Top up or run down?

[danfoto]

I'm certain the answer's on here and probably in several places too, but I've just spent well over an hour searching and my brain hurts now. I've learned all manner of really useful stuff but I still don't know the answer to one question, so here we go ...

Where the Panasonic battery on my Kalkhoff Agattu is concerned, am I better off topping up every few days with the indicator on the battery itself showing 60% or 40% remaining, or running it right down and then recharging?

 

[jerrysimon]

If you are using it then its always better to recharge before the battery is run down. In most cases you will find that specs for batteries show longer life/higher charge cycles, when a battery is discharged less before it is recharged i.e. at 80%, 60% discharge etc.

IMHO recharging at 60% or 40% of discharge will make your battery last longer.

Regards

Jerry

 

[JuicyBike]

Hi Dan
A simple rule of thumb: keep your battery charged at between 50 to 95% charged.

100% charged is stressful on the battery and so charge the night before your trip.
Less than 50% charge and you begin to risk forgetting to re-charge and allowing your battery to discharge completely, either on the next trip or through lack of use.
At this time of year it is prudent to only charge indoors, letting your battery reach room temperature before you begin to charge. Never charge in freezing conditions.
Hope that helps, others will refine...

 

[10mph]

I have an Agattu with the 18Ah German made battery which can give a range of around 80 miles ridden at 10 to 12 mph using the lowest assistance setting. Like you, I don't normally need anything like that range and so I don't need to keep the battery fully charged. Also I don't use the bike that much and on average only have to charge about twice a month. Most days the bike is in storage so the life of my battery is going to be set by the slow chemical degradation over a several years, rather than by the number of charging cycles which would be a consideration for a user with a significant daily mileage.

The battery may last rather longer if it is stored in a partially charged state, and if deep discharges (below 10%) are avoided. I therefore usually charge to the 80% point and put on charge again after dropping to between 20 and 40%. If I know I am going out in the next day or so and planning to use a higher assist level for hills, or to get an easy ride, then I may well charge to 100% rather than 80% because the battery is only going to sit for a short time at the high voltage.

I have only had the battery for 10 months and have done 22 charge cycles so far. Time will tell if I get more than the guaranteed 2 years life, but it is looking very good so far.

 

[flecc]

Top up is definitely better than running right down and it's what your manufacturer recommends.

Obviously not too often though, if you've just gone a mile or two down the road a charge wouldn't make sense then. So if you do lots of very short trips, best to wait until a couple of the five LEDs on the battery have gone out before recharging.

 

[Kudoscycles]

LifePo4...we are advised by all our battery manufacturers to keep between 80%-20%. It is difficlt to determine 80% so we recommend fully charging, then use the bike for 20 mins to take the top off,the LifePo4's have a very low self discharge rate(2-3% per month) so can be left for months without degredation-this makes this battery type ideal for those who cannot charge the bike regularly(we have owners who have villas abroad with summer use only,for example)....all Lithium batteries do not like to be left for some period fully discharged so probably best to keep above 70% to make total discharge unlikely.
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[danfoto]

That's really helpful, guys. Thank you very much indeed.

Dan

 

[Biged]

I just charge my Agattu to five lights (all lights out is fully charged) everything seems OK after its first year, no drop in distance or performance