There's no denying that e-bikes give you joy and convenience because they can take you literally everywhere, and the only limit is your battery charge. Thanks to all the innovations and improvements in prolonging the e-bike's battery life, making our lives better, especially for the owners.
But if you're among the people who have a newly acquired electric bike, you might be unaware of some information about electric bike batteries, the charging process, and how often should electric bike battery charged.
The last thing you want to replace in your electric bike is the battery due to its high price. That's why this article will be helpful, as this will tackle e-bike battery charging and some useful tips for prolonging the battery life.
The frequency of charging the battery of an e-bike can vary depending on the usage. Generally, most brand new electric bikes have a charging time between 6 to 12 hours, from flat to full charge. Also, it's important to get a fully charged battery at least once a week to balance the cells and avoid degradation.
Then if you're regularly using the e-bike, it's a safe assumption to charge your battery when it hits between 30 percent and 60 percent, then charge it until it reaches 90 to 95 percent.
There's also some caveat about how frequently you should charge the battery because not all e-bike batteries are the same. Some are equipped with lead-acid batteries, some are nickel batteries, and some are lithium-ion batteries.
The best way to know is to read the manufacturer's guide to give you proper guidance on how to properly recharge the battery, which is so important to avoid a completely discharged battery.
There will only be one charge per charge cycle. Batteries that connect to a charger for several days go through a charging cycle and recharge. This cycle continues so long as you disconnect the battery.
If you don't recharge the batteries for at least five days, you waste the cycle, and the battery cells will become unbalanced. However, this is not the case in all batteries because most batteries can now shut off automatically when they are 100% charged, especially if lithium-ion.
There is also some environmental factor that affects the charging. If it's too warm or too cold, the battery cannot completely charge itself, and it would start to recharge much faster. The perfect room temperature to charge your E-bike device is around 20 degrees.
Most batteries for E-bikes can last between 2 and 4 years before replacement is needed. But poor battery maintenance could negatively affect the battery and its life.
How should one prolong a battery's life? Store your bike at 60% charge if you didn't use it for longer than 2 or 3-days. After each ride, dries off your battery by using an old paper towel to avoid moisture in the battery, which can cause damage to the battery constantly.
After taking the long rides, you can charge your e-bike unit with a charging plug. The battery will recharge itself when you leave your car if it stops. Overcharging your battery can shorten its battery life, and you don't want that to happen due to the high price point of battery replacements.
Not all e-bike batteries are the same, and it's important to know the difference, especially for every electric bike owner. Although lithium-ion batteries are the most common type of battery in every e-bike, there are some other types of batteries that are also used in some products.
Lithium batteries are like the gold standard of electric bikes. You will often see these every time you browse e-bikes, and about 90 percent of the models use lithium batteries.
Li-ion batteries are common because it produces more power, are lightweight, and are more efficient. Plus, they have long battery life and have 1000 to 1500 charging cycles.
Also, they require less maintenance and are generally safe, especially when used properly, which is why lithium-ion is preferred by most electric bike manufacturers because of advanced technology, and you even don't need to have a battery management system.
Nickel-metal Hydride batteries, also known as, NiMH, have higher power, but they are more costly compared to other nickel batteries. Also, they are more environmentally friendly due to their less use of heavy metals.
However, this has high self discharged and can create heat quickly.
In terms of market presence, nickel-metal hydride batteries are dwindling due to the demand for lithium-ion batteries with a long life and more battery cycles.
Another nickel-based battery is the nickel-cadmium battery. This type of battery lasts longer compared to a nickel-metal hydride battery having a 500 to 1000 charge or discharge cycle.
However, this battery is becoming rare due to its environmental concerns and is hard to recycle. Nickel-cadmium batteries can also drain their charge even when not in use for a long time, and you need to recharge them once used again.
These batteries are the least expensive among the battery types for electric bikes. Besides that, this is also easy to recycle. although they can be heavy and don't have much power output compared to other batteries.
Lead-acid batteries also need regular maintenance and usually last short than lithium-ion or nickel batteries which may not be a good idea, especially if you're going to use your e-bike regularly. Also, because they only have 500 and below charging cycles.
Like nickel batteries, lead-acid batteries are also becoming less used due to the newer battery technology that lithium-ion has, which is in demand right now compared to most batteries mentioned here.
Know what's the best battery charger for 18650? Read this: Best 18650 Battery Charger
You want to have fun with your electric bike - whether you're jogging through the park in the afternoon or challenging the car traffic on your daily commute. One of the key components in your batteries so you want to keep them in good condition.
Here are five ways to charge the bike's batteries effectively to increase its performance and prolong its battery life.
When you're battery hits between 30 percent and 60 percent, that's the ideal time to charge your battery. Don't wait for it to become 20 percent and below when charging your battery.
This can lead to the degradation of battery cells, and it will affect the battery life. Keep in mind that batteries' best power lies from 30 percent to 100 percent.
When purchasing a new bicycle, you should charge the battery to its highest possible level, and that is 100 percent or 90 to 95 percent.
This high initial charge ensures that current travels through all cells and helps to condition the battery straight from the box. Think of it as a vehicle break-in.
Make sure to read the manufacturer's manual, especially on battery charging, because not all batteries have the same charging instructions.
An electric bike battery can be as sensitive to the weather as many other electric bicycles are. Avoid temperatures extremes during use and when you charge. During a cycle of charging, the battery must be warmer than freezing in the extreme and never warmer than 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
It would be better if the temperature is somewhere between 80 and 90 degrees while charging, and beyond that may damage your electric bike.
Taking care of your e-bike battery is fairly easy, and knowing how to maintain them properly and charge them can prolong its battery life. Also, you must read the manufacturer's manual and battery information to prolong the battery life.
Just a reminder, don't overcharge your battery and don't wait for your battery to get flat before you charge because it will degrade its charging cycle. If you're regularly using your e-bike, then it's best to regularly charge the battery the moment it hits between 20 percent and 60 percent.
