Tips for Maximizing Your Ebike's Battery Life

January 27, 2021

Battery Life

Introduction

Is your e-bike battery draining? If yes, you are not alone. Many electric bike users often complain about not getting the most out of their batteries. This is true even with the increasing popularity of modern lithium-ion batteries. You should know that just like standard bikes, an electric bike requires routine maintenance.

An electric bike has a few more parts and components, such as the motor and electric bike battery. Although the motor is almost maintenance-free, the e-bike battery requires care and regular charging.

Electric bike batteries have certainly come a long way. Did you know that these batteries are considerably lighter as well as more powerful than they were a couple of years ago? However, e-bike batteries are still pretty expensive.

Batteries are usually one of the priciest components of your electric bike. Since an e-bike battery is usually very expensive, as an e-bike owner, you have to make sure that your e-bike battery is in top shape so that you can enjoy the longest lifespan.

How long will your electric bike battery last? Most e-bike batteries often last between three and five years. After that, they start to lose some efficiency. However, the good news is that with proper care and maintenance, you can maximize your e-bike’s battery life.

Use these tips and tricks that will keep you riding your electric bike for as long as you would like before having to recharge.

Choose a Reputable and Reliable E-bike Battery Brand

The e-bike battery brand you choose is one of the crucial factors that affect the overall quality of an electric bike battery. This is because a well-known brand with an excellent reputation usually makes excellent products. When choosing a brand, you would also like to consider the key differences between SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) and lithium-ion batteries and review their costs.

Did you know that the lithium-ion battery models from brands, such as Samsung, are now more popular and considerably lighter and more compact than other types? And that is not all; they hold a charge for a longer period of time, which is excellent.

As the quality of the e-bike battery often determines its life, when purchasing an e-bike, it is best to choose an electric bike equipped with a reliable and famous battery brand. Also, you should choose a battery company that offers a two-year warranty (minimum).

Read the Owner’s Manual

The next important tip is reading the owners’ manual. Do not make the mistake of assuming that you will figure it out all on your own. It is worth noting that there are a few dangers associated with lithium-ion e-bike batteries. For example, these batteries are flammable if you misuse them or pair them with an unsuitable charger.

This is why you should read the manual. The best thing about following the recommendations in the manual is that your electric bike battery will likely last longer. Also, keep in mind that electric bike battery life is usually calculated in standard charge cycles. And it is based on how many complete charge cycles your battery will likely undergo before it loses its effectiveness.

Lithium-ion e-bike batteries usually hold an average charge for about thirty miles. In most cases, when well-maintained, the e-bike battery lifespan can be as high as 1,000 full charges, usually from an empty or dead battery to a fully-charged battery. Also, it is worth noting that the battery manufacturer often specifies or mentions the maximum number of battery charge cycles. This is the number of effective recharging cycles that an e-bike battery usually goes through without losing its efficiency.

On reaching its specified number of charge cycles, you can expect some reduction in battery performance. As a result, your electric bike battery will not hold a charge for as long as it did in the past. And at this stage, you have to decide if a replacement e-bike battery is required.

Keep in mind that many electric bike batteries usually become less efficient after three to five years of normal use. It is essential to understand your electric bike battery and charger. And the best way to do it is to carefully read the owners’ manual as well as any warning stickers or labels on your e-bike battery or e-bike.

Use the Right Riding Mode

Note that if you habitually charge around in boost or turbo mode all day, it is likely that your ride will not last all day. You may know that how you ride your electric bike also impacts its battery life. Remember that it is like redlining your car all the time. This is because using boost or turbo mode and throttle exerts more stress on your e-bike battery than the eco mode.

This is why if you think that you would be out on your bike for a few hours or even more, it is best to switch through your electric bike’s modes for more efficiency. If you are on the road or faster parts of a trail, you should ride in either low or mid settings to maximize your battery life. On the other hand, for technical or challenging trails and climbs, you can use the turbo or boost mode.

Reduce Weight

Did you know that rider weight is probably the single most crucial factor that affects your e-bike’s range and its battery potential? While you may not be able to do much about your weight, note that removing any unwanted weight from the backpack and e-bike will undoubtedly help you.

