How To Keep Your E-bike Battery Safe

So, in this post, we will go into how to keep your e-bike battery safe and long-lasting.

Electric Bike Insurance - for ultimate battery protection

Firstly, we have to mention e-bike battery insurance. Replacement batteries can be expensive. However, insuring your bike will protect you against theft, damage and vandalism.

Electric bike insurance gives you peace of mind when you know your investment is protected.

Understanding Charge Cycles

Battery life is measured in charge cycles. A charge cycle is when you run a battery down to any level then fully recharge it. So if you only use 50% of the battery and then re-charge it, this counts as a charge cycle. This is the same case if you run the battery down to 0% before re-charging it.

When you buy a new electric bike, the time between when the battery was made until it gets to you can be significant. Therefore, as soon as you get your bike, put the battery on charge straight away so you can get riding as quickly as possible.

How many charge cycles you get from an electric bike battery all depends on how well you have looked after it. But, you should get between 700 to 1000 charge cycles depending on the battery.

One of the factors that affect the lifespan of your battery is how you charge it. Most lithium-ion electric bike batteries will last much longer if you charge them to 80% and not the complete 100%. However, this varies from brand to brand and the bike's battery management system.

To get the most life out of your battery, it is worth finding out its optimum charge level. You can often get this from the bike's or battery's manufacturer. You should always read the owner's manual before plugging in your battery to make sure you charge it correctly.

When you approach the end of your electric bike battery's lifespan, it will still work, but you will notice a change in its performance. It will hold power for a lot less time; therefore, your bike's range will be compromised.

How To Store Your Electric Bike Battery

Another way to keep your e-bike battery safe is to take care of how you store it. Electric bike batteries like to be kept at a nice constant temperature that isn't too hot or too cold.

Ideally, it would be best if you keep your battery at around 20 degrees Celcius. If you store the battery in temperatures too hot or cold, your battery's life will reduce significantly.

It is common for electric bike riders to plug their battery into the charger and leave it to charge to 100%. The battery management system should look after it and switch the charger off. However, to make sure, you should use a timer that will switch the power off to the battery after 5 or 6 hours.

If you know you will not ride your electric bike for a few days, don't store it fully charged. Charge it to 60%, as this nicely balances the cells, which means they are not stressed for long periods. This lack of stress makes your battery last much longer.

After storing your battery, you may notice that it will have lost some power. This is called self-discharge and is nothing to worry about, but how much energy it loses depends on the conditions you store it in.

Storing your battery in high or freezing temperatures will increase self-discharge. This is something to think about when leaving your bike outside in the summer and winter.

How To Clean Your Electric Bike Battery

It is a good idea to keep your electric bike battery nice and clean. You may be surprised to know that your battery is one of the most waterproof components on your electric bike.

Having said that, we don't recommend submerging your battery or squirting it with high-pressure water. To clean your battery, remove it from the bike and use a damp cloth to wipe the outside.

Pay attention to the contacts to make sure they are free of dirt. You may want to spray some contact cleaner onto them to remove any moisture that may have got in.

For extra peace of mind, you may want to dab the battery contacts with dielectric grease. This stuff secures the connection between your battery and the bike.

What Not To Do

There are some things that electric bike riders are guilty of that reduce the lifespan of their battery. Here are some things to avoid to keep your battery in top condition for longer.

We touched on this earlier, but you should avoid leaving your battery plugged in for long periods of time. Not only can this damage your battery, but it is a significant fire risk.

If you keep your bike in a garage or shed, don't leave your battery mounted to your bike, as it can get too cold. So bring it inside so you avoid freezing temperatures. Likewise, don't leave your battery in direct sunlight, as batteries don't like to be cooked.

When you put your battery onto your bike and remove it, avoid dropping it. If you do drop the battery, you will be fortunate if you don't cause severe damage to it.

When you get home from a ride, avoid putting your battery on charge immediately. It takes time for the battery cells to change from a state of discharge to a state of charge. So give it a few minutes before plugging it in.

One thing that reduces an electric bike battery's life span is extremes of charge and discharge. Going from 100% charge to 0% isn't always avoidable, but it definitely affects how long your battery will last.