How to Charge An Ebike Battery For The First Time? (Explained)


As long as you are looking at how to charge an electric bike battery for the first time؟  please let me say congratulations !! on owning your first electric bike (or at least changing the battery of your old electric bike :))

Now I will share with you a step-by-step guide for what you should do when charging your battery for the first time, as well as the most

important ebike tricks that you should know to maintain a longer life for your electric bike battery

A Step By Step Guide to Charge Ebike Battery For The First Time.

1-Find the ebike battery Key

If you bought your ebike recently, it will come with a battery key to prevent theft. This key is often inside the accessories box or attached to the hand bar, which is of course very important.

If you just bought a new battery you will find the key in the same box as the battery.

You must first make sure that the battery of your electric bike comes with a key.

Note: usually the key works as a normal key with lock unlock positions, however, some models come with OnOff switches

2- Remove your Ebike Battery

To remove your ebike battery from an ebike you need first to unlock the battery using the key then push the battery from the back to forward then you will be able to remove the battery from your new ebike.

Note: if you bought a new battery this step is not required as the battery will not be attached to your ebike however you can use the opposite steps to attach it to your ebike.

Check out this ebike  battery  I love it & I think everyone should have one from ( HERE )

3- Found Your Ebike Battery Charger.

The Ebike Comes with an electric bike battery charger to charge the battery.

The charger comes with two parts the AC Adapter & the power cord which will be 110volt if you were living in the USA but in any, other countries will be 220 Volt

The charger usually has one or two lights, and when you put the charger in the electricity, this will light green to indicate that it is getting an electric current and is ready to charge the battery. (some models will turn into green only if the battery is fully charged)

4. Plug The Charger into the wall outlet First.

Always remember to plug the charger first into the wall outlet this is because most of the chargers have capacitors that condition the power during charging and what happens if you plug the charger into the battery without plug in the charger in the wall outlet first is the current will flow from the battery back into the charger capacitors and in this case, you will see a spark.

this can harm your battery sockets & charger as well in the long run so better to always plug the charger into the wall outlet first then plug it into the battery.

5. Plug your charger into your ebike battery

Put your ebike battery on a clean surface (avoid any metal surfaces ) and plug the charger into the battery by removing the rubber cap that covering the charging port.

Once you plug in the charger there will be another different indicator showing that the charging is in progress which is usually a red light.

Now Leave the battery charging and let’s discuss what you should know when charging an ebike battery for the first time.

Ebike Tricks For Charging the battery for the First Time.

Check out this ebike  battery  I love it & I think everyone should have one from ( HERE )

1. Should the eBike battery be on or off when charging?

To answer this question let’s have a closer look at the design of the battery cells themselves.

every battery cell has a positive side called Cathode & the Anode which is the negative side.

During Charging and discharging the lithium-Ion moved between the Cathode & Anode

As a general rule ebike battery should be off during charging this will help you to charge it faster because during the charging the lithium-ion is being transferred from the Cathode to the anode inside the cell however, in discharging the Lithium-ion is being transferred from Anode to the cathode so when you keep the battery On during charging both chemical interaction is happening which will increase the charging time.

2. How Long does it take to charge your bike for the first time?

As a general rule, you should charge the electric bike battery for at least 12 hours, and this is because inside the battery is a group of cells, and the rate of equal charge inside the cells is controlled by a system called the BMS or battery management system, and in order for this system to work, it is preferable to leave the battery for a longer period after the battery has finished charging.

On other hand,

when you have a new ebike battery it might have some cells that weren’t fully charged or a little bit off so it will be always a good idea to leave the battery on the charger for 12 hours or more.

What is the average battery charge time in general?

The average charge of the battery, in general, is from 3 to 8 hours, and the number of hours varies according to the capacity of the battery. For example, the 36-volt battery will take a shorter charging period than the 52-volt battery, and also the capacity of the charger itself may increase or decrease the charging time of the battery.

3. How charger Affects the charging time?

As we mentioned earlier, the charging time of the battery depends on the capacity of the battery and the capacity of the charger, and in order to know how long the battery will take to be fully charged, this information can be known through this equation
The battery charge divided by the charger will give you the number of hours.

Example:

If you have a 48V/10A battery and you use a 2A charger, this means that the battery will need 5 hours to reach a full charge.
10/2 = 5 hours
So if you want to increase the charging speed, you can buy a charger with high amperages, such as 3 or 5 amperes.

4. Shall you Always Fully charge your ebike battery?

Fully Charged ebike battery

As a general rule, undercharging the battery increases the battery life, but it also reduces the battery range, because during the charging process some little oxidation occurs inside the cell over time, and this means the longer the charging time to reach full charge, the more oxidation that reduces the battery life over time, but also will get more miles to ride.

I personally charge my bike battery to 90% and then at the end of each month I charge the battery to 100% to ensure that the BMS system works on balancing the voltage inside the battery cells.

Check out this ebike  battery  I love it & I think everyone should have one from ( HERE )

5. Should I charge my ebike after every ride?

The timing and charging habits of the electric bike battery are important because it is formed as a habit for you and if these timings are good, you will definitely get longer battery life.

For this reason, charging the battery when returning from riding a bike is common timing, but it is not appropriate.

This is because while riding a bike, the battery is in a state of discharge, and this is done through chemical reactions, as we mentioned previously.

This is why it is preferable to leave the battery at least half an hour after returning from riding a bike to make sure From the transformation of chemical reactions inside the battery from the state of discharge to the state of charge again.

6. Is any weather is good for charging your ebike battery?

It is preferable to charge the battery in suitable weather that is not too cold or too hot, so it is preferable to charge it at normal room temperature.

In general, the ideal temperature for charging the battery is 20 C. You can also see the manufacturer’s manual for your battery because it will show the maximum and minimum degrees where you should charge your battery.

The temperature of the place where it is charged is important because inside the battery chemical reactions occur and during these reactions, some heat is produced. Therefore, if the battery is charged in an extremely hot atmosphere, it may lead to battery damage.

But if the weather is very cold, these reactions can be expected and the battery cannot carry out the charging process.

5. Is it OK to use appliances during charging?

Personally, I do not prefer the presence of any Appliance during charging to avoid any accidents due to the irregularity of the electric current in the case of using a poor Appliance, but there are some cases in which you will use Appliance, whether you are traveling or need to charge the bike battery with anything else.

But in general, the best way is direct charging in the wall with nothing between.

6. When you should charge your ebike battery?

You should not wait until the battery is completely discharged and then recharge it because this will affect the life of the battery, but I would like to point out here that charging the battery when it is completely empty will not destroy the battery from the first time due to the presence of the BMS system that separates the electricity from the battery in case it is close to completion To keep the battery cells intact.

So if it is damaged to use the entire battery once or twice that’s OK

In general, it is preferable to charge the battery when it reaches 30% to keep the battery cells in good condition.

Useful Resources for ebike battery care & maintenance.

Now that we have mentioned the most important tips and tricks that you should know when charging an electric bike battery for the first time, here are some articles that will be useful to you.

Ebike Battery Health Guide- All You Need To Know this is a complete ebike battery guide for beginners.

How To Carry Spare ebike Battery?  Creative ways to carry a spare ebike battery.

Can I Leave my ebike On Charge Overnight?  Explain in detail is it safe to charge your ebike overnight.

How Do I Check My Ebike Battery?   Five tests you can do at home to check your ebike battery performance.

Why Do Ebike Batteries Fail?   Possible reasons that can cause the ebike battery to fail.

How Do You Discharge An Ebike Battery For Storage? Useful tips to discharge your ebike battery before storing it.

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