00:00 You're killing your e-bike without even knowing it. I've got a whole bunch of top tips to ensure
00:04 that you get the most out of your bike and ensure that it lasts for as long as possible,
00:08 because let's face it, it probably wasn't cheap. [music]
00:16 Looking after your battery should be one of your main priorities because it does have the ability
00:21 to degrade over time, but to what extent can be determined by how you treat it. Here are my top
00:26 tips to ensure that it lasts for as long as possible. First up, if you've got a lithium-ion
00:30 battery, which most e-bikes do, then don't allow your battery to get all the way to zero.
00:35 You do have what's called a BMS or battery management system. Now, that's there to ensure
00:40 that the battery never actually gets to zero and it will cut the charge off to make sure that there's
00:44 a little bit of residual power in there. Should you ever actually get to zero, then the cells will
00:51 never recharge again and it will be absolutely toast. The best practice is to ensure you never
00:56 let your battery get near that level and to charge it regularly. A question that often comes up is,
01:01 "Will I damage my battery if I charge it up to 100%?" Well, no, you won't, but you may get fewer
01:07 charge cycles. Now, a charge cycle is a full discharge and recharge. A normal e-bike battery
01:13 would be expected to get between 800 to 1,000 charge cycles. If you charge to 100% all the time,
01:20 then you may be looking towards the lower side of that bracket. If, however, you charge to 90%,
01:25 you could be looking towards the higher side of that bracket. The trade-off is, though,
01:30 that you might be left with slightly less range to use when you're out riding. The good thing is,
01:34 though, that the BMS will ensure that when you get to 100%, it will cut off the charge and protect
01:39 the battery. It is very hard to do long-term damage. Balancing a battery is some pretty
01:44 nerdy e-bike knowledge, but bear with me here. As we already know, the BMS will protect the battery
01:50 so that the level won't get so low that it damages itself. It will also mean that when we get to 100%,
01:56 it will also cut off the charge. However, if you don't charge the battery to 100% on occasion,
02:02 then it won't have a chance to balance itself. This means that the overall range of the battery
02:07 will slowly decrease over time. If you do want to maximize the number of charge cycles you get by
02:12 charging to 90%, do ensure that on occasion you charge to 100% to allow the battery to balance
02:18 itself so that you ensure that you maintain the amount of range that the battery is capable of
02:23 delivering. This may mean that you have to closely monitor the battery level whilst charging,
02:27 which for some may just not be practical at all. Come wintertime when perhaps you've stabled the
02:33 pony but you want to ensure that you're still looking after it properly, there are a couple
02:37 of things you can do to make sure it doesn't damage itself. If you're planning on leaving
02:41 your bike stationary for anywhere up to a month, it's absolutely fine to leave at 100%.
02:46 If you're going to be storing it for over a month and longer, then I'd recommend leaving it at 70%
02:51 and also dismounting the battery from the bike and leaving it at an ambient room temperature.
02:56 Some manufacturers recommend charging every six months to ensure good battery health if you're
03:02 really putting it into some long-term storage. It should go without saying, but definitely don't
03:06 leave it without any battery at all. Like I've previously mentioned, if the battery then dips
03:11 below that safe level, it will be completely toast and it will not charge up again. Do not
03:16 store it close to empty. Continuing along the vein of storage, if you're able to leave your bike or
03:23 just the battery at an ambient room temperature, then this is definitely a really good thing to do.
03:28 If a battery is left out in the cold, then it will lose its charge and the range would also
03:32 drop considerably. If you regularly ride in freezing conditions, then I would recommend
03:36 investing in an insulating thermal jacket to keep the battery at an optimal operating temperature.
03:41 Now, you can find a link to one of these down in the description down below.
03:44 There we have it. Those are my top tips for looking after your electric bike and hopefully
03:49 making it last for as long as possible. Ultimately, a battery is an exhaustible item and over time,
03:55 it will degrade. If your range has dropped so far below what it was when you got it from new,
04:00 it may be that it needs replacement. With my tips though, you can make sure that it will
04:04 last for as long as possible. If you have any of your own tips that you think are worthwhile sharing,
04:09 then drop them down in the comments. If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like,
04:12 subscribe to the channel for more content, and I will see you again very soon.
04:16 [Music]
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