What is an e-bike battery cell replacement?
A cell replacement (re-celling) means we fit a new battery pack in your existing battery. The casing and the electronics stay exactly as they are. The new pack is built from new lithium-ion cells and is made to measure for each customer.
What is an e-bike battery repair?
A burnt or worn connector, or a damaged casing? With a repair you do not need a new battery.
A small fault is often all it takes to make an e-bike battery useless. We can fix that. A repair is not the same as a cell replacement. With a cell replacement we replace the whole battery pack. With a repair we replace only the faulty part, such as a connector or the BMS (battery management system). That costs less than a new battery or a cell replacement, and you are soon back on your e-bike.
What is a refurbished e-bike battery?
Refurbished means re-celled. A refurbished e-bike battery has already been re-celled and is in stock, ready to ship. You do not have to send in your own battery, and it is still the more sustainable choice. A refurbished battery is as good as a new one, because the worn parts have been replaced with new ones. It comes with a 2-year warranty.
My battery is 10 Ah. Why can I also choose 20 Ah?
The number of Ah tells you how much energy your battery holds: its capacity. With a higher capacity you ride further on one charge. An example: you have a worn 10 Ah battery. When it was new, you could ride 40 km before it was completely empty. If you have it re-celled and choose 20 Ah, you can ride 80 km on the same battery.
Will my motor wear out sooner if I increase the capacity?
No, the motor is not put under a heavier load.
Explanation
- The motor runs on 36 V.
- The electric motor draws current.
- The cell replacement increases the number of Ah.
- The motor can draw current for longer, but it cannot draw more current.
Original: 10 Ah 24 V = 2 hours of riding = 50 km
After the cell replacement: 20 Ah 24 V = 4 hours of riding = 100 km
Conclusion: the ‘tank’ is bigger.
Can my e-bike battery be re-celled?
Almost always. A few e-bike batteries cannot be re-celled, either because the pack is cast in resin or because a cell replacement causes problems with the electronics. If the electronics of a battery are faulty, we can often repair or re-cell those too. Look up your battery in our webshop or contact us to find out what is possible.
Registering your e-bike battery again after a cell replacement
A Gazelle Innergy battery sometimes has to be registered again, for example because the electronics have been replaced. A Gazelle dealer can do this for you.
How long does an e-bike battery last?
A new e-bike battery lasts 5 to 8 years on average. Once we have re-celled it, it can last another 5 to 8 years.
Will my bike go faster after a cell replacement?
No. After a cell replacement you cannot ride faster, but you can ride further.
My battery has been re-celled and the indicator says it is empty
The re-celled battery may have more capacity than before, so it is still far from empty when the indicator shows one dot or none. The display on the bike does not always show the capacity correctly either. This corrects itself after 4 to 6 full charge cycles, where you ride until the assistance cuts out. Your battery reaches its maximum range after 4 to 6 charge cycles (charging and riding). On the first few rides it may therefore show ‘empty’ sooner than you expect.
Does the bike give more assistance after a cell replacement?
No. The assistance works the same as it did before.
Can an e-bike battery cell replacement damage my bike?
No. Re-celling the battery pack means all the worn parts in the battery are replaced. After the cell replacement the battery is fully inspected and tested under demanding conditions. We never raise the voltage, so the motor is not put under any extra load.
What does an e-bike battery cell replacement cost?
Find your e-bike battery in our webshop to see what a cell replacement costs. The page for your battery sets out the options and the prices. Can't find it? Get in touch with us.
Increasing the capacity of your battery
A cell replacement lets you increase the capacity of your battery. It can even end up higher than the original manufacturer supplies, because newer technology is used in today's lithium-ion cells.
What can you expect after your e-bike battery cell replacement?
Your range depends mostly on the capacity you choose. A higher capacity takes you further than a lower one. Capacity is given in ampere-hours (Ah) or watt-hours (Wh). You will usually find it printed on the battery. Think of a higher capacity as a bigger fuel tank. We usually advise choosing a higher capacity, because several factors can mean you no longer reach the original distance. If you choose a capacity 20% above the original, you can expect to ride roughly 20% further than before. Bear in mind that the range of a battery still varies. These are the factors behind that.
The weather. A battery pack delivers less capacity in the cold, and range drops below 5 to 10°C. This does not affect the life of your battery. Just make sure the battery is back at room temperature, say above 15°C, before you charge it. Age. An e-bike battery loses a few per cent of its capacity every year, so an older battery holds less than a fresh one. The assistance level. Low assistance uses less energy than high assistance. How hard you push on the pedals yourself counts too. The rider. As people get older, they ask more of the assistance. Getting used to an e-bike can also lead you to set the assistance higher, which reduces the range. Resistance is a big factor as well. Headwind or tailwind, uphill or downhill. A bumpy road or smooth tarmac. Wide, soft tyres or narrow ones pumped up hard. Then there is the total weight: the bike, the rider and the luggage.
Setting off in a high gear also cuts the range sharply, because the battery has to give the motor more power to get you moving. So set off in a low gear and change up once you are rolling. Stopping and starting all the time. Every time the bike has to accelerate again, the motor needs more power to get back up to speed. Speed. A bike that has to assist all the way up to 25 km/h uses more than one touring gently at around 15 km/h. How often you ride. A battery that is used several times a week generally lasts longer. That can be anything from short trips to longer tours. Regular use is best. Daily distance matters too. Say you ride 5 km a day, or 20 km a day in total. At 5 km a day you will get less range from one charge than at 20 km a day.