ebike charging question

[terry_gardener]

So i have had the ebike for 2 weeks and done 119 miles. i have charged it twice.

my question is do you charge it after each ride or wait till it drops alittle first (ie to 30-60%). just i have read different opinions online.

also just wondering what assistance and gear do you normally use.

 

[dodgy]

I seldom charge mine to 100%, prefer to charge it to 80%, it's better for the life of the battery.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

From what I have read the most important thing is to try to leave it about 50% if you are not going to use it for a while

But if it is getting used a fair bit then personally I have always (i.e. for the last 12 years) run it until it has a bit left - but not enough for a normal ride - and then charged it from there
If it is a good system , with a well designed BMS, then the system will balance the cells when it is charged and will not allow the cells to become over charged - cheap Chinese system may not be so good

 

[Slick]

I always thought it was best to recharge after every use, but I certainly wouldn't leave it for more than 24 hours before recharging.

 

[aldus]

I take the approach of letting it get down to around 20% power, then charge it up fully...

 

[terry_gardener]

i found a bosch ebike battery manual and this is what it says

No memory effect – The Bosch rechargeable batteries with lithiumion cells can be briefly charged at any time regardless of their charge state. Interruptions of the charging process do not harm the battery. Complete discharge is not required.
Very low self-discharge rates – Even after prolonged storage,
such as  during the winter, it is possible to use the rechargeable battery without recharging it. For longer storage, a charge status of approx. 30 to 60% is recommended.

so from this it doesn't matter either is fine.

 

[Slick]

i found a bosch ebike battery manual and this is what it says

No memory effect – The Bosch rechargeable batteries with lithiumion cells can be briefly charged at any time regardless of their charge state. Interruptions of the charging process do not harm the battery. Complete discharge is not required.
Very low self-discharge rates – Even after prolonged storage,
such as  during the winter, it is possible to use the rechargeable battery without recharging it. For longer storage, a charge status of approx. 30 to 60% is recommended.

so from this it doesn't matter either is fine.

If all else fails, read the instructions.

 

[Stul]

Thanks for posting this topic as I have also been wondering what is the best technique. When I (recently) got my first e-bike I was sure I read that after the first use it is best to "empty" the battery and then fully re-charge it which I did. But I could not find anything deffinitive either in the manual or on the internet as to what to do ongoing? I always thought that a Lithium battery was less critical as they had no memory so could be charged up at any point. As a compromise I was just going to put it on charge whenever it drops to 2 bars? (which is about 40%).

 

[terry_gardener]

Thanks for posting this topic as I have also been wondering what is the best technique. When I (recently) got my first e-bike I was sure I read that after the first use it is best to "empty" the battery and then fully re-charge it which I did. But I could not find anything deffinitive either in the manual or on the internet as to what to do ongoing? I always thought that a Lithium battery was less critical as they had no memory so could be charged up at any point. As a compromise I was just going to put it on charge whenever it drops to 2 bars? (which is about 40%).

the manual that came with the bike just told you how to remove the battery and the cover hiding the battery. it didn't even tell you how long to charge it. so i went to the bosch ebike site and had a look. like you said this seems to divide opinion.

 

[welsh dragon]

I charge mine when there is 1 bar left. I never let it run down to nothing.

 

[Levo-Lon]

I commute and go for MTB rides on mine.
For a weeks commute I charge it Wednesday and Friday for the weekend.

If I'm not using it I charge it up for when I do.
Wife's ebike can go long periods without use but has had no detrimental effects.

Nice thing with the Levo is you can use the phone app and get all the info there.

 

[CXRAndy]

To prolong battery life repeated charging should maintain a charge of minimum 20% and max 80%. This increases the times you can recharge the battery- doubling to triple the life.

That doesn't mean you cant charge to 100% or run down to nearly flat. Its just recommended to stay in the parameters mentioned.

If you're going for a big ride charge to 100% just before departure, this protects the battery from sitting at 100% for long periods.

Depending on the sophistication of the charging system you may be able to determine charge level via software.

I have two chargers for our ebike, one will just charge to max, the other is can set a charge level

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Although I have seen no actual documentation for this - it seems to be implied that the better batteries/charger systems have optimised charging built into the management system

e.g. on my wife's folding ebike you are supposed to have the battery switched on when you charge. I assume that this is so the BMS is activated so it can balance the cells and manage the total charge level in the most effective manner

I have seen the advise for only charging just before going out - but given that most systems take several hours to charge then this assumes a very well organised ride schedule. Anyone using the ebike to commute may well decide whether to use the ebike, or not, after they get up and look at the weather - so they would have no chance to start charging at that point - and will simply charge it over night.

Personally I normally decide to go out on a whim - so the battery needs to be ready at a few minutes notice

So - the electronics don't really match the real-life usage very well - I suppose this means that most batteries do not last as long as the theoretical maximum

 

[terry_gardener]

thanks for the replies, interesting to read

 

[Mike_P]

Varies by battery / make, the one on my Giant ebike apparently should be fully discharged after 15 charges or ever 3 months to increase in lifespan.