E-bike battery stuck? How to remove the battery

The key only half releases the battery. It then drops into a second catch that stops it from crashing to the ground. The battery only comes free once you press that catch in.

Every manufacturer has a different name for it. Bosch calls it the safety restraint, Giant the fall protection lever, Trek and Pegasus the drop protection. Shimano calls it a double lock plate. It all comes down to the same thing.

This is how it works in practice:

1. Switch the system off at the display, not just the battery.
2. Hold the battery with one hand.
3. Turn the key as far as it will go. The battery comes one to two centimetres out of the frame and then stays there.
4. Press the safety catch in from above. The battery drops into your hand.
5. Pull it out of the frame.

Does the battery stay put after step 3 and refuse to move a millimetre further? Then your lock is not broken. The safety catch is doing exactly what it is meant to do.

Preparation

Make sure the bike is stable: Stand your bike on a level surface where it cannot fall over.

Switch the bike off: Make sure your e-bike is switched off before you start.

Unlocking

Use the key: Put the key that belongs to your e-bike into the keyhole of the battery.

Turn the key: Turn the key to unlock the battery. This releases the mechanism that holds the battery in place.

Removing

Support the battery: Put one hand under the battery to support it.

Release the battery: Use your other hand to carefully release the battery from the bike. Depending on the model of your bike, this is done with a button, a lever or another mechanism.

Take the battery out: Lower the battery carefully, or pull it backwards, and take it out of the frame or the rack.

Never let the battery drop while you do this. A cell that has taken a knock can still cause problems hours later.

Positioning

Position the battery: Take the battery and hold it against the frame, starting with the bottom end (near the motor or the cranks). A rear rack battery slides into the rail.

Check the alignment: Make sure any connectors or guides line up properly with the frame.

Securing

Lift the battery into place: Lift the battery into the frame until it clicks into place. You should feel a clear click as it locks. With a rear rack battery you may hear a click as well.

Check that it is secure: Make sure the battery is firmly in place and not loose. Check this by trying to take the battery out; that should no longer be possible.

Locking

Turn the key: Turn the key to the “locked” position to hold the battery in place.

Remove the key: Take the key out of the lock.

Keep the contact surfaces clean

Dirt or dust between the battery and the holder is one of the reasons a battery will not come out later on. Shimano warns about this explicitly in its own manual. Wiping the contact points with a dry cloth before you put the battery back saves trouble.

The honest answer: it cannot be done. No manufacturer publishes a procedure for getting a locked battery out without the key, and every trick doing the rounds online ends with a damaged cylinder or a key snapped off in the lock. Giant says it bluntly in its own manual: you cannot get a locked battery out without damage.

What you can do:

Have a new key ordered

The lock on your battery comes from a lock manufacturer, not from the bike manufacturer. There is a number on the key, and your bike shop uses that number to order a new one. Note that the number is on the key, not on the lock. If you still have a second key or the code card that came with the purchase, you can usually sort it out. Delivery times vary quite a lot from brand to brand, so ask about them.

Have the cylinder replaced

No key and no code? Then replacing the cylinder is the only way. Your bike shop will do that if you show proof of purchase. The battery stays intact.

Check whether your bike needs a key at all

There are two exceptions that many people do not know about. Some Giants have a Torx T25 screw instead of a lock; you undo it anticlockwise, with no key. And on a Trek the key code is stored in the remote control; it can be read out through the app or by your dealer.

One more thing to know: after a theft, Dutch insurers usually want to see two original keys. A key ordered afterwards is recognisable as a copy, so let your insurer know about it.

We do not sell keys or locks. You arrange those through your bike shop or the manufacturer of your bike. What we look at is what happens inside the battery.

This is the question behind the question, and the answer makes quite a difference.

It points to the lock or the holder if

• the key turns stiffly, or only halfway
• the lock keeps turning without locking
• the battery no longer clicks into place and has some play
• the key has broken off in the cylinder
• the lock sits crooked after an attempted theft
• the battery will not come out while everything works fine electrically

That last point is the clearest. Does your display work and does the bike ride, but the battery will not come out? Then the problem is mechanical, not electrical.

It points to the battery if

• the battery comes out without trouble, but you get far less range than you used to
• it charges inconsistently, or no longer charges fully
• the charge indicator reports a fault

If your battery no longer responds to anything at all, a reset is sometimes enough. Try that first, before you start pulling at the lock.

Van Raam has a good test: if the battery is seated correctly in the holder, both the display and the automatic lights come on. Can't turn the key? Then the battery is not seated properly in the holder. That is mechanical, not a battery fault.

For the lock, go to a bike shop. Expect to pay for parts plus half an hour to an hour of labour. For the battery, come to us: we test it and tell you what it can still do. We have written up roughly what a cell replacement costs separately.

One mix-up we often come across: the “battery locks” sold in webshops for €100 or more are extra anti-theft brackets that fit over the battery. That is something different from the cylinder in your battery holder.

Bosch has several kinds and types of e-bike battery. Its drive systems come with Intube batteries, rear rack batteries and batteries on the frame, so each battery is removed in a different way.

• You remove the Bosch rear rack battery by turning the key half a turn with one hand and carefully pulling the battery backwards with the other. Do not use the battery as a handle while you do this; Bosch says the same.
• The Bosch battery on the frame comes off in much the same way, but you hold the battery by the handle or the casing and move it backwards. The battery then clicks out of the lock and you can take it off.
• The Bosch Intube or PowerTube battery is built into the frame. There is often a cover over the battery, and that has to come off first. Then you turn the key, and after that comes the safety catch: the battery comes out about two centimetres and stays there. Press it out of the catch at the top and it drops into your hand.

The PowerTube comes in two versions that work differently. One tilts downwards out of the frame. The other you pull out lengthways by a pull loop, after folding the locking mechanism aside. So check which one you have before you start pulling.

Then there is the CompactTube, which is permanently built in. Only the dealer may take that one out.

If two LEDs on the charge indicator are flashing, the system has detected a battery fault. Stop pulling at the lock, because the problem is in the cells. We see this a lot in batteries that have spent a winter empty in the shed. New cells in the existing casing are then usually a good deal cheaper than a new battery. Our Bosch page shows what we do for those batteries.

The battery of a Stella e-bike sometimes gets stuck. The cause is wear, the weather, a change in temperature or a battery that was not fitted properly. Below is a full guide to getting a stuck Stella battery out safely.

Causes

• Wear and damage: Regular use and exposure to the weather wear or damage the battery or the lock mechanism, and that makes the battery harder to remove.
• Temperature differences: Extreme temperatures make the materials of the battery or the casing expand or shrink, so that the battery gets stuck.
• Incorrect fitting: If the battery was not fitted correctly, it can jam or sit in the wrong position in the rail, and then it is hard to get out.

Removing a Stella battery that is stuck

If the battery of a Stella e-bike is stuck, there are several steps you can take to remove it safely:

1. First make sure the bike is switched off. Then use the key to check that the battery is fully unlocked. A key sometimes turns part of the way without fully releasing the lock.
2. Look for visible signs of wear or damage on the battery or the lock mechanism. Damage can cause the battery to stick.
3. If the bike has been exposed to very high or very low temperatures, wait until it has reached a more moderate temperature. Temperature differences make materials expand or shrink.
4. Carefully try using a little more force to remove the battery. Do this with care, to avoid damage. Gently pull or wiggle the battery while you hold the key in the unlocked position.
5. If the lock feels stiff, a little lubricant helps. Apply the lubricant to the keyhole and try the key again.

To stop the battery getting stuck again, always fit it correctly and keep the lock well maintained.

Replacing the Stella battery rail

Sometimes the problem is not the battery but the rail underneath it. On a Stella the rail sits under the rear rack, and the lock is in it too.

