Jul 31, 2023

Understanding E-Bike Batteries: How to Extend Their Lifespan and Increase Their Efficiency

The number of e-bike riders is increasing day by day due to its physical and economic benefits. Most people are shifting from cars and motorcycles to e-bikes. But one unavoidable concern of using an e-bike is its battery health.

It’s quite challenging to manage the battery performance without proper guidance. An average lifespan of a bike battery is 2 to 3 years. If you can master battery management, you can ensure longevity. So, learning all about e-bike batteries can save you bucks and help you to expand the battery lifetime.

Are you excited to know the inside out of bike batteries? Then without further ado. Let’s get started!

Factors Affecting E-Bike Battery Lifespan

Only high-performance won’t ensure its longevity, because some unavoidable factors can directly affect the battery's lifespan. And if you can understand what can affect the battery most, you can prevent them effectively.

Now you must be thinking about what factors are influencing the e-bike battery lifespan, right? Fret not! Let’s discuss them in detail below.

● Battery Quality

The first thing that matters for a battery’s durability is its quality. However, it depends on the type of battery you are using. E-bikes mostly use lithium, nickel, or lead batteries.

Lithium batteries are quite expensive but it lasts longer than nickel and lead batteries. For example, lithium batteries can serve more than 1000 charge cycles. On the other hand, nickel batteries can hold 500 charge cycles, and lead batteries can hold 300 charge cycles.

When the batteries reach their maximum charge cycles, they lose their efficiency and can affect the e-bike's health deeply. Avoid buying cheap batteries because they won’t last longer than high-end ones and can degrade your bike’s performance.

● Charging Habits

If your e-bike battery isn’t working properly, charging habits can be one of the possible reasons, either you are overcharging it or not charging it fully. When you often drain the battery power to the lowest, it won’t work efficiently.

Besides that, if you charge the battery right after your ride, it can affect the battery’s health. What's more, the battery will lose its charging capacity if you don’t unplug the charger on time.

● Temperature Considerations and optimal storage conditions

When it comes to lithium batteries, the temperature is a major thing you need to consider, because cold weather may damage its power sources completely. But we all know the weather is not in our control, so avoid going out if the weather seems unkind.

Apart from riding in cold or extra hot weather, improper storage temperature can also affect the battery’s life. If you store the battery below 40° F, it will gradually keep damaging the battery’s lifespan.

● Maintenance

One of the most common reasons that influence battery life is the lack of maintenance. If you don’t take care of the e-bike battery, it won’t go for years after years. Some days back, we talked to some users regarding the longevity of e-bike batteries.

Most riders don’t even know how they can expand the battery life by maintaining it properly. Also, they barely take their e-bike for servicing. As a result, they have to change the batteries frequently. But that’s not a permanent solution to it, right?

Are you getting tired of replacing the e-bike battery now and then? Don’t worry! We are here to help you out with some easy techniques to extend the battery’s lifespan.

The top 9 tips to make your e-bike's battery last longer

To solve most issues and expand the battery life, we’ve implemented some methods on several batteries and after applying many tests, we’ve got these 9 techniques that can amaze you with their useful outcomes.

● Follow the owner's manual

All batteries come up with an authorized owner manual for better support. Most of the time, we keep it in our cupboard and never take it out. But we should follow the instructions to run the battery effectively.

While testing different battery brands, we’ve got proper manual guidance on the Young Electric 48V/20Ah 960Wh LG Li-ion Battery. From installation to regular maintenance, they have everything on the manual. Following the instructions properly can help you to keep the battery’s better health and enhance its performance as well.

Note: Avoid buying batteries without the owner’s manual.

● Use the original charger

To keep up the quality of e-bike batteries, you must use the original charger. Because using unauthorized and cheap chargers can cause short circuits and damage the internal health of the battery.

And remember, charging can be more hassle-free with a 48V 3A Li-ion Battery Charger because it provides a high power source and you can use it for all lithium batteries. Investing in some extra bucks sometimes can save more money and time of replacing, and extend your e-bike battery life.

● Avoid deep discharges

The best way to keep the battery healthy is to charge it on time. If you always wait until it runs out and stops working, the battery can be damaged permanently.

