How should I store spare battery?

[Pageant]

Hiya all,

Its been a while since I posted last - I did have a problem with the Li-ion battery supplied with my kit - but now it has been resolved - The kit supplier has now sent me 10ahr Li-ion 24v battery and its GREAT!

Problem is, when I was without a good battery I bought a Windsor 24v NiMh battery to use while my dud Li-ion was being sent back and forth. I now want to keep the Windsor as a spare as the new Li-ion works better...

...... But how should I keep the spare Windsor NiMH for best shelf life ... Fully charged or Fully discharged ???


Regards to you all,
Richard.

 

[flecc]

You'll need to cycle it in use occasionally Richard. Left fully discharged will destroy it.

Basically, charge it fully and put to one side, The natural discharge of NiMh is about 1% per day, so at the end of two months it will have lost over half it's charge. Then recharge it to full again and repeat for as long as you keep it.

The two months is the maximum for safety, NiMh can die completely and refuse a charge if left unused too long, and it won't hurt to recharge a bit more frequently, six weeks for example when it will be nearly half discharged.

If it's too inconvenient to remember when to recharge, just using it one day a month on the bike and then recharging it is an easy way round that and just as good, though you might have to charge it first to use it in that way, since it will have lost 30% in the month.
.

 

[allotmenteer]

Hiya all,

Its been a while since I posted last - I did have a problem with the Li-ion battery supplied with my kit - but now it has been resolved - The kit supplier has now sent me 10ahr Li-ion 24v battery and its GREAT!

Problem is, when I was without a good battery I bought a Windsor 24v NiMh battery to use while my dud Li-ion was being sent back and forth. I now want to keep the Windsor as a spare as the new Li-ion works better...

...... But how should I keep the spare Windsor NiMH for best shelf life ... Fully charged or Fully discharged ???


Regards to you all,
Richard.

Hello Richard

I'd be interested to know exactly how the new li-ion performs compared to the Nimh. What sort of speed and range does it give? What is the weight and dimensions of the new pack?

Glad to see that Electricbikesales have provided a replacement for you. Did they ever give any indication of what was wrong with the old one?

Paul

 

[Jeanette Morgan]

If a NimH battery loses 1% per day of its charge if just left idle on the shelf, so it's a good idea to ride the bike and discharge it to recharge it every month, or six weeks - how fast does the Lithium battery lose its charge per day (ezee batteries) ?

Thanks
Jeanette

 

[flecc]

Hello Jeanette

Lithium batteries hardly lose any charge over time, so that is not a problem. However, the do age with time whether used or not, and in addition must still be charged periodically to keep the cells active, two monthly being suitable.

Obviously, as there's hardly any charge loss, the bike has to be ridden a bit to be able to do a charge, but it's not necessary to discharge it fully, indeed that's inadvisable, best just to use a part of the charge to do a recharge. The function is just to "stir" the battery chemistry to keep it alive and active.
.