This is why one of the easiest ways to lower weight is to take a careful and critical trawl through the riding backpack and determine what you actually need for your day’s ride.

You will notice the most significant difference on steep climbs. It is worth noting that this is where your e-bike motor and battery are often working hard in order to drive you, rather than flatter rides where these components are mainly working to maintain your speed. However, keep in mind that either way, if you are a light rider, you’ll always get considerably more out of the charge.

Charging Your E-bike Battery
– Tips to Maximize Battery Life -

Charge the E-bike Battery on a Regular Basis

Keep in mind that lithium-ion batteries on most e-bikes can last longer with frequent use and, hence, regular charging. In most cases, you do not have to let your e-bike battery discharge fully. It is best to charge your bike battery when there’s between 30% and 60% of the total capacity remaining.

However, it is worth noting that many e-bike battery experts and specialists recommend an occasional full discharge, usually once every 30 charges to 40 charges. In other cases, you will be better off using the 30% to 60% guideline.

If you would like to charge your e-bike battery on a regular basis, you will also have to use your bike regularly. As a result, let this be an encouragement and motivation to get out more and ride your e-bike.

Charge Your New E-Bike Battery for Twelve Hours

This is another important tip. When you first buy a brand new e-bike, you should take the time and charge the battery fully for up to twelve hours. The best thing about this long or extended initial charge is that it ensures that the current flows well through all of the cells.

Use the Charger that came with your E-Bike battery

You should know that sticking with the battery charger that came with your bike is one of the best steps that you can take in order to keep your e-bike battery healthy. Like other devices, the battery and e-bike charger are carefully designed in order to work together.

Also, keep in mind that the battery manufacturing company has extensively tested charging the e-bike battery with the battery charger they made to perform that job. If you switch your charger, your battery may get charged too fast, and this will likely heat up the battery, which is not what you want.

This is because excess heat can lead to battery issues. This is why you could experience not only capacity loss, but also extensive damage to your battery.

Do not let the E-bike Battery Drop to 0%

You may know that batteries usually work best when their average charge level remains between 20% and 100%. And e-bike batteries are no different. Keep in mind that every time your e-bike battery dies, its maximum life decreases.

And this means that if you would like to stay out there on your road trip for a long period of time, you should try to plug in your battery when it gets to about 20%. This will make sure that you are above 80% the next time that you unplug.

Don’t make the Mistake of Overcharging an E-Bike Battery

The worst thing you can do is leave your e-bike battery connected to the battery charger for extended periods of time, such as several days or even more. If you do this, you will encounter a problematic situation. This is because your battery will discharge soon to about 95%.

After that, the charger goes to work again, and top off your battery. Keep in mind that these frequent cycles of minor battery discharges and recharging continues and creates a series of ineffective and inadequate charge cycles.

It is best to use a convenient timer on your smartphone or mobile device in order to remind you that you have to take the e-bike battery off of your charger.

Avoid Temperature Extremes

Note that an e-bike battery feels almost the same way when it comes to the weather or temperature as most e-bike riders do. In most cases, moderate or mild temperatures are better for your battery. If you would like to prolong your e-bike battery, it is best to avoid temperature extremes during use as well as when you’re charging your battery.

Charge Your Battery Properly

If you charge and store your battery correctly, it can extend the overall service life of your battery. Note that how you should charge your battery properly is an important question. It is best to use the original battery charger. Usually, the charger that you get with your battery is the best. This is because it can keep your e-bike battery healthy and maximize its life.

Also, do not overcharge your battery. Actually, if you aren’t riding long distances, there’s really no need to completely charge your battery; instead, you just have to charge it enough for the trip. However, it is okay to completely charge it once in a while, but after that, you have to unplug it in time.

This is because if you leave your battery completely charged for a very long time, then it might cause the battery temperature to increase, which can easily damage your electric bike battery. As a result, it is best that you don’t exceed the duration of one charge beyond 12 hours.

Keep Average Battery Temperature

While it is quite cold outside these days and you might be sitting by your fireplace missing that warm and cozy sunshine, note that your e-bike battery does not prefer hot temperatures. This is why if you leave your battery next to a fireplace or stove for a while, then it will likely die very soon.

