How To Look After Your Electric bike Battery
The heart of your fat tire electric bike is its battery, and it is pretty amazing how it stores so much energy in such a small package. If you learn how to look after your e-bike battery, it will last a long time, providing you with many years of trouble-free ebike riding.
In this article, we will give you loads of tips on how to look after your e-bike battery, both on and off the bike. This will help you to avoid replacing it prematurely, saving you money.
What To Do When Your New E-bike Arrives
Many people buy their electric bikes online and get them delivered to their homes. There is nothing wrong with this, but you don't know how long the bike and battery have been dormant while in transit, in a warehouse, or bike shop.
So the first thing to do is charge your battery as soon as it arrives. However, before you plug it into the charger, read the owner's manual, which will provide you with vital information on how to charge your battery.
Remember that not all electric bike batteries are the same. So it is crucial to take a couple of minutes to read the instructions to ensure you charge it correctly.
While you are reading the instructions, take notice of how the battery mounts to your electric bike. If you don't mount your battery correctly, it can easily fall out, causing irreparable damage. This will mean game over for your battery, and you will need to buy a new one before you've had a chance to use the one that came with the bike.
Understanding Your electric Bike Battery's Charge Cycle And Lifespan
The lifespan of an electric bike battery is measured in charge cycles. A single charge cycle is when the battery is depleted to any level and fully recharged.
Most electric bike batteries are good for around 700 to 1000 charge cycles, but this depends on the battery. When your electric bike battery approaches the end of its lifespan, you will notice that it won't perform as well as when it was new.
The battery will still work, but it won't be able to hold its charge as long. Therefore, you won't be able to ride as far with motor assistance.
Tips For Charging Electric Bike Batteries
Don't Run Your Battery Down 100% If You Can Help It
It's not always possible, but if you can help it, try not to run your battery completely flat. If you regularly run it down entirely, over time, it will struggle to hold its charge, reducing your electric bike's range.
Don't Leave Your Charger Plugged In
Leaving your battery charger plugged in for several hours or days after your battery is charged can damage the battery by overheating it.
If you need to plug your battery in and leave it regularly, it's best to get a timer for your charger. These are very cheap and easy to use. All you need to do is find out how long it takes to charge your battery and set the timer to cut the power to your charger.
Don't Charge Your Battery As Soon As You Finish A Ride
Don't be tempted to immediately plug the battery into the charger when you get back from a ride. Instead, give the battery time to rest, as this gives it a chance to change from a state of discharge to a state of charge.
It shouldn't take longer than half an hour for the battery's chemistry to settle down and be ready to start taking on energy.
Store Your Electric Bike Battery Properly
Store Your Battery At The Optimum Temperature
A massive contributor to how long your electric bike battery will last is how you store it. Electric bike batteries need to be kept at a constant temperature that isn't too cold or too hot.
The optimum temperature for storing electric bike batteries is around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). If you leave your battery in temperatures that are too cold or hot, its lifespan will shorten dramatically.
With this in mind, if you store your electric bike in a garage or shed, it is best to remove the battery and bring it inside. Therefore, you can be sure that the battery isn't getting too cold.
You need to think about the temperature when you leave your bike somewhere. For example, if you use your electric bike for commuting and leave it in direct sunlight or out in the cold, your range may be reduced.
You can buy thermal sleeves to slip over your battery that protect it from extreme temperatures. So if you ride in the height of winter, one of these sleeves will help to preserve your battery.
Partially Charge Your Battery If You know You Won't Use It For A While
Another aspect of storing your electric bike battery is its state of charge. If you are going on vacation for a few days, or you know you will not ride for a while, it's best to partially charge the battery.
You should charge an electric bike battery to about 60%. At this level, the battery's cells are balanced, meaning they are not under stress for a long time. When your battery's cells are not stressed, it will have a much longer lifespan.
When you return to your electric bike battery after storing it for a while, you may notice that it has lost some power. This is something called self-discharge and is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. However, how much energy it loses will be determined by how you store it.
Keep Your Electric Bike Battery Safe When Transporting Your Bike
Electric bike manufacturers recommend removing your bike's battery before traveling. This makes sense, as you don't want to be driving on a busy road with your ebike on a rack, and your battery flies off and bounces down the road.