Removable or Hidden E bike Battery? All You Should Know
Before you buy your next electric bike. there are certain factors you want to consider. Among other factors, e-bike battery is an essential component as it usually determine your bike performance level. However, batteries are in different types and sizes, they can either be removable or integrated, each with its pros and cons. Although many people reduce integrated and removable batteries differences to looks, they have more features. These characteristics can determine if it meets an intending rider’s needs or not.
What are Integrated Batteries?
Integrated batteries are rather fixed to the bike’s frame. Another name for integrated batteries is hidden batteries. The main advantage of integrated batteries is enhanced durability. Since it is mounted within the bike frame, it is not exposed to harsh weather conditions like storms. The battery is also hidden from wetness, which could cause corrosion.
Overview of Removable Batteries
Removable batteries are more commonly seen in modern electric bikes. They can either be a removable front frame or detachable rear rack batteries. The main difference is in the location. As the names imply, the former is located at the front frame, and the latter is at the rear rack region. We place the battery of Honbike HF01 at the middle centre of the bike’s frame.
Benefits of E-bike with Detachable Batteries
Removable batteries are popular nowadays because of their added benefits. Due to the tight schedule in people’s daily activities, they want to move their electric bicycles around quickly. Other benefits of removable batteries are further highlighted below.
Undoubtedly, removable batteries are easy to charge, as users can either choose to charge on or off the ebike. It is the perfect choice for a vacation, picnic, or trip. You can easily take your battery to a charging center without worrying about the extra load of moving your electric bike around. It also helps riders to charge their batteries in their work environment. You simply need to unlock the frame and detach the battery. The battery of Honbike HF01 can be fully charged for about 3.5-4 hours, which is short enough not to cause a delay in your journey.
Contrary to integrated batteries, you can easily replace a removable battery. You do not need any technical knowledge before replacing a battery. As for HF01 users, you can also take an extra battery to double your range As it only weighs 1.26kg. However, you must follow certain safety precautions while removing your e-bike‘s battery.
- Insert the key gently into the battery lock.
- Use your other hand to support the battery to prevent it from crashing on the floor.
- Removing the Honbike battery will require you to do it clockwise.
- Once the battery has been successfully detached, pull out the key.
- Fold the stand, and release it back into the compartment.
Cons of Removable Batteries
Removable batteries have a few disadvantages, which are further listed below.
- They are prone to theft compared to integrated batteries.
- Removable batteries are apparent and enormous. However, the innovations ongoing in the ebike industry have yielded light-weighted removable batteries. For instance, the HF01 battery weighs 1.26 kg, a reasonable weight with much flexibility.
Advantages of E-bike with Integrated Batteries
Although removable batteries are popular and more adopted, hidden batteries serve their benefits.
- Most integrated batteries are lightweight.
- E-bikes with integrated batteries are designed to give a streamlined appearance. However, this is not a setback for removable batteries, as manufacturers’ expert level mainly determines an e-bike design.
- Integrated electric bikes are the best option for garage storage since you will have access to a charging point.
- Minimal theft risk since it is not easily removable.
- The batteries require low maintenance because they are not exposed to dirt or dust.
Features to Consider When Buying Ebike Batteries
The critical differences between integrated and removable batteries should help make good buying decisions, but there are other features to consider.
You need to ensure your electric bike has a battery lock that minimizes theft. This helps riders to park their e-bikes at ease without worrying about the bike being stolen. However, this applies if you ride an electric bicycle with a removable battery.
Every removable battery exists in different sizes. Understanding your commuting range will help in choosing the suitable size for you. This will help determine the extra weight you can carry while shopping or riding off-road. Also, the battery is an essential component of an e-bike and can influence its weight. Thus, there is a specific weight for different riders’ body sizes.
The range is also critical in choosing the best battery power rate. For instance, a 300Wh implies that the battery will run down after one hour. Confirm if your battery will survive the range you are riding or not. Meanwhile, the Honbike Uni4 can cover up to 52 miles on a single charge, meeting the daily needs of urban cyclists.
How to Extend your E-bike Battery Life
Battery’s durability varies with quality and brand type. However, a rider’s maintenance proficiency determines how long a battery lasts. If you want your battery to be in good shape for a long time, here are the maintenance processes to implement.
- Avoid using your battery on red: A rider needs to learn to charge a battery before it runs down. When a battery keeps running down, it gets weaker over time.
- Avoid overcharging your battery: Even if you are riding a long distance, overcharging the e-bike batteries is not the best solution. Instead, take the extra fully charged battery while on the journey. Also, you should know your battery’s charging time. If you use the Honbike Uni4, the charging time is between 4-4.5 hours. Whenever your battery is fully charged before this duration, please do not leave it plugged into the socket.
