If you are new to Electric bike, then questions like how to charge electric bike battery, should I charge battery indoor or outdoor, will overcharging harm the battery, how to charge the first time, and much more concern would have come to your mind.
Don’t worry; I will answer all your concerns in this article. Charging an electric bike battery is a major concern for a bike owner, they are cautious while charging to avoid any damage and overcharging.
To ease your worries, I will tell you the best way to charge your electric bike battery to increase battery life and performance in this guide below. Read the best e-bike battery charging tips below.
How to Charge Electric Bike Battery?
An exact way of how to charge electric bike battery depends on the model and company of e-bike, but almost every e-bike has a common form of charging.
To charge your battery, you have to connect one end of the charger with a battery and another end with a power plug, and now after the connection, the red light will indicate that charging is started, and when the charging is complete, the green light will turn on.
When the charge is full, the battery connection will automatically cut off, but we recommend you pull the plug to reduce the risk of overcharging. I have seen so many batteries got damage due to overcharge.
First Charge of Electric Bikes
When you buy a new e-bike, it comes with a battery and a charger. You have to charge the battery for the first time fully, and it will take an almost full day for charging, and charging onward will take 4 to 7 hours max. Remember to use the original manufacturer charger while charging your battery; it will reduce the risk of damage and correctly charge your battery.
Should I Charge Battery indoor or outdoor?
Usually, there are two common ways for charging battery one to charge battery outdoor when it is attached to a bike, and the other is to charge battery indoors by removing your battery. Both are recommended ways to charge, but charging indoor is the best and safest way for charging because in winters, charging outside will reduce battery capacity due to cold weather.
If you are charging out and it starts raining, it can damage your battery charger. If your charger or battery is damaged, getting a new one will cost you a lot; new batteries cost around 600 dollars. See the list of Top 5 Best Electric Bike Batteries.
Can You Charge an Electric Bike by Pedaling
There are few e-bikes which have cool feature to charge your battery while pedaling. By pedaling, it is possible to charge your battery fully, but remember that regular charging takes 4 to 7 hours to complete, and charging through pedaling takes around 9 to 12 hours if you are pedaling at 15 MPH constant speed.
Pedal charging will increase your ride duration and will reduce your electricity bill. Even it is a must-have feature for e-bike, but a bike with pedal charging is more expensive.
Is it compulsory to fully charge the battery?
It best to charge battery 100% to increase ride duration, but removing the plug before 100% charge will not harm your battery. If you are in a hurry and wanted to use an e-bike, you are free to remove the charger plug early, but it will reduce ride duration.
Never fully drain your Battery
Here is another e-bike battery charging tips. Remember never to drain the battery under 25 % while cycling. When its battery hits 25% charge it immediately, draining your battery to 0% will reduce battery life, so it is always better to charge an e-bike battery after each use.
Battery life
Most e-bike batteries have 500 to 600 charging cycles, and if you have a good brand battery, it will have around 1200 charging cycles. When the charging cycle is complete, your battery will lose more than 90% of its potential.
If your bike has pedal charging, your battery life will increase to 35000 miles, which is a reasonable distance for an electric bike. If your battery life is complete, buying a new battery will cost you around 600 dollars to 750 dollars for a good brand.
Is replacing the battery a good option?
Yes, you can replace the battery for an electric bike. Whenever your old battery dies, you can replace it with a new one. According to experts, it is better to have a spare battery with you every time you run out of charging and don’t have access to a charging outlet so you can replace it with a spare one. Always buy a good branded spare battery for your bike.
Cost for Charging E-bike Battery
The cost for charging depends on battery size and price per unit of electricity in your local area; for example, if you live in where it is 0.12 dollars per kilowatt, and you have a 10-ampere battery, it will cost 0.02 dollars per mile which very cheap for a mile ride. In some countries the electricity bill is high, so you are lucky if you live in an area where electricity is cheap.
How to protect the battery from harm?
Always keep your battery in a palace where the temperature is under 40-degree Celsius. Mostly, e-bike owners put their battery in a car garage, but the temperature in the garage is warmer, so it is better to keep it under a shed.
Even batteries are waterproof, but still, you should keep your batteries away from water. If you are not cycling your e-bike for a long time, it is recommended to remove the battery from an electric bike and put in indoor and charge it once a month for maintenance.
Always use original manufacturer charger, sometime other company chargers will damage your battery and always buy good brand batteries like Panasonic or Honda; they will give you longer battery life.
Conclusion
I hope this guide related to how to charge electric bike battery helped you with charging concerns, so next time, you should remember all tips mentioned above. Always use original charger, charge indoor, and avoid overcharging.
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