You should know that higher temperatures can easily damage a few power components and parts inside your e-bike battery, significantly reducing the battery capacity and you don’t want that. So, for essential safety reasons as well as to extend or maximize your e-bike battery life, you should keep the battery away from direct sunlight and open flames. Also, do not make the mistake of leaving your battery in your car in summer.

And besides high temperatures, charging your battery below the freezing point is not acceptable. According to studies, during the charging process, you should keep your battery temperature between 32°F and 110°F to get the best results. However, note that during use, these restrictions can be more relaxed, and you can keep the temperature from -4℉ to 140℉.

Other Tips to Extend Battery Life

Use the Right Tires

Did you know that rolling resistance is an important factor that affects the range and capacity of your battery? Several factors affect this, such as tire width, specific tread pattern, as well as tire pressure. Although it is best to choose the tires and pressure level that most suit your riding style, you can experiment with different pressure levels in order to find a friendly and comfortable balance.

Higher pressures will likely cause less rolling resistance; however, they can affect the control and maneuvering of your electric bike. Also, it is worth noting that some semi-solid and solid tire inserts are appearing in the market. These tires aim to minimize the risk of punctures, but they can considerably increase rolling resistance, and reduce the range of your bike.

Pedal Harder

While this might seem like a no-brainer to most people, note that if your e-bike battery is low or you are on a long ride, it is best to pedal harder in order to compensate. And it is imperative that you use your physical power in order to accelerate after any stops if you would like to conserve your battery.

Do not Blow the Fuse

An important thing to keep in mind when using batteries and chargers is making sure that you plug as well as unplug the charger right. Keep in mind that you do not want power in your charging brick whenever you are plugging in or unplugging.

This is why you should always turn off your power supply (or power-point) first, and then unplug or plug in your battery. If you do this wrong, you could damage your charger and battery.

Take Corners at Reasonable Speeds

Did you know that you will consume less energy by taking corners at a reasonable speed rather than slowing down significantly? Slowing down excessively and frequently forces your electric bike and its battery to work much harder in order to get back up to speed once again.

Also, note that you would like to stay safe as well. This is why you should go at a speed level that seems manageable and comfortable for you.

Keep Your Battery Dry

Where do you store your bike? It is best to store your electric bike in a safe and dry location. Do not make the mistake of overlooking humidity. This is because the humidity is not suitable for almost all electrical devices and your bike is no different.

It is important to carefully check the contacts on your bike battery every few months. You should ensure that they are dry and clean. And if you notice corrosion, you should remove it using clean emery cloth. Also, try your best not to expose the battery to sub-freezing temperatures, high heat, water, as well as high humidity as they can damage your battery.

Avoid vibration, shock, and punctures to extend battery life. Note that the better the overall environment and temperature, the longer your e-bike battery will perform.

Never Open Your E-bike Battery

In most cases, there is no reason to open the e-bike battery. You should not try to examine the battery. Also, repairing it yourself is not a good idea. Lithium powder in most lithium-ion batteries is easily combustible.

As a result, it will quickly explode if it comes in contact with oxygen. Don’t open the battery as you could risk starting a fire or hurting yourself and other people.

You must contact a professional if you think that your e-bike battery is faulty. Return the battery so it can be easily tested and repaired or replaced. Opening the e-bike battery yourself is certainly not worth the risk.

Do not Jet Wash Your Battery

As with almost any electric bike part, and regardless of what some bikers may tell you, you should never point your jet wash at an electric bike battery and motor.

There is no need for it as a quick spray using an excellent electrical contact cleaner, especially at the e-bike battery terminals, can reduce the risk of corrosion, maintaining fair and stable energy transfer.

Final Thoughts

No electric bike battery lasts forever. However, you will easily get more juice out of your battery by following our straightforward and simple tips. Keep in mind that replacing a battery pack on an electric bike is an expensive undertaking.

All of the above tips will help you maximize the range and life of your e-bike battery with less effort. As electric bike batteries are often costly, replacing them frequently is not cost-effective. This is why it is best to maximize your electric bike’s battery lifespan with these simple tips and fully enjoy your e-bike riding experience. With these tips, you can easily keep your bike battery in top condition for several years to come while prolonging its life span.