What is an e-bike battery?
An e-bike battery is made up of a series of smaller battery cells that are spot-welded together. The capacity of an e-bike battery is expressed in ampere-hours (Ah).
What is an e-bike battery made of?
A battery consists of a casing with battery cells and electronics inside. Together they store electrical energy. That energy drives the pedal-assist motor of your e-bike.
The battery does not connect to my bike
Sometimes a battery does not connect to the bike. There are a few possible causes. The battery may be faulty and send no signal or voltage to the bike. It may be a software problem, for example when the battery has to be registered by a dealer. Or the fault is in the bike itself, such as a bad connector or a broken wire.
How long does an e-bike battery last?
A new e-bike battery lasts 5 to 8 years on average. How long exactly depends very much on how you use it.
What is the range of an e-bike battery?
The 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.
What is a BMS?
BMS stands for battery management system: a piece of electronics that monitors the state of each individual cell. It looks after the condition of the cells and the battery, and keeps the whole battery pack safe.
Which factors affect the range of an e-bike battery?
- Weather. A battery pack delivers less capacity in the cold, and the 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.
- An e-bike battery loses a few per cent of its capacity every year, so an older battery holds less than a fresh one. Age therefore plays a part.
- The level of assistance: 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.
- Headwind or tailwind, uphill or downhill. A bumpy road or smooth tarmac. Wide, soft tyres or narrow ones pumped up hard. Resistance is a big factor here.
- Total mass comes into it as well: the weight of 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.
- Riding 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.
- 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.