- Do not use a warm battery: Allowing your battery to cool off before usage boosts its longevity. It would help to let it cool off after charging before putting it in the e-bike.
- Proper storage condition: Storing your e-bike battery in an extremely hot or cold temperature could reduce its lifespan. It would help if you did not also expose your battery to harsh weather, such as heavy rainfall. The manufacturer’s manual guide usually states the appropriate storage condition for every battery.
Conclusion
Not every rider can easily identify whether an electric bike has a removable or integrated battery. The positions of the batteries are the easiest way to determine if it is removable or not. Meanwhile, it is not difficult to detach a removable battery from an electric bicycle. The integrated batteries are usually placed in the front region of the frame. In the real sense, integrated batteries can be removed, but you will need some technical tools or equipment. With the differences highlighted in this article, you can decide if you want to stress through removing an integrated battery or not.
Here’s why you can’t trust electric bike companies when it comes to battery range
It’s a tale as old as time. Man sees electric bike advertisement touting 50-mile range. Man buys e-bike. Man’s first ride gets 25 miles before the battery’s charge dwindles. Man is justifiably disappointed.
So what gives? Why does it seem like you can never trust the range numbers that the electric bike makers tell us?
The short answer is that it seems that way because that’s the way it is. You simply can’t trust the range figure printed on an electric bicycle’s marketing material. At least not most of the time.
There are several good reasons for this, so let’s break them down.
No standard for range testing for e-bikes
First of all, e-bikes aren’t like cars. There aren’t any standards for battery range testing on e-bikes. It’s not like the “EPA-rated 32 mpg” or “NEDC-tested 250 miles of range” you’ll see in car ads.
Range ratings for e-bikes aren’t determined by outside agencies. They are determined by the bike makers themselves. In the best case, the printed distance figures come from real-world range testing. Some companies like Aventon and Lectric eBikes have stepped up with real-world range data on their sites for each level of pedal assist or throttle riding. That’s the best case. But in the worst case, some companies just give us numbers that they pull out of a hat or theorize that their bike can probably achieve.
Which companies are which? Without hard data displayed on the company’s site, it’s hard to know. That’s the problem. Unless a company puts real-world testing data out there, we’re left to guess.
Range varies WIDELY based on a number of factors
This is actually the single largest reason that you almost never actually achieve the range quoted by the e-bike manufacturer. There is a huge variance in the real-world battery range of an e-bike on a single charge. There are literally dozens of factors that have significant impacts on range.
Even if an e-bike company wanted to give one number as the ultimate, end all and be all, certified range of their e-bike – a number that they are confident you can achieve – they simply wouldn’t be able to do it. It just depends on too many factors.
It’s amazing how many factors can have a measurable impact on e-bike range.
Are your tires low on air or pumped to the max? Are you riding uphill or downhill? Tailwind or headwind? Brake rub? Crouched or sitting up tall? Is the road wet? Did you eat a big lunch? Have you eaten big lunches for the last 30 years? What gear are you in? What power level are you in? Knobby or smooth tires? Are you wearing a backpack or carrying cargo on a rack or basket? Any passengers with you? Are you riding on asphalt? Concrete? Dirt? Gravel? Sand? The list goes on and on.
Depending on the answers to those questions, the exact same electric bike could travel 15 miles or 60 miles on a single battery charge. Yeah, it’s wild.
Many people expect e-bike ranges to be more repeatable, similar to car mileage. But then again, consider that unlike cars, which often outweigh their drivers by 20 to 1, you probably outweigh your bike by 3 or 4 to 1. So changes in you or your environment have a much bigger impact on range than they do for other larger vehicles likes cars and trucks.
All of these factors make it harder for e-bike companies to offer a realistic range, and so they usually test for the best-case scenario. That means a lightweight rider (often listed at 150 lb., even though the average American adult female and male each weigh 170 and 200 lb., respectively) riding on a pancake flat and smooth surface with ultra-high air pressure in the tires and with the bike set into its lowest power mode. It’s not “cheating,” assuming they provide the real test data. It’s just putting their best pedaling foot forward. But in the real world, most of us won’t be riding in the same ideal conditions. So the “maximum” range that most e-bike companies quote simply aren’t realistic for most of us.
Throttle versus pedal assist range
This is another major factor affecting range. Any Europeans reading this, you poor things can ignore this section since your governments don’t believe you can be trusted with throttles. For the Americans, Canadians, Australians, and civil-disobeying Europeans still here with me, listen up.