So, it’s better to charge the e-bike battery before the power goes lower than 20%. While charging it, you should only unplug the charger when it reaches 100%. That's the most convenient way to improve the quality and durability.

● Charge regularly

Another important technique is charging the battery regularly. You should develop a proper charging habit and avoid overcharging. Also, be careful while charging the battery and try to keep it near a convenient place.

What's more, charge the battery after daily rides if possible. At least, charge it once every 3 to 4 days.

● Store properly

You must prepare an indoor setup for storing your e-bike battery because it may be vandalized near cold and inconvenient weather conditions.

In that case, keep the battery with at least 50% power when storing it for a long time. Otherwise, it may cause deep power discharge.

We also suggest taking out the battery from your e-bike and keeping it at room temperature. Therefore, even when you have to park your e-bike outside, uninstall the battery and hold it in a warm place.

● Avoid extreme temperatures (both too hot and too cold)

The perfect temperature to operate lithium batteries is from 50° F to 110° F. Because lithium batteries can be doomed at any extreme weather conditions no matter if it's too hot or too cold. Thus, keeping the battery at the proper temperature can prevent internal damage of the battery and let it run for long years.

● Regular maintenance

Maintenance is the key to ensure maximum durability of batteries and adding some accessories can make it easier for you.

For example, you can get a timer that can remind you to check if everything is normal in the battery or to see if the charging level is going low. That’s how you prevent deep discharges.

If you can't determine the real condition of the battery,you can turn to a professional for help. Take the battery to your nearest e-bike shop and ask for their suggestion and service it regularly.

And take care of the storage temperature. Following these maintenance tips can help your battery last longer.

● Moderate Speeds

Always riding e-bikes at the highest speed may increase the safety risk and can affect the battery day by day because it consumes a lot of power. Therefore, to keep safe and protect the battery's lifespan, you should follow a medium speed range of 20mph. It won't be wise to exceed this speed limit.

● Efficient riding

Your riding style can dominate the battery's health. If you're an excessive rider, the chances of damaging the battery get higher due to your inconsistent riding capacity. For maintaining battery performance, you should keep up a good and safe riding style. Moreover, you should be more careful while riding on bumpy and uneven roads. A responsible and consistent riding style can uplift the natural life of an e-bike battery.

Apart from these concerns, we've got many queries regarding e-bike batteries. And after analyzing everything, now we'll answer some of your other questions below.

FAQs

● Should I completely discharge my E-Bike battery before recharging?

No. You must charge the battery before it runs lower than 20% power. If the battery runs out completely, it'll be tough to recharge it as well due to deep battery discharge. It can even make the e-bike performance more degraded than regular.

● How many hours does it take to charge an e-bike?

It depends on the battery's capacity and motor power. Usually, a good quality e-bike battery takes 3.5 to 6 hours to be charged completely.

● Should I charge my e-bike battery after every use?

Yes. Though it isn't compulsory, you can charge it after a few rides. After all, not every ride can be lengthy enough to empty the battery. It isn't necessary to charge the battery every time after a short ride.

● How often should I charge my E-Bike battery?

If you use your e-bike for daily long commutes, then you should charge it after every time you ride. But if it’s not in regular use, it would be better to charge the battery every 2 weeks.

● How long does a 750W e-bike battery last?

A 750W e-bike battery can last more than 3 years if you maintain it efficiently. As batteries are quite expensive, you must take care of them and keep a healthy riding habit so that they can last longer.

● How should I store my E-Bike battery when not in use?

First of all, extract the battery from your e-bike. Then get a good quality bike battery box with insulation and keep the battery inside. In addition to that, store it in a secure place in your garage.

Conclusion

To sum up, poor battery quality, improper charging habits, inconvenient weather conditions, and lack of maintenance are responsible for the battery issues. But promoting good battery management can cure all problems and enhances the life cycle. You should spend money on a high-quality battery and moderate storage system. Additionally, avoid storing your battery at extremely hot or cold temperatures. Clean the battery with oil or a lubricator.

If you follow the techniques we’ve mentioned above, you may prevent battery drainage better. Now you know the dos and don'ts of e-bike batteries, go and enjoy a happy ride on your e-bike.

If you want to check out more durable and robust batteries, you can visit here right now. You’ll also find some original chargers here.