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00:02 Looking after your battery should be
00:07 one of your main priorities
00:09 because it does have the ability to degrade over time,
00:12 but to what extent can be determined by how you treat it.
00:15 So here are my top tips to ensure
00:17 that it lasts for as long as possible.
00:18 First up, if you've got a lithium-ion battery,
00:20 which most e-bikes do,
00:22 then don't allow your battery to get all the way to zero.
00:25 You do have what's called a BMS,
00:26 or battery management system.
00:28 Now that's there to ensure
00:30 that the battery never actually gets to zero
00:32 and it will cut the charge off
00:33 to make sure that there's a little bit
00:34 of residual power in there.
00:36 Should you ever actually get to zero,
00:39 then the cells will never recharge again
00:41 and it will be absolutely toast.
00:43 So the best practice is to ensure
00:45 you never let your battery get near that level
00:47 and to charge it regularly.
00:48 A question that often comes up is,
00:51 will I damage my battery if I charge it up to 100%?
00:54 Well, no you won't, but you may get fewer charge cycles.
00:57 Now a charge cycle is a full discharge and recharge.
01:01 A normal e-bike battery would be expected
01:03 to get between 800 to 1,000 charge cycles.
01:08 If you charge to 100% all the time,
01:10 then you may be looking towards
01:11 the lower side of that bracket.
01:13 If however, you charge to 90%,
01:15 you could be looking towards the higher side of that bracket.
01:18 The trade-off is though,
01:19 that you might be left with slightly less range to use
01:21 when you're out riding.
01:22 The good thing is though,
01:24 that the BMS will ensure that when you get to 100%,
01:27 it will cut off the charge and protect the battery.
01:29 So it is very hard to do long-term damage.
01:32 Balancing a battery is some pretty nerdy e-bike knowledge,
01:34 but bear with me here.
01:36 As we already know, the BMS will protect the battery
01:40 so that the level won't get so low that it damages itself.
01:43 And it will also mean that when we get to 100%,
01:46 it will also cut off the charge.
01:48 However, if you don't charge the battery to 100%
01:50 on occasion, then it won't have a chance to balance itself.
01:53 And this means that the overall range of the battery
01:56 will slowly decrease over time.
01:58 So if you do wanna maximize the number of charge cycles
02:01 you get by charging to 90%,
02:03 do ensure that on occasion you charge to 100%
02:06 to allow the battery to balance itself
02:08 so that you ensure that you maintain the amount of range
02:11 that the battery is capable of delivering.
02:13 This may mean that you have to closely monitor
02:15 the battery level whilst charging,
02:17 which for some may just not be practical at all.
02:19 Come winter time when perhaps you've stabled the pony,
02:23 but you wanna ensure that you're still looking
02:24 after it properly,
02:25 there are a couple of things you can do
02:27 to make sure it doesn't damage itself.
02:29 So if you're planning on leaving your bike stationary
02:31 for anywhere up to a month,
02:33 it's absolutely fine to leave at 100%.
02:35 If you're gonna be storing it for over a month and longer,
02:38 then I would recommend leaving it at 70%
02:41 and also dismounting the battery from the bike
02:43 and leaving it at an ambient room temperature.
02:46 Some manufacturers recommend charging every six months
02:50 to ensure good battery health
02:51 if you're really putting it into some long-term storage.
02:54 It should go without saying,
02:55 but definitely don't leave it without any battery at all.
02:58 Like I've previously mentioned,
02:59 if the battery then dips below that safe level,
03:02 it will be completely toast
03:03 and it will not charge up again.
03:05 So do not store it close to empty.
03:07 Continuing along the vein of storage,
03:10 if you're able to leave your bike or just the battery
03:13 at an ambient room temperature,
03:15 then this is definitely a really good thing to do.
03:17 If a battery is left out in the cold,
03:19 then it will lose its charge
03:20 and the range would also drop considerably.
03:23 If you regularly ride in freezing conditions,
03:24 then I would recommend investing
03:26 in an insulating thermal jacket
03:28 to keep the battery at an optimal operating temperature.
03:31 Now you can find a link to one of these
03:32 down in the description down below.
03:34 So there we have it.
03:35 Those are my top tips for looking after your electric bike
03:38 and hopefully making it last for as long as possible.
03:41 Ultimately, a battery is an exhaustible item
03:43 and over time it will degrade.
03:46 So if your range has dropped so far below
03:48 what it was when you got it from new,
03:49 it may be that it needs replacement.
03:51 With my tips though,
03:52 you can make sure that it will last for as long as possible.
03:56 If you have any of your own tips
03:57 that you think are worthwhile sharing,
03:58 then drop them down in the comments.
04:00 If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like,
04:02 subscribe to the channel for more content
04:03 and I will see you again very soon.
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