The general rule of thumb is that throttle riding will nearly halve your range compared to pedal assist. That’s why most e-bike companies will list their maximum range based on pedal assist. When you see an e-bike listed as having a “50-mile range,” that’s almost certainly the pedal assist range. The throttle range is probably closer to 25-30 miles, depending on conditions. A true 50-mile throttle-only range would usually require having a battery of at least 1,300 Wh, or around twice the size of an average e-bike battery.
Some companies like Rad Power Bikes are pretty good about listing a range of ranges (get it?) instead of a single number. For example, they tell us that the RadRunner 3 Plus’s range is “Estimated 25-45 miles per charge (40-72 km)” in the specs section of the product page, though they’re still guilty of the slightly misleading “Up to 45 miles per charge” phrase in larger font on the main page.
How can you know an electric bike’s ‘real’ range?
There’s a messy, overgeneralized rule of thumb that I created to quickly judge approximate bike range. But be warned: It requires a small amount of math. Don’t worry though, you can handle it.
At 20 mph, my messy rule of thumb is 25 Wh/Mi for throttle riding and 15 Wh/Mi for pedal assist riding. This is for a decently powerful level – we’re not talking Eco Mode or Level 1 pedal assist here. At very low-power pedal assist where the rider does most of the work, it is possible to even achieve closer to 5 Wh/Mi.
For anyone who uses a more sensical system of measurement, that means when riding at 32 km/h, you can generally expect somewhere around 15 Wh/km on throttle and 9 Wh/km on pedal assist, though it can drop as low as 3 Wh/km on really low power pedal assist.
So to use my rule of thumb, simply divide the watt-hour capacity (Wh) of the battery by my efficiency numbers and you’ll get the rough range. An e-bike like the RadRunner 3 Plus mentioned above with a 624 Wh battery should get roughly 624 Wh ÷ 25 Wh/Mi = 25 miles of range on throttle-only riding. In sensical measurements, that’s 624 Wh ÷ 15 Wh/km = 41 km. That number actually aligns nicely with Rad’s published figures. Go figure.
Like I said though, this is a rough approximation. It can vary based on many factors. If you’re a heavy rider, you might even use slightly higher constants than I mentioned, such as 30 Wh/Mi instead of 25 Wh/Mi. Other factors like terrain and tire width make a big impact on this guesstimate system as well.
Top comment by Alejandro Mallado
Very interesting article! I commute on my Lectric XP 2.0 from Brooklyn to Manhattan, about 13 miles round trip, and I’m sadly force to charge it every day. I tried once to do 3 trips and could make it, so around 20 miles are feasible (mostly throttle but I try to pedal as much as I can). I’m now in search of a mid-drive ebike, cause I’d like to pedal all the time, and better battery life. But I fear that I’d get one before a potential rebate program in NY so I’ll wait a bit.
For science, I once took an e-bike with a teeny tiny 180 Wh battery on a long ride at the lowest possible power setting and with significant muscle effort on my part. I got a range of 56 miles (90 km), or close to 3 Wh/Mi. It was grueling, but it showed what is possible, and how companies can get away with claiming sky-high ranges that may be possible, even if unlikely.
So sure, my generalized rule of thumb above uses fuzzy numbers. But they aren’t anywhere near as fuzzy as the ratings from most e-bike manufacturers.
In conclusion, I don’t intend to claim that there is malice on the part of most companies that market e-bikes. Their goal isn’t to mislead. They’re just caught in an unfortunate system where people want a short and pretty answer to what is under the surface actually a long and ugly question, “How far does it go on a charge?”
So until people are prepared to receive a table of data in response to that question, companies are basically forced to choose between giving an unimpressive albeit more honest range spectrum like, “It can go 20-45 miles per charge,” or to just give the rosier answer of “It can go 45 miles.” With millions of dollars on the line, you can guess which one they prefer to choose.
Stay up to date with the latest content by subscribing to Electrek on Google News. You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.
How to Charge an E-Bike for Maximum Battery Life
From safe charging to the longest possible lifespan, here‘s everything you need to know about your electric bike’s power source.
Jump to:
If you bought a bike in the last couple years, chances are good it’s an e-bike. Electric bicycles are the fastest-growing type of bike in the U.S. today; in 2021 they surpassed road bikes as the third biggest category of bikes overall and in 2022 e-bike sales were over 800 million. E-bikes still outsell electric cars, and for good reason. The lightweight electric motor on an e-bike gives a powerful boost to all kinds of riding, especially utility cycling like commuting and errands. (Plus, there is a nice tax incentive for some e-bike riders.)
