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
00:14it. 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
00:27system. 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 absolutely
00:42toast. The best practice is to ensure you never let your battery get near that level
00:47and 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
01:25to 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
01:39that the level won't get so low that it damages itself. It will also mean that when
01:44we get to 100%, it will also cut off the charge. However, if you don't charge the battery
01:49to 100% on occasion, then it won't have a chance to balance itself. This means that
01:54the 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.
02:20Come winter time when perhaps you've stabled the pony, but you want to ensure that you're
02:23still looking after it properly, there are a couple of things you can do to make sure
02:27it doesn't damage itself.
02:28So, if you're planning on leaving your bike stationary for anywhere up to a month, it's
02:33absolutely fine to leave it at 100%. If you're going to be storing it for over a month and
02:37longer, then I'd recommend leaving it at 70% and also dismounting the battery from
02:42the bike and leaving it at an ambient room temperature.
02:46Some manufacturers recommend charging every six months to ensure good battery health if
02:51you're really putting it into some long-term storage.
02:54It should go without saying, but definitely don't leave it without any battery at all.
02:57Like I've previously mentioned, if the battery then dips below that safe level, it will be
03:02completely toast and it will not charge up again, so do not store it close to empty.
03:08Continuing along the vein of storage, if you're able to leave your bike or just the battery
03:12at an ambient room temperature, then this is definitely a really good thing to do.
03:17If a battery is left out in the cold, then it will lose its charge and the range will
03:21also drop considerably.
03:22If you regularly ride in freezing conditions, then I would recommend investing in an insulating
03:27thermal jacket to keep the battery at an optimal operating temperature. You can find a link
03:31to one of these down in the description down below.
03:34There we have it. Those are my top tips for looking after your electric bike and hopefully
03:38making it last for as long as possible. Ultimately, a battery is an exhaustible item and over
03:43time it will degrade. If your range has dropped so far below what it was when you got it from
03:48you, it may be that it needs replacement. With my tips though, you can make sure that
03:53it will last for as long as possible.
03:55If 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
04:02more content and I will see you again very soon.
04:18♪MUSIC♪
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