Battery Conditioning

[Alan Quay]

Hi all,

I'm just about to take delivery of a 36v/20aH Lithium Ion (NiCoMn) battery from BMS.

What do other people recommend for conditioning these batteries?

I've heard instructions from bike manufacturers that they should be run to low voltage cutout on the bike 3 times?

Alternatively, could I just stick a load on it and run it down 3 times that way? If so, does anyone have a suggested discharge rate?

presumably the internal BMS will protect it from over discharge?

Or does anyone think I'm wasting my time, and that I should just get on and use it normally - which would mean charging at the end of every ride, be it 5 miles or 45 miles?

Incidentally, it arrived from BMS Battery in under a week, with only £18 duty fee!

 

[flecc]

Definitely do not discharge it with a load, over discharge can wreck the cells, something the bike will protect against.

Opinions of both manufacturers and experienced users vary about conditioning. A few batteries with smart meters built in need it to set the zero change level initially, but there aren't many of those. It's the effect on the cells where opinions vary. No harm will be done by initially charging on receipt and running it down quite low on the bike the first time, which will ensure any good that might do will take effect. Thereafter just carry on using it cyclically as you suggest.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

No need to condition it. Charge it up and use it. It's probably about 3/4 charged already. I don't like to run mine right down because if the BMS fails or is faulty, you could have a scrap battery.

 

[Alan Quay]

Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated.

 

[mountainsport]

No need to condition it. Charge it up and use it. It's probably about 3/4 charged already. I don't like to run mine right down because if the BMS fails or is faulty, you could have a scrap battery.

Hello Mr d8veh,

How does one know when the BMS has failed you or faulty? Will you need to open the battery and use a testing meter in order to find out this information?

Mountainsport

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Hello Mr d8veh,

How does one know when the BMS has failed you or faulty? Will you need to open the battery and use a testing meter in order to find out this information?

Mountainsport

If you have a watt-meter or voltmeter, you'd see the voltage going down past 30v. Your controller also has a low voltage cut-off as well, so you have belt and braces. I've known one BMS that didn't cut off, but there could be a lot more. You'd only see it when you discharge off the bike without the controller.

 

[Alan Quay]

It turned up, was pretty much fully charged, so I connected it up and went for a quick test ride. Works a treat!

 

[mountainsport]

If you have a watt-meter or voltmeter, you'd see the voltage going down past 30v. Your controller also has a low voltage cut-off as well, so you have belt and braces. I've known one BMS that didn't cut off, but there could be a lot more. You'd only see it when you discharge off the bike without the controller.

Which i will definitely not try to attempt,it's as if you were saying to bake bread without using flour

Mountainsport

 

[Eaglerider]

I wonder, do the manufacturers do anything special on first charge to improve shelf life and storage time? I guess if a battery has been sitting around a while it can't do it any good.

If buying a replacement battery, is there any way to tell how old it is, one might be purchasing a dud that will barely last the warranty period?

Just curious, I guess my time will come one day when the dreaded replacement becomes due.

 

[rog_london]

That's a point I raised a few months ago, and it still bothers me....

I was looking for a replacement battery for a bike which is now four and a half years old. The genuine article is still available so no problem there, it's just that there's no way of knowing how long it might have been 'in stock'. One dealer offered me a replacement at a decent price but when I enquired about its history I was informed it had been in stock since the middle of last year, but that the warranty (two years) would run from the date of supply.

I decided not to proceed with that one - it's still eight months off its eventual life, warranty or not, and that assumes best case - if it sat on a shelf gathering dust and never saw a charger until just before it was posted off to me, there's no way I would be able to tell immediately and probably not for a year or two.

One thing I like about the Kalkhoff range is that if they're not used or charged for a while they enter a sleep mode which (I understand) disconnects the internal BMS completely so there is very little self-discharge and a long shelf life in consequence.

Rog.