Extend the life of your battery

How long does an e-bike battery last? We hear that question a lot. An e-bike battery wears as the number of charges adds up, and lasts 500 to 600 cycles on average. A lithium battery also wears with age. E-bike batteries with lithium-ion technology last 5 to 10 years. After that they are usually worn out and due for replacement or a cell replacement (re-celling).

After a cell replacement your e-bike battery will last for years again. Below are some tips for getting the most out of your re-celled battery. After a cell replacement at KWS Seuren you receive an instruction sheet from us with everything you need to know. We explain the same points here.

Your new battery reaches its maximum range after 4 to 6 recharges, meaning a full charge after you have ridden the battery completely empty. Riding it half empty 8 to 12 times works as well. What counts is 4 to 6 charge cycles. After those cycles the battery has its full range (100%). Before that it can be around 90% to 95%.

Ride the battery completely empty about 4 to 6 times. The display on your bike may give the capacity of the battery incorrectly at first. This corrects itself after 4 to 6 full charge cycles. Ride the battery empty until the assistance cuts out, not just until the display shows an empty battery.

Charge your battery properly and you get the most out of it, and you will not end up stranded along the way. Charge your e-bike battery at room temperature. If you have been riding in freezing temperatures in winter, let the battery come up to room temperature first before you put it on the charger.

Using an e-bike battery in winter is not bad for the battery. The cold can reduce your range, but it has little effect on the life of the battery. What matters most is that you regularly put the battery away somewhere dry, because condensation can form inside it.

Most e-bike batteries are splash-proof. In a heavy downpour water can still get into the battery, because batteries are never completely waterproof. So make sure the battery is not exposed to too much water.

If the battery has got wet, let it dry at room temperature for a few days. Never put it directly on or against a radiator. Condensation can form on the inside as well, and condensation can cause corrosion and damage the inside of the battery.

After a cell replacement we advise you to charge your battery fully. That way you get the most out of the battery on your first ride. It also starts the reset of the electronics straight away.

Battery cells with the latest technology no longer have a memory, so they do not need to be kept on the charger all the time or ridden completely empty. You can safely top up the battery in between, before you set off on another long ride. It does no harm either to ride the battery empty over several trips without charging in between.

Once the battery is full, you can unplug the charger from the battery. This prevents the battery from being overcharged.

Do not simply put your battery away for a long period. Every battery slowly discharges by itself. The risk of a harmful deep discharge is greatest when the battery is put away completely or almost empty. So always store your battery charged. Check once a month that it is not nearly empty and in need of charging.

Make sure the battery and the charger are not covered while charging, so they can get rid of the heat that charging produces. That means not leaving anything lying on top of the battery or the charger.

We advise you not to charge the battery at night. If you do want to, make sure there is nothing flammable nearby.

The capacity of your battery will drop a little over time. Riding sparingly or intensively makes little or no difference to that. A battery that is used a lot will as a rule cover more kilometres than one that is used little. What matters most is using and charging the battery regularly, even in periods when you ride less.

Do you have a specific question, or is something not quite clear yet? Feel free to contact us.