Looking after battery

[Peter Thornton]

Just taken delivery of my Kalkhoff Pro Connect B10 with Bosch 500 battery, test report to follow.

There seem to be some different ideas around about how to look after the battery. The only thing that everyone seems to agree on is that they shouldn't be stored fully charged for long periods of time.

My riding pattern will probably be 2 of 3 trips a week with occasional gaps of a week or so. My inclination is to put it on the charger whenever I'm not riding. Will this cause problems?

If I go for a ride and come back down just one bar, am I best topping it up?

Who knew life would be this complicated!

No offence to anyone but it would be really helpful if any responses add their level of expertise, I can find lots of opinions on the internet but I need some reliable info from "someone who knows"

Thanks in advance ......

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If you make a short journey, there's no need to charge it unless you need it full for the next trip.

You will get a lot more power from the motor when the battery is full than when it's low, so if you need maximum power, keep it topped up.

You shouldn't leave the battery on the charger for too long after you get the green light, but it's nothing to panic about.

Don't store the battery or leave the bike for extended periods when the battery is empty or very low.

 

[Benjahmin]

Hi Peter,
Can't speak for the Bosch battery in particular, but I've been running my Li-ion powered Ezee for 3 years now. My riding pattern sounds similar to yours, but I would add there are no periods where it's left inactive for more than about a week.
The generally recommended approach is, use it, charge it. I f leaving for a longer period, say a month, charge it, ride it for 4 or 5 miles, then it should be OK. If in storage during the winter, bring the battery into a cool room in the house, not a shed or garage.
Ride it - enjoy it

 

[Mac_user82]

Bosch batteries don't like to go down to about one mile so i have been told by a couple of dealers they say to keep them topped up all the time doesn't matter if it only like 5 miles top it back up.

But be careful in the colder months if you leave a battery for over a week the battery can do down a bit due to the cold weather which has happened to me in the past

Always best just to charge the battery a little bit before you ride

 

[Fish2]

Li-ion batteries like to be at 50%. So keep it there when you don't need it. (40-80% is fine)
I only charge to full the night before the ride. Yes, this is kinda inconvenient sometimes, but I would like to have my battery in top shape for many years to come. Especially with the prices Bosch has for a new one.

 

[Nealh]

General consensus is if used often/regularly don't worry charge and use it. For life longevity charge cells to 3.8 - 3.85v if not in use for a few weeks and then charge the night before you need it, also to extend cell life charge to 4.1v and discharge to 3.6v.
Don't charge straight after a ride but leave it to cool down and for the voltage to settle/recover.