Jonathon Monk, of Cycling Made Easy
Electric bicycles are an increasingly common sight in cities throughout the world.
Tips for charging your new Lithium Battery
With more and more people choosing to take to two wheels, these bikes offer the perfect opportunity to enhance fitness while playing an important role in helping to reduce the carbon emissions generated by other forms of transport. These bikes are helping to persuade many non-cyclists to start pedaling. However, it is important to understand that making your purchase to a new e-Bike or light with a lithium battery, is just the first step.
Extend the life of your Lithium battery
Once you have bought your e-bike or light it is crucial that you take the necessary steps to ensure that it continues to run at its optimum level, and few aspects of an e-bike are more important than its battery.
Enhanced technology has seen many electric bike manufacturers utilize the benefits of long-life lithium batteries. While these batteries offer a significant upgrade over their predecessors, it is still important that certain guidelines are following to maximize the batteries’ lifespan and run time.
5 Lithium battery life tips
Below I have outlined several e-bike battery care tips that will help you along the way.
1. Owners Manual – Read and follow the accompanying manual and warning stickers supplied with your bike. If you have any questions, call your bike dealer or the company directly and ask.
2. The Charger – Only use the charger supplied with your electric bike or light. Using a different charger can be very dangerous; possibly resulting in fire and/or explosion. So use the charger that came with the item you purchased.
3. Fully Charge – When you get a new e-item make sure you fully charge the battery per the instructions provided before you ride the bike.
4. Avoid Extreme Temperatures – Very hot or cold temperatures can negatively affect the performance of the battery and shorten its expected life. Avoid storing and charging your battery in a garage or shed that could be subject to really hot or cold temperatures. Instead, charge and store your battery in a moderate temperature area. (Recommended storage temperatures are 32F – 77F. Avoid exposing the battery to extreme heat, 104F + for long periods of time.)
5. Storing a Lithium Battery – If you will not be riding your electric bike for an extended period of time it is a good idea to store your lithium battery with a full charge. At the 3 month point, check the state of charge and recharge to top it off if necessary.
Two more bonus tips!
6. Charging Location – When charging your bike or battery, do so in a location that is dry, and where a hot battery or hot charger (should there be a malfunction) will not cause a damaging fire.
7. Avoid Humidity – Store your bike, battery, and charger in a location that is dry. Water and humidity are not good for any electrical device.
Author Bio
Jonathon Monk is an enthusiastic cyclist and works for Cycling Made Easy. Cycling Made Easy are the regional stockists for SCOTT and can give advice and guidance plus accompanied test rides to make sure that customers feel comfortable and can experience E-Bikes first-hand before looking to buy.