At the heart of that system is a powerful lithium-based battery. Taking proper care of that battery and knowing how to properly charge it is key to safely getting the best range and long-term battery life. Here’s what you need to know about charging your e-bike battery.
Safe charging basics
You should charge your battery inside, on the proper charger, and with the motor system powered off, says Kunal Kapoor, senior manager for quality and compliance at Bosch, a leading supplier of e-bike motor systems. While e-bike motors, batteries, and wiring are weather-resistant, “chargers aren’t intended for outdoor use,” he notes.
Using the proper charger is primarily a safety issue. With a modern lithium battery, Kapoor continues, when the battery signals it’s ready to accept a charge, “the battery monitoring system in the charger makes sure that the temperatures inside the battery are optimum to receive the charge,” and shuts off if needed. An off-brand charger—even rated to the same output—doesn’t have all the features of that battery management system, so current can flow to the battery even if temperatures rise, which is a fire risk.
Related Story
The risk of battery fires is low, but Kapoor recommends people not leave batteries unattended while charging. You can leave the battery on the bike to charge or take it off, as long as it’s not sitting on or near flammable stuff (like the spare gas can in the garage, for example). If you’re looking at lower-priced e-bikes with house-brand or unbranded motor and battery systems, make sure the battery and charger carry a UL 2849 certification stamp from Underwriters Laboratories. This is the industry-wide standard for safe electric systems and battery charging for e-bikes. Some bike shops won’t work on e-bikes with motor and battery systems that lack this stamp, citing fire risk when left overnight in the store.
How to optimize battery range and lifespan
Let’s start with some definitions. Range is essentially runtime: how long a battery will last on a single charge, expressed in miles of riding. Range, even on the same bike, will vary; a flat commute to the office with just a light backpack will see better range than a fully loaded uphill ride home from Costco. Most e-bikes today get between 25-75 miles of range, depending on these factors.
Lifespan is how many times a battery can be discharged and recharged before it starts to lose significant capacity. When capacity starts to dip, you won’t notice less power while riding, but you will see range start to shrink. A common lifespan benchmark for e-bike batteries is 500 “full” discharge/re-charge cycles (if you use half the battery capacity and recharge, that’s half a cycle), which works out to about three to five years of normal use before capacity begins to drop noticeably.
Even though battery range and lifespan aren’t the same thing, they are linked, and actions that reduce range will also, over time, shorten lifespan. A big culprit, Kapoor says, is running the motor hard, like leaving it in Boost or Turbo mode all the time, which means a ride of a given distance relies progressively more on motor power than at lower assist levels. You’ll run the battery through charging cycles more quickly, which will shorten its life.
A less-obvious factor that strains motors and batteries is pedal cadence. Most e-bike motors are optimized for efficiency around a 70-90 rpm pedaling cadence. You can lower efficiency by pedaling too fast (Bosch motors, for instance, max out at 100-120 rpm depending on the system). common is sub-optimal efficiency from pedaling too slowly in a large gear. This is the same as “lugging the engine” in a car; whether gas or electric, the motor works harder. “Choose your gears wisely,” says Kapoor, to stay in that 70-90 rpm sweet spot.
Related Stories
Mistakes that kill your battery
When you buy a new e-bike, you should charge the battery to full before riding it because it’s likely been inactive for a while. But lithium batteries do not have “memory;” that is, they do not need to be fully discharged and fully recharged every time to hold their full capacity. In fact, it’s best if you don’t run a battery to zero, says Kapoor. “If you let the battery deplete completely, that may permanently damage it,” he says, and it will never recharge to its full original capacity.
If you’ll go a few weeks or more without riding the bike, store it (or at least the battery) in a dry, room-temperature space with the battery between 30-60 percent of full charge, says Kapoor. That’s the most stable level for long-term storage, and will lower the chance of a deep discharge that would damage your battery. Don’t leave your battery plugged in to the charger for long periods. It’s not necessary, and can create a short discharge/recharge cycle that will eventually reduce capacity. If you go long periods without riding the bike, check the battery charge monthly and partly recharge when it drops below 30 percent.
Lithium batteries are less affected by cold weather than other types of battery and you shouldn’t see reduced range while riding unless the temperatures are truly arctic. But researchers at the Department of Energy recently found storing lithium batteries below freezing for longer periods can damage part of the battery’s cathode, which will reduce its capacity. Lithium batteries also won’t charge effectively in cold temperatures. If you store your bike outside or in an unheated space and live in an area with sub-freezing temps, says Kapoor, bring the battery inside when not in use.
Also, keep your battery protected from extreme heat, like sitting next to a sunny window or a hot car. Excess heat can raise battery temperature enough to damage its components; in an extreme situation, it can contribute to what’s called thermal runaway, where a battery enters an unstable, uncontrollable self-heating state that can result in fire.
You don’t need to recharge after every ride. Topping off your battery sounds Smart, but over time it will reduce capacity more quickly. If you get 50 miles of range from a charge and ride 10 miles a day, you only need to recharge every three to four days.
Related Stories
When it’s time to replace
Even if you take great care of a battery, over time it will lose capacity. You’ll notice this on your bike’s range estimate on the controller unit. Capacity is a primary indicator of the health of a battery, so if you notice your range dropping to 70 percent or less of what it was when your bike was new, that’s a sign to start planning a replacement. If your battery is less than two years old and is well under original capacity, it might be a warranty claim (terms vary by manufacturer).
If it’s not a warranty issue, the decision on when to replace is personal preference, says Kapoor. “If you got 50 miles (of range) out of the battery originally and let’s say now you get 40, I wouldn’t classify it as ‘end of life’ if you can live with that 40-mile range,” he says. A battery with reduced capacity should still be safe, Kapoor adds.
Always purchase a name-brand replacement for your battery. Just as batteries and chargers should be paired, batteries and motors are designed to work together. And, says Kapoor, never try to repair a damaged battery or let someone else do it. Despite guides that claim you can, this is not just corporate greed or legal butt-covering by manufacturers. While e-bike batteries are almost always made from standard 18650 cells that are widely used in various products (even electric cars), those cells have a variety of different chemistries, capacities, and amperages, and that’s before we even get into connecting a string of them and repackaging the battery in the housing. The slightest mistake in any of that increases fire risk. If you need a new battery, just buy one.
Dealers that sell your brand of bike can order you a direct replacement for that bike or motor brand. Costs vary depending on battery size and brand, but plan on spending 400-800 for a new unit.
A dealer can also recycle your old one. A new program from Call 2 Recycle offers free e-bike battery recycling (paid for by bike and motor brands) through partner shops in almost every major city and many smaller ones. No participating dealers near you? Request an easy DIY shipping kit online.
Why recycle? Even a spent battery contains raw materials that can be re-made into fresh ones, at moderately less energy cost and less environmental damage than producing from virgin materials. Spent lithium batteries also have a fire risk in landfills and can leach toxic metals and other chemicals into the soil and air.
In case of fire
Though rare, battery fires do happen. If your battery gets hot to the touch while charging, unplug the charger from the wall immediately. If you can, put the battery in a metal container like a bucket (better yet, one filled with sand) away from anything flammable.
But if it’s not safe to handle, call 911 right away and tell the dispatcher that you have a lithium battery fire, which requires different firefighting methods than conventional fires. Don’t pour water on a battery fire; water and lithium react to produce hydrogen, which is highly flammable. A standard fire extinguisher may help, but in the event of a fire, special tools may be needed.
Your Official Guide to eBike Batteries: From Cost to Miles
Hunters desire ebikes. While they seem to come from two separate worlds, it’s almost as if they were made for each other.
The lightweight nature, ease of travel, range, lack of sound, and surplus of power are ideal for hunters. They make it easy to get down the trail, hauling you, your gear, and hopefully your take with little to no effort.
Not only that but they are permitted for use in many places where ATVs are prohibited. They make it possible for hunters to go deeper in the woods with no concern of exhaustion, and they keep hunters in the woods long after their joints make it hard to travel on foot.
As with any piece of gear with you, you need to know as much as possible about your ebike. That’s what we’re here to help you with. Our particular FOCUS for this electric bicycle blog will be on batteries.
An ebike battery is the bike’s life source. Without a battery, it’s simply a complicated bicycle that’s over-encumbered by unnecessary gear. It also happens to determine how far your bike will travel on motor power and how fast it can go.
What exactly is an ebike battery?
In some ways, you can think of the battery on an ebike like the fuel tank on an ATV, as they both play a role in how far a vehicle will travel. You can also compare it to the battery as both supply electrical current to the vehicle. That’s where similarities with either end, though.
The battery on your ebike does both of those jobs, while functioning as a defining component of performance. The size of the battery has a direct relation with how powerful the bike is.
Don’t worry. While the battery plays multiple roles and is different from a conventional lead-acid battery, they aren’t hard to understand.
Something that separates ebike batteries from traditional car batteries is that they aren’t just one large battery. It’s the opposite. They are made up