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One of the most difficult aspects of making the transition to an electric bike is the subject of battery-life. The ever-evolving market and demand for new technology means that while your ebike may have a long life, the availability of a compatible battery isn’t guaranteed. Luckily there are battery repair/rebuilding operations popping up across the country that can rebuild an old battery if the manufacturer no longer offers it.
The biggest battery concern is having an understanding of when the battery might die. Many ebike owners wonder if their bike will experience a gradual decline in battery performance, or if the bike will just quit during their morning commute.
The good news is, there are telltale signs regarding the life left in your ebike battery, as well as ways to extend it!
Caring for Your Ebike Battery
Since the battery for your ebike is worth around one-third of the entire bike itself, it’s important that you educate yourself on how to take care of it. Not only will you save yourself money in the long run, a healthy battery will perform with fewer issues making your riding experience more enjoyable.
It’s likely that regardless of the brand of bike you’re riding around on today, the battery it uses is a lithium battery. Lithium batteries are available in a range of chemistries, and while some manufacturers will claim that their eBike battery lasts longer than others, in reality, a good ebike battery should last you anywhere from four to six years.
Here are a few things you can do to get the most life out of your lithium ebike battery.
Keep It Cool
First and foremost, you’ve got to pay attention to the conditions in which you are keeping your lithium ebike battery. Environmental factors play a large part in how efficiently a lithium battery will perform over time. Keeping your battery cool will help extend its life.
The longer a lithium battery, especially one that’s been fully charged, sits in the heat, the more damage is possible. Batteries should be stored in 32-80 defrees F; more ideally the temperatures a human body is comfortable in. To be safe, store your bike out of sunlight when leaving it for extended periods of time, as your lithium ebike battery should be kept around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the winter, you’ll want to ensure that your battery is at a temperature above freezing (ideally 50-75 degrees F) before you plug it in to charge it. It’s normal to notice a drop in power range while riding during the colder months, this is not a sign of a dying ebike battery.
Partial Charge
You’ll want to store your ebike with a partially charged battery, but make sure it’s not too low. Lithium batteries tend to have a lower recovery percentage when stored full, even if the temperature is just right. 40-50% is the most ideal for storage
When the voltage drops below a certain point, it can absolutely cause irreparable damage to the battery and leave you out of commission when it comes to your ebike. Since lithium batteries for ebikes aren’t inexpensive by any means, knowing how to keep them up and running is essential. If you don’t have a battery indicator, consider charging your ebike battery for a half an hour every couple of months.
Avoid Regular Battery Discharge
There are many sites that suggest regularly letting the battery on your bike discharge completely, or in other words, run completely out of power. While this is okay sometimes, such as if you’ve gone for a long ride, letting the battery discharge to 0% is detrimental when done regularly. Its better to charge in small increments more frequently. Its also important to let the charger LED turn from red to green before unplugging the battery (unless you are storing a battery partially charged). This will ensure that the charger does a complete balancing cycle on the battery.
Knowing When to Change Your Ebike Battery
Even if you’ve done everything within your power to extend the life of your ebike battery, the time will eventually come that it needs to be replaced. If you’re unsure how to tell when that time might be, there are a few signs you can look for before your bike dies on you completely.
Performance
If your bike just isn’t performing like it used to, primarily when it comes to range, it’s likely time to address your battery. Accelleration will be slower and high current draws could cause power issues. Low performance is easily noticed by those that ride their ebikes often, so consider how your battery has performed since you had the bike. If your miles per charge today was significantly shorter than at the beginning, it’s time to check the battery.
Swelling
Swelling and bulging are common among bad lithium batteries, so if you notice either phenomenon happening with your ebike, you’ll want to replace/recycle the battery right away.
Time
Time is one of the biggest factors in knowing when to change your ebike battery. If you’ve had your bike for at least two years, you’ll want to at least check the performance of your battery using a multimeter and doing a test ride. With this handy tool, you can test the voltage of your fully charged battery and combined with a range test ride, you can get a general idea of the battery health. When you have an estimate of the time your battery might need replacing, you can begin to take the necessary steps to do so.
A Dead Bike
A dead ebike is a sure fire giveaway that your battery has failed in some way, and it might not be time related. These things happen sometimes, and as frustrating as it is, you’ll just have to roll with the punches and replace it. Use a multi meter to test voltage before replacing to make sure the issue is the battery and not something else in the electric system.
Replacing Your Ebike Battery
Replacing the battery on your ebike is a relatively simple task. However, understanding when your battery is slowing down is imperative to not getting stuck out on a long ride. Battery life relates heavily to safety concerning riding, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Listen to your bike, as it will give you all the signs you need regarding the life of your battery. If you don’t use your ebike often, you’ll want to test the battery regularly, especially before riding, to ensure it’s still working correctly.
