Nowadays, electric bicycles are booming and will become more and more popular. As we all know, an electric bicycle is a bicycle powered by a battery. The bike's battery keeps it going. Therefore, you need to know how long the e-bike battery will last and how many kilometers it will support the bike. This way, you can properly take care of your e-bike battery and the overall condition of your e-bike.
What is the average lifespan of an eBike battery?
Common battery types are lithium batteries, nickel batteries, and lead batteries. The average lifespan of different types of batteries is also different.
- Lithium Batteries: The most reliable of all rechargeable batteries and will last for over 1000 charge cycles before it needs replacing
- Nickle Batteries: Have an average lifespan of around 500 charge cycles
- Lead Batteries: Usually last for around 300 charge cycles before the quality begins to fade
A typical e-bike battery has a lifespan of 800 full charge cycles. A charge cycle is from fully charged to fully depleted. So if you drain the battery to 50% while riding and charge it from there, it will take half a charge cycle. So for most e-bike owners, 800 cycles can actually last a long time.
How many miles do you get from a fully charged eBike battery?
THEORETICAL
eBike range is dependent on the battery. While there are other outside factors this is the general concept. The range in miles is measure in watt hours.
Here is what it looks like:
Volts X Amp hours = Watt Hrs.
In real world terms, a good battery can achieve
1 mile every 20 watt hrs
Range Revealed!
Once we knowthe watt hrs we can figure out the true range of an ebike.
36V *10Ah = 360Wh
360Wh /20Wh =18 Miles
The level of assist you choose to ride also affects how many miles you can drive on a single charge. As with the power of the battery itself, a 48v battery will give you more mileage than a 36v battery.
If you're relying heavily on the battery to do most of your work, you'll get less mileage on a single charge. If you're happy to pedal harder and work with the battery, you'll get more mileage.
How to make your e-bike battery last longer？
In any case, always use the charger provided by the manufacturer. Many e-bike chargers are proprietary to the battery they charge, so there's a good chance your battery won't work well with any charger. Mixing and matching batteries and charging not only creates a risk of overcharging or short circuits, but can actually create a fire hazard.If your battery overheats, don't start charging right away, let it cool first.
If you are not going to use the e-bike for an extended period of time, don’t store the battery empty. Conventional wisdom is that storing your battery at 50% to 80% capacity is best, though guidance on this varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Don’t leave your battery plugged in for long periods of time. This is another crucial one to protect your battery’s longevity, as most batteries will gradually discharge a certain amount of energy during prolonged storage. If it’s still connected to the charger, the charger does it’s job, tops off the battery and the cycle begins again. Over a long period of time, this repetition of bad charging cycles can degrade the battery.
Store the battery in a cool, dry place.
Use a dry towel when cleaning the battery of your e-bike. Water can cause further battery corrosion.
When should I replace the battery of my e-bike?
If you're not sure if your e-bike battery needs to be replaced, the most straightforward way is to take it to the nearest repair shop and do some testing to see if your battery is working properly or needs to be replaced.
There are several signs that your battery is deteriorating, such as: slow charging, damaged battery, reduced mileage, etc. If your battery has one of these conditions, it means you need to replace your battery. Let's discuss these indicators one by one.
Lower Mileage
You need to know that the average battery life is 3-5 years, and this life will also change depending on how you maintain it, but no matter how well you maintain it, your e bike battery needs to be replaced after its service life is over. One of the great signs that the battery life is coming to an end is when the battery is fully charged, the driving range is significantly less than it was before. If this happens, it means you need to replace the battery.
Physical damage
During long-term riding, you may encounter various roads. The bumpy road will bring vibration to the e-bike. The large vibration may cause the battery to shift from its original position, which will shorten the cable or damage the battery case. In addition, it might cause terminals to get into contact with a conductive surface, which leads to overheating and maybe even fire. In the event of such physical damage, the battery should be replaced immediately.
Failed charge
Another sign that the battery needs to be replaced is a failed charge. Under normal circumstances, your battery is dead and only needs to be charged and can be used, but when your battery fails to charge, you need to replace it with a new one.
Other
There are other situations that mean you need to replace the battery, such as your e-bike battery has swollen, in some cases the battery has become overheated, or the battery is giving off an unpleasant smell, etc. The battery needs to be replaced immediately.