One thing is worth knowing before you order a replacement battery: the newer 36V batteries come in two versions that look identical from the outside but have a different BMS. They are not interchangeable. You can tell them apart by the way the rear light is controlled. Order the wrong one and it will fit, but it will not work.

If the rail has to come out, that is a job for the bike shop. The lock is held in place by a small catch of hard plastic that you have to press in, and it snaps off easily. We do the battery; leave the rail and the lock to them.

Electronic lock via the display

1. Use the [➤] button to move the frame to “BAT”.
2. Hold the [✔] button down for 2 seconds until the message “NEEM BATTERIJ UIT” (remove battery) appears.

If the display does not come on, plug the charger into the battery to activate the display of your RIH.

Removing a RIH battery without the display

If the battery and the display of a Rih Omega 2 are not working, you can unlock the battery as follows:

1. Location: Stand behind the seat post of the bike. You will find a small screw in the middle of the plastic cap.
2. Removing the first screw: Use an Allen key to undo this small screw and take it out.
3. Reaching the second screw: Take an Allen key one size larger and put it through the hole left by the screw you have just removed. After a while you will feel the key grip a second screw.
4. Undoing and unlocking: Carefully undo this second screw while wiggling the battery at the same time. After about two turns the battery should come loose.
5. Do not forget to put the screw back in.

A Rih Omega 2 on which both the battery and the display stay dead is usually deeply discharged. We regularly bring those back to life here.

1. Turn the key half a turn to unlock the battery.
2. Pull the battery out of the frame or the rear rack.
3. After charging, you can simply put the battery back.

Can't get the Gazelle battery out?

Check the cylinder lock and the keyhole. You can oil the battery lock lightly to clear minor blockages. If the lock itself is faulty, the locking pin has to be freed by hand. Leave that to your bike shop.

Do not leave that too long. If water gets into the keyhole and it starts to rust, it only gets harder. If the key turns only a little way, it may not be in far enough: putting some oil in and sliding the key in and out a few times often does the trick.

Newer Gazelles such as the Grenoble C8 have a Bosch battery in the down tube. In that case the safety catch described above applies.

Can you see a gap between the two halves of the casing?

Then stop. Gazelle itself warns about this, and rightly so: a battery whose casing has come open is swollen. Do not force it and do not charge it. Put it outside on a non-flammable surface and call your bike shop or us.

On an Amslod the battery sits in a battery rail on the rear rack. This is how you take it out:

1. Take the bike key. On the left-hand side under the battery there is a small lock that the bike key fits.
2. Turn the key to the left.
3. Take hold of the handle. At the back of the battery there is a handle you can pull on.
4. Pull the battery out of the rail. Four fingers under the battery, your thumb on the rear rack, and pull it out of the battery rail.

Mind the rubber cap. Make sure the rubber cap of the charging port is pushed firmly into the battery before you start. If it is loose, there is a good chance you will pull it off as you take the battery out.

Amslod has its own instruction video for this. If you are unsure about your version, have a look there.

With Cube, most people trip up over the cover, not the battery. Cube uses two different systems, and the Kathmandu is the exception.

Cover with push button

Applies to all Cube Hybrid models except the Kathmandu Hybrid and the Nuride Hybrid EE 750. Press the button and pull the cover off forwards only. Because of the two hooked lugs it will not go any other way. When you put it back, fit the hooked lugs into the down tube first, then press against the frame with the palm of your hand until the button audibly clicks into place.

Cover with sliding lock

Only on the Kathmandu Hybrid and the Nuride Hybrid Easy Entry with 750 Wh. Slide the latch downwards, lift the cover off the frame and pull it away upwards.

After that it is the usual Bosch procedure: turn the key, press the safety catch in, take the battery out.

Cube battery stuck solid?

On a 750 Wh version the holder in the frame is often set too high. Then it is not only the battery that jams but usually the cover as well. Adjusting it is work for the bike shop, and within the warranty period it is a matter for your dealer anyway.

On a Vogue it is simple. The battery lock is on the left-hand side of the battery. Switch the bike off, put the key in the lock, turn it and take the battery out of the holder. The charge status button is on the other side, on the right: press it and the lights tell you how much charge is left.

Before you ride, lock the battery again and take the key out. Riding with the key in the lock is asking for a broken key.

Has your Vogue battery stopped responding to anything? Then there is usually nothing wrong with the lock, and resetting your battery is the first step. If it stays dead after that, it has probably been discharged too deeply. Send it in and we will test it.

On the older E-go and E-motion with a rear rack battery:

1. Put the key in the lock of the battery pack and turn it 180 degrees.
2. Close the cover of the charging socket.
3. Unclip the lever at the back.
4. Carefully pull the battery pack out of the rear rack, using two hands.

Putting it back is the reverse: slide it in, watching the contact points of the docking station, push the lever down until it clicks into place and lock it with the key.

Newer Batavus bikes run on Bosch or Yamaha. For a Bosch battery the Bosch section above applies; for a Yamaha battery, follow the manual for your model.

Victoria almost always uses Bosch. With the PowerTube: switch the battery and the bike off, open the lock, the battery drops into the safety catch, press the catch in from above and take the battery out of the frame. With the PowerPack on the frame: switch off, open the lock, tilt the battery out of the upper holder and pull it out.

If you have an older model with a frame battery, there is one thing to watch: do not tilt the battery more than about seven degrees away from the frame as you take it out. Tilt it further and it jams.

And never ride with the key in the lock. It breaks off, and then it becomes a very different story.

On every Riese & Müller model the battery can be removed, with two exceptions: the Culture and the Culture Mixte have a permanently built-in battery. If you are looking for a release on those, you are looking for something that is not there.

With the DualBattery system you unlock both integrated batteries with the same key. They rise a few centimetres out of the frame so that you can get hold of them. The two batteries are not drained at the same time, by the way, but in turns; the system switches when the difference is about five per cent.

The most important warning comes from Riese & Müller itself, and it really applies to any bike with a battery that is mounted horizontally or hangs from the frame: hold the battery before you turn the key. Otherwise it comes loose with nothing to stop it.

When you put it back, push until you hear a click, take the key out and give the battery a tug to check.

Giant does not run on Bosch but on a Yamaha base. That is worth knowing, because there is no such thing as a Bosch battery for your Giant.

There are three different locking systems on what looks like the same battery from the outside:

• With a lock. Open the cover on the underside of the down tube, put the key in, and the battery comes out a little way. Then press the fall protection lever in.
• With Torx. Same cover, but there is a Torx T25 screw instead of a lock. Turn it anticlockwise; no bike key needed. The screw turns endlessly and never comes out: carrying on turning does not help, and it is not a fault.
• With an internal lock. Undo the clip, take the cover off, then turn the lever on top of the down tube a quarter turn and push it all the way towards the stem. Stopping halfway means the battery stays stuck.

On the rear rack version: unlock, take hold of the grip and slide the battery out backwards. On the side-release version, pull the top of the battery sideways and lift it out of the frame.

One exception: according to Giant, the InTube version may only be removed by an authorised mechanic.

Today's Kogas all run on Bosch. Follow the Bosch steps above for those.

If you have an older Koga with the ION system, there is something important to know: ION batteries are not interchangeable between bikes. Fit a battery from another Koga and you get no pedal assistance and an error message. The battery is paired with that one bike in the software.

With ION, the battery key is the same as the key for the bike lock. To take the battery out: key in the lock, close the cover of the charging socket, and lift it out with two hands.

With the ION system on the rear rack: put the key in the lock (the same key as for your bike lock), close the cover of the charging socket and take the battery pack out using the lever on the underside. Use two hands.

With the frame battery, turn the key, pull the handle and lift the top of the battery out of the frame. Slide it up slightly towards the head tube as you do so. If you carry the bike on a car bike rack without the battery, close off the opening in the down tube with the cover cap.

As with Koga, the ION pack is paired with the bike. On another bike you get an error message.

Kalkhoff has used three systems over the years: its own Impulse system, Shimano STEPS and nowadays Bosch.

On the Bosch models, follow the Bosch steps.

With Shimano STEPS, first open the cover over the keyhole, put the key in the cylinder, hold the battery and turn the key clockwise while pushing it in. The double lock plate holds the battery back as you do this; press the plate in and the battery comes free. Some models work with an Allen key: a quarter turn clockwise, no further, and do not force it.

Shimano also has the most useful advice for a battery that will not cooperate: pull the battery out by hand while you turn the key. And note the cause Shimano itself mentions: if there is dirt or dust on the contact surfaces, the battery cannot come out.

On the older Impulse models it differs by model year. Check the manual for your own model. Impulse batteries are all a good deal older by now, and they are hardly available new any more. Those are exactly the batteries we re-cell here: new cells in the existing casing, with a 2-year warranty.

Trek uses its own dock system with a Bosch battery inside. On some models it unlocks with a key, on others with an Allen key. Drop protection is built in so that the battery does not land on your toes.

There is one Trek-specific cause of a stuck battery that you will not come across anywhere else: the dock contains a set screw that can be used to block the battery deliberately. If that screw is tightened, you will not get the battery out with the key, however hard you turn. Worse still, you will damage the lock or the key. The screw has to be loosened far enough before the lock can open.

The second cause is the alignment of the dock. If you see a gap of a few millimetres between the dock and the frame, the dock is out of line.

Lost your key? On a Trek the key code is stored in the remote control and on a card that came with the bike. Your dealer can read it out. And useful to know: even without a key you can still charge the battery through the charging port on the down tube.

For batteries on the rear rack: move the luggage straps aside, put the key in the battery lock and turn it half a turn, lift the handle up and take the battery out with both hands.

For batteries that sit in a holder on the frame: switch the display off, disconnect the cable of the external charging point if there is one, unlock with the key, press on the lock, push the battery back a little and pull it out with your other hand at the same time.

Put it back straight, never at an angle, with a little force so that the connector seats properly. Then give the key half a turn.

The best check comes from Van Raam itself: give the handle a tug and switch the display on. If the battery is seated properly, both the display and the automatic lights come on. And if you cannot turn the key, the battery is not seated properly in the holder. So that is not a battery problem.

There is no standard for fatbikes. Roughly, you see three variants: the battery in the sloping frame tube with a cylinder lock that doubles as the ignition, the battery on or under the rear rack, and the battery in the frame behind a cover.

The general sequence is always the same: switch off both the bike and the battery completely, put the key in the battery lock on the frame or the rack, turn it, support the battery with one hand and slide it out without hurrying. Do not pull at an angle and do not force it.

On some folding models the battery sits in the frame tube by the hinge. There, the first turn of the key locks the battery box and the second switches the bike on. Turn too far and you think something is broken, when all you have done is switch the bike on.

There comes a point where carrying on costs more than stopping. Stop if:

• the key bends or you feel it is about to break
• the casing has cracks, bulges or shows a gap
• the battery is warm or smells without having been charged
• the charge indicator reports a fault
• you would have to put a tool between the battery and the frame

A swollen or damaged battery does not belong indoors. Put it outside on a non-flammable surface and call us before you go any further.

We know more than 825 battery models from over 510 brands, and we test how much capacity is left. If a cell replacement makes sense, your battery gets new cells, a test report and a 2-year warranty. In the Netherlands, shipping and collection are free. Outside the Netherlands, contact us first. You can follow the progress in the status tracker. The current lead time is on its own page.

If it turns out the battery cannot be saved, we will say so. Some batteries are potted or locked in software and cannot be re-celled at all: read which ones.

For the lock, the key or the holder, go to your bike shop. That is not our trade.