00:00Looking after your battery should be one of your main priorities because it does have
00:09the ability to degrade over time, but to what extent can be determined by how you treat
00:15it. Here are my top tips to ensure that it lasts for as long as possible.
00:18First up, if you've got a lithium-ion battery, which most e-bikes do, then don't allow your
00:23battery to get all the way to zero. You do have what's called a BMS, or battery management
00:28system. That's there to ensure that the battery never actually gets to zero, and it will cut
00:32the charge off to make sure that there's a little bit of residual power in there. Should
00:36you ever actually get to zero, then the cells will never recharge again, and it will be
00:41absolutely toast. The best practice is to ensure you never let your battery get near
00:46that level and to charge it regularly. A question that often comes up is, will I
00:51damage my battery if I charge it up to 100%? Well, no you won't, but you may get fewer
00:56charge cycles. Now, a charge cycle is a full discharge and recharge. A normal e-bike battery
01:02would be expected to get between 800 to 1,000 charge cycles. If you charge to 100% all the
01:09time, then you may be looking towards the lower side of that bracket. If, however, you
01:13charge to 90%, you could be looking towards the higher side of that bracket.
01:18The trade-off is though that you might be left with slightly less range to use when
01:21you're out riding. The good thing is though that the BMS will ensure that when you get
01:26to 100%, it will cut off the charge and protect the battery, so it is very hard to do long-term
01:30damage. Balancing a battery is some pretty nerdy e-bike
01:34knowledge, but bear with me here. As we already know, the BMS will protect the battery so
01:40that the level won't get so low that it damages itself, and it will also mean that
01:44when we get to 100%, it will also cut off the charge. However, if you don't charge
01:49the battery to 100% on occasion, then it won't have a chance to balance itself, and this
01:54means that the overall range of the battery will slowly decrease over time.
01:58So, if you do want to maximise the number of charge cycles you get by charging to 90%,
02:03do ensure that on occasion you charge to 100% to allow the battery to balance itself so
02:08that you ensure that you maintain the amount of range that the battery is capable of delivering.
02:13This may mean that you have to closely monitor the battery level whilst charging, which for
02:17some may just not be practical at all.
02:21For some winter time when perhaps you've stabled the pony but you want to ensure that
02:24you're still looking after it properly, there are a couple of things you can do to
02:27make sure it doesn't damage itself. So, if you're planning on leaving your bike
02:31stationary for anywhere up to a month, it's absolutely fine to leave it at 100%. If you're
02:36going to be storing it for over a month and longer, then I'd recommend leaving it at
02:4070% and also dismounting the battery from the bike and leaving it at an ambient room
02:45temperature. Some manufacturers recommend charging every
02:48six months to ensure good battery health if you're really putting it into some long
02:52term storage. It should go without saying, but definitely don't leave it without any
02:57battery at all. Like I've previously mentioned, if the battery then dips below that safe level,
03:02it will be completely toast and it will not charge up again. So, do not store it close
03:06to empty. Continuing along the vein of storage, if you're
03:11able to leave your bike or just the battery at an ambient room temperature, then this
03:15is definitely a really good thing to do. If a battery is left out in the cold, then
03:19it will lose its charge and the range would also drop considerably. If you regularly ride
03:23in freezing conditions, then I would recommend investing in an insulating thermal jacket
03:28to keep the battery at an optimal operating temperature. Now, you can find a link to one
03:32of these down in the description down below. So, there we have it. Those are my top tips
03:36for looking after your electric bike and hopefully making it last for as long as possible. Ultimately,
03:41a battery is an exhaustible item and over time it will degrade. So, if your range has
03:46dropped so far below what it was when you got it from you, it may be that it needs replacement.
03:51With my tips though, you can make sure that it will last for as long as possible.
03:56If you have any of your own tips that you think are worthwhile sharing, then drop them
03:59down in the comments. If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for
04:03more content and I will see you again very soon.
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