How to Look after your E-Bike battery?

Your battery is the heart of your e-bike. It’s required to power all the electric systems of your bike – most importantly, your motor! Without your battery in good working order, you won’t be going very far. So, to make sure your battery will power your travels for many years, it’s critical to look after it. While powerful, your battery is also quite fragile and needs to be looked after carefully.

Now it’s true that all batteries have a lifespan and won’t last forever, but how you use your battery and store it will have a big impact on just how long it’ll be before you might need a new one. Please read on to find out how to get the most from your e-bike battery.

First, what is a lithium-ion battery?

Your e-bike battery uses cells known as ‘lithium-ion (li-on)’. Li-on batteries are by far the most common used in electric bikes. There are many reasons for this, but a key one is that li-on batteries have great energy density – that is, they can store a whole lot of energy in a relatively lightweight and small package. This makes them perfect for applications that require a lot of energy stored in a small package, just like electric bicycles.

Li-on batteries also have great durability when used correctly – delivering reliable power over many years. However, it’s important to know, they do have a few drawbacks. Firstly, they’re relatively easy to damage, especially if they become overcharged or over-discharged. They also need to be charged gently and evenly to make sure the cells don’t become unbalanced.

Li-on batteries for e-bikes come in a range of different capacities (which affects how far you can ride using one). You can check our available range of e-bike batteries from our shop, Adventuri Electric Bike Battery 36V10AH Hidden Waterproof Battery and Adventuri Electric Bike Battery 36V17AH Hidden Waterproof Battery.

So, here are the effective ways on how you increase the lifespan of your battery!

Watch Your Charge Level

One of the key factors in how long your battery will last is how often you charge it.

The best way to ensure that your battery lasts as long as possible is to always charge it before it gets too low. When you first buy your Adventuri e-bike, we suggest that you charge the battery fully before riding it at all. Going forward, this will give you a good baseline for how long it takes to fully charge your battery, which gives you a better idea of what kind of range you can expect from your e-bike.

While some people do advise keeping your battery charge between 20-80%, this can be hard to monitor and reduces the range you’ll be able to get out of your battery. The most important thing is to avoid letting your battery charge get too low and to NEVER leave your battery in a discharged state. So, we recommend that you charge up your e-bike battery after every ride, and ensure it doesn’t become over-discharged, at which point it will become unrecoverable (i.e. ‘bricked’).

Store A Battery Partially Charged – But Not Too Low!

Even more so than a regular bike, e-bikes should not be left unused for extended lengths of time. So, if you know you won’t be using your bike for a period of one month or more, it is essential to store your e-bike battery correctly by putting it into a long-term storage state. Kind of like hibernation for your battery.                                                                        

It is best to long-term store an e-bike battery in a partially charged state – not too high, not too low. We recommend you fully charge your battery, then ride the bike for around 30 minutes or so, to bring the charge down to around 70-80%. It's also best to store your battery in a cool, dry place with as little daily temperature fluctuation as possible – so, make sure to keep the battery away from sources of heat or light. If you’ll be storing your battery for a really long time, you’ll need to revisit the battery every three months to top up its charge and keep its voltage from decreasing too much.

Use the Correct Charger

While battery chargers can be compatible across different e-bikes, it is very risky to use a charger on your battery that isn’t the one supplied with your bike. We’re talking flames and other exciting things that you’ll want to avoid. So, for obvious reasons, make sure to only ever use the charger supplied with your bike. If you’ve lost your charger, get in touch, we can supply you with a new one. 

Avoid Direct Sunlight for Extended Periods

Even if not storing your e-bike long-term, it’s always best to avoid leaving your e-bike and battery in direct sunlight. It’s possible to overheat your battery and the temperature fluctuations will reduce its lifespan. Also, your e-bike won’t thank you much for it either, as storing it for long periods of time in direct sunlight will wear electrical components, harden and crack the paintwork, plastic and rubber parts.

The best way to store your e-bike battery is in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. If you don't have access to such a space, you can always cover the battery with something like a tarp to keep the sunlight off of it.

Avoid Salt and Saltwater

Just like your bike, salt water is a battery’s worst enemy. It can cause corrosion to your battery terminals over time or result in immediate damage and leave you stranded! If you’re planning on riding around coastal areas or you end up riding in the rain, it’s important to rinse off the salt water as soon as you can:

1) Rinse the bike and battery with tap water using a cloth. Avoid using a high-power hose as this can strip away lubricants and force water into electrical components. Make sure you dry out your bike and battery to avoid corrosion.

2) If there’s any dirt or sand on the battery, use a soft brush or cloth to remove it before drying off the battery.

3) If you do find signs of corrosion, use a toothbrush dipped in baking soda and water to scrub away at it until it has been removed completely.

If you plan on taking your electric bike on a road trip, remove the battery as an added safeguard against the elements. It will protect both the e-bike and its battery from damage caused by vibrations or bumps and help prevent theft. However, if your bike will be exposed to the elements while transporting it, make sure to cover the battery cavity in the frame to avoid exposing the terminals and electrical components inside to dirt and water.

Have you ever tried to ride on an e-bike beyond its battery range?

If yes, you know how frustrating it can be! There are a lot of factors that affect how far your battery will go before needing to charge, but there are a few ways to maximize the range of your battery.

Ride efficiently

There are many ways to ride an e-bike more efficiently that can be learnt over time. Without wanting to be too obvious, pedaling harder will of course increase your range! As you put in more effort you’ll use less battery power, or just get where you’re going faster. It’s also important to pedal smarter too. You’ll use the most power from your motor, and therefore energy from your battery, when getting up to speed from a standstill. If you pedal harder to get up to speed, you can save some of your battery power to use more efficiently when riding at a constant speed. A similar technique can be used on hills, if you’re up for it! Rolling resistance and air resistance (i.e., a headwind) have a significant impact on your energy usage. The effect is actually exponential, so if you’re trying to maximize range, taking it slowly to reduce resistance and drag can help a lot.

Weight

E-bike are already quite heavy, it’s an unavoidable effect of using a motor and a battery and needing a frame strong enough to cope with the motor’s torque and speed. But keeping the weight on your e-bike down is an important aspect in increasing the range of your battery. Simply put, the battery will need to expend its charge moving everything you want to bring with you. So, if you're planning on adding accessories like lights or racks or baskets, make sure to choose lightweight options. The less weight on your e-bike also reduces wear on your motor and brakes. For lightweight options, you can check out our accessories like our Mobile Phone Handlebar Bag and Front Basket Bag!

Tyre Pressure

Riding your bike with the correct tyre pressures helps in lots of ways, and also helps to increase your range. Under-inflated tyres increase rolling-resistance, meaning your bike will feel sluggish and will require extra energy (human or electric) to move. Although it’s worth noting, slightly lower tyre pressures can help increase your grip when riding on unstable terrain like gravel and mud. However, for city-riding you’ll want to have your tyre pressures within the optimum range – check your manual and/or tyre sidewall to find the correct pressure for your tyres.

Temperature

E-bike batteries are sensitive to extreme temperatures, so make sure to never allow them to get too hot or too cold. You’ll want to keep them within a window of around 0°C to 45°C. Battery temperature also affects your range. Due to the chemistry of lithium-ion batteries, cold weather will place a greater strain on your battery and will reduce its range. In cold weather, try to keep your battery warm at all times (especially during charging). If you can keep it at a comfortable temperature, you’ll be able to use it for longer rides.

Correct maintenance and storage of your battery, as detailed above, will significantly increase its lifespan. A well-maintained e-bike battery will last three to five years, whereas a poorly maintained battery can be badly damaged over just one season or sooner. If you're unsure of how to safely store your e-bike battery for an extended period, don't hesitate to talk with us!