Electric bikes appeared as a savior when it comes to saving time to commuting as well as for the environment. People love it for the enormous opportunity to get a smooth ride without putting pressure on the regular bike pedal. However, ebikes require some regular maintenance with its parts, especially the battery.
If the battery dies, it can be costly to replace, so you must know why it might happen before regretting it. To answer the question, what causes ebike batteries to die, you must go through the reasons we’ve discussed below. Then, you can increase the battery’s lifetime if you know the cause of death.
We are here to present some reasons for which ebike batteries die.
Contents
How Long Do Electric Bike Batteries Last?
If you are worried about the electric bike battery’s lifespan, you need to know its ideal lifespan. Ebike batteries are of three kinds, each being different from another. You can calculate the lifespan of ebike batteries with the calculation of full charges.
The full charge’s number varies according to the type of battery. You can find a preview from the following:
- Lithium battery: Ebikes equipped with li-ion batteries can last up to a thousand charge cycles (0 to 100% charging). This is the reason for the increasing popularity of Lithium-ion batteries ebikes in the global market.
- Nickel batteries: Another popular model of ebikes come with nickel batteries. You can get a total of 500+ full charging cycles from Nickel batteries.
- Lead batteries: In some primitive models, lead batteries are used. If you own them, replace them after it keeps diminishing the charge cycle after 300+ full charges. They last the least among ebike batteries and die faster than the other models.
As you know the average charging cycle for each type of battery packs, it will be easier for you to calculate the exact one for yours. If you get an electric bike under 800 bucks, it’ll most likely have lithium cells inside. This means you can stay calm and don’t worry about your battery dying any time soon.
What Causes Ebike Batteries To Die?
The answer lies in the type of battery and your way of dealing with the battery every day.
1. Capacity degradation
This is the most common reason for batteries to die. If you went through the previous section properly, it is clear that every battery has its best days. After the maximum charging cycle (0 to 100%) is over, the battery capacity will start degrading.
Even if you see that the battery is fully charged, the capacity might not just reflect. And, this is the signal that the battery is dying for a natural cause. You need to replace it in the quickest possible time when it becomes dysfunctional from charging time to backup time.
2. Faulty charging cycle
In this case, you are the one who is responsible for ebike batteries to die. The charging cycle is a major factor for ensuring battery health. Remember what the seller told you to do when you first bought the bike?
The ebike seller and the ebike’s manual always recommend charging the battery for 24 hours at a stretch for the first time. It clears internal clogs and negative sectors. Then, you need to charge it once every while after discharging with the recommended time.
A manual comes with an ebike and the manufacturer recommends keeping the charge within 30% to 90%. Below 30% and above 90%, the battery has to struggle for charging. If the battery keeps being charged after it hits 10% regularly, it will not last for long.
And, one more thing about the electric bicycle battery is their activity. You may remain busy and forget to ride the ebike for one month. It will not stop the battery from burning out its internal energy. Even if you do not get time, instruct another member of the house to charge it frequently for saving the ebike battery. The faulty charging cycle of ebike batteries is another reason for its early failure.
3. Inappropriate storage temperature and environment
Batteries are made of chemical compounds. Like every other chemical compound, it has an ideal temperature and storage process. If you keep batteries attached to the ebike and park the ebike anywhere, try to avoid it. Inappropriate temperature and the environment will degrade battery life.
For all kinds of ebike batteries, an ideal temperature range is 4 to 32 degrees Celsius. Above or less than the range will degrade the battery life. Power plants and snowy areas are strictly unfriendly for ebikes.
If you have a plan to ride an ebike during the cold winter, eliminate the plan. Store the ebike in the cellar throughout the winter for saving it from dying early.
4. Physical damage
A common reason for dying ebike batteries is physical damage. An accident or riding in an extreme bumpy place can affect the batteries inside components. The BMS (battery management system) may break.
Consult a nearby technician or ebike workshop as soon as possible if you see any anomaly in the battery’s charging cycle. Otherwise, it may get blown up easily.
Why Is It Harder to Pedal an E-Bike When the Battery Dies?
Ebike riders are the happy ones who do not have to wait for a towing truck even if the battery dies. All ebikes, whether it has pedal-assist or not, come with pedals. However, pedaling is harder when the ebike’s battery dies. For a 500 watt electric bike user, going 20 miles per hour is easy, unless you have a died battery and have to pedal the hefty motor and tiers, let alone the heavy strong body.
The majority of ebikes with such wattage will have fat tires and other components. If the battery dies, you not only have to pedal your weight, but also the bulky battery and its internal components. It’ll add extra weights to the bike.
When you are carrying your weight and some extra pounds of the dead battery, undoubtedly pedaling will be difficult and you will need to push harder.
Bottom Line
Ebikes are fun, comfortable, and cozy because you’re not doing the hard work, the bike is doing that for you. Therefore, you cannot risk its battery life by putting it in a wet, damp, or warm place. Now that you know what causes ebike batteries to die, you know what you’re going to do about the bike battery and how to take care of it.
Check the battery health regularly and keep it in good shape for the maximum service life it offers. The more you show concern for the ebike, the better and longer service you can expect from that.
