The most important component for us electric bike riders is the battery, and when the battery runs out it is
It is a nightmare, especially if you are on the road.
In the event that the bike battery started to run out quickly and you want to Why Do Ebike Batteries Fail?
I will share with you the most important reasons that can cause the electric bike battery to fail.
Check out this article that explains the 5 best performance tests for an electric bike battery that can be done indoors without having to go to the maintenance shop HERE
Now let’s start with the reasons that can lead to the failure of the electric bike battery.
1. Ebike Battery Charging Methods.
One of the most important factors that affect the lifespan of the battery is the method of charging because most electric bike batteries are lithium batteries (the same as mobile batteries) so it is recommended that the battery charging level not be less than 20%.
Here we should say that what we mean is if you ride your bike and the battery is less than 20 % This is totally OK because the BMS system inside the battery will preserve the battery and disconnect it at the correct time.
Also, even the battery is showing 20% or less it’s still on the safe side as the BMS will preserve a safe amount of voltage to help you keep your ebike battery safe
However, what we point out here is that it is not preferable to ride the bike and the battery is less than 20% continuously because this will help reduce the battery life in the long run.
Butting Battery on charge directly after Ride
As a general rule, it is not preferable to put the electric bike battery on charging immediately after returning from riding the bike because the battery cells will have a high temperature as a result of the chemical reactions that occur inside it during riding.
On the other hand, charging increases the temperature of these reactions, which may eventually result in a reduction in battery lifespan
Note: There are some manufacturers who recommend the opposite, as they prefer to put the battery directly on the charger, so you can check the manufacturer manual and if you do not find any indication of this, do not put the battery on the charger immediately after riding.
Check this article on the best ways to charge your electric bike battery and can you charge it overnight? from HERE
2. Ebike Battey BMS failure.
The BMS is a circuit board that is connected to all the battery cells by wires it aims to monitor the input/output voltage to and from the cells and make sure that they are working well.
if your ebike battery suddenly started disconnecting, you may want to check the BMS system, especially if your battery is new.
How To Check Ebike BMS
The first thing you need to do in checking the BMS is to check the battery voltage with a multimeter if you find the numbers are going up & down this means that the voltage is not stable and you may consider replacing the BMS at the ebike shop.
For an Advance way to check test BMS have a look at the below video
3. Ebike Battery Storing Locations.
The location of storing the bike battery greatly affects the life of the battery, for example, if you store the battery of your electric bike in a place that is cold to the point of freezing, you will not be able to charge it until it increases in temperature.
Lithium batteries rely on some chemical processes and extreme cold reduces or prevents these reactions from occurring, which leads to the failure of the electric bike battery.
On the contrary, if you store the battery in very hot places, this will also lead to battery failure.
The reason for this is that as a result of the chemical reactions that occur within the battery, especially during charging, some heat is produced, and the presence of the battery in high-temperature places will lead to that the battery will shut down in order not to happen Any accidents as a result of chemical reactions.
The best thing to do is to keep your battery within room temperature by this you will keep the lifespan longer.
Ebike Battery Has Reached The Maximum Charging Cycles
First, let discuss what is the charging cycle means: charging cycle is the amount that you deplete the battery and the amount the battery can take to recharge to 100%
every battery has a number of charging cycles by design so if your ebike battery is old enough or you are using it too much this will decrease the lifespan on it over time.
How to tell that your ebike battery reached the maximum charging cycles?
if your battery reached the maximum charging cycles this doesn’t mean it will completely stop working however, you may find a noticeable shortage in the ebike range for example if your ebike battery usually provided 24 Miles per one full charge it may decrease to 10 or 15 miles per one charge.
4. Using Wrong or Bad Ebike Charger
The use of a poor-quality charger that is of low quality can reduce the efficiency of the battery in the long run because it will feed the battery with irregular electricity voltages, which will lead to battery failure.
Check out this great video that explains the differences between the different types of chargers and how to choose the right charger
5. Non-Balancing Between Pedal & Throttle
One of the factors that may cause battery failure is the lack of balance between the use of the pedal and the use of the motor while riding a bike.
When you use the Throttle periodically and continuously, you will depend on the battery more, which will make you charge it a lot, and therefore you will reduce the life span of the battery, which, as mentioned, is measured by the number of charging times.
Tip: Do not start relying on the throttle directly when riding a bike, first use the pedal, and then rely on the motor if you want
6. Riding in Hot or Cold weather
As we mentioned earlier, the electric bike battery should not be stored in very cold or very hot weather.
Similarly, while riding an ebike, the weather should be somewhat good, because in both cases, whether it was very hot or very cold, this will affect the performance of the electric bike in general and also on battery lifespan.
Conclusion
As a general rule, Ebike batteries can fail for the below reasons.
- Incorrect Charging Methods
- Ebike Battery BMS failure
- Storing Ebike battery in unsuitable weather
- Using a low-quality charger
- Rare use of Pedal & keep replaying on motor
- Riding in too cold or too hot weather continuously
Hope this post is helpful for you, if you like it please share it with your friends using the share buttons down below.
Resources: How to Replace a BMS in an e-Bike Battery
