturers won’t tell you to stay vigilant. After all, it tends to discourage some customers since they can catch fire. No matter the case, always buy from reputable sellers and charge the battery under your watchful eye.
If you can’t pay attention to it all the time, try putting a heat and smoke detector near the e-bike’s charging station. That way, you’ll get an alert and prevent potential accidents from occurring. You should also avoid charging your battery if you suspect that it sustained some damage.
How to Store Your Lithium Battery Pack
When storing your e-bike’s battery, make sure that its power level is somewhere in the middle. It means you shouldn’t store it at full power or empty. If you bought a smart charger, it’s better to leave the battery at 80% charge before putting it into storage.
This rule changes if you’re planning to store the battery for a longer duration. With that, the charge should be at 50% and stored in a dry, fire-protected location. It’s an especially important rule to remember when you’re storing it during the cold winter months.
But if you can’t find the middle ground, choose to keep your battery at full charge when storing. This will ensure that its power level won’t go down at an unsafe level. If it does, you can’t charge it safely.
When this happens, the Battery Management System (BMS) shuts down and can ruin the integrity of the battery. This management system helps in keeping your battery from either overcharging or undercharging. It’s also responsible for tracking your pack’s safety.
Avoid Extreme Temperatures When Charging
The battery of your e-bike feels the same way as you when it comes to weather. If you want to maintain its battery life, make sure to avoid using and charging it in extreme temperatures. It means your battery should be in a warm room when charging.
At the maximum, the temperature should not be freezing or above 110 °F (43 °C). But don’t go for these figures since the temperature should be around the 60 – 70 °F (15 – 21 °C) range when charging. With that, charging your battery under direct sunlight is out of the question.
How Long Do You Need to Charge a New Battery Pack?
As soon as you get a new electric bike, make sure to let the battery charge for a long time. Ideally, you’ll want the complete charge to be 12 hours. It’s beneficial to the bike since the long initial charge will ensure the smooth flow of the current throughout its cells.
That way, the fresh battery will get conditioned for more extraneous use as soon as possible.
Learn How to Charge Your Bike Battery Today!
Your battery is one of the most important components of your e-bike. That means you need to learn how to charge correctly. It will enable you to prolong the battery’s lifespan while letting you use it for longer periods.
This guide is essential, especially if it’s your first time buying your new e-bike. It also applies if you haven’t replaced your battery for a long while. It will ensure your safety without damaging the battery.
Did you find this guide informative? If so, read more of our posts and learn more about e-bikes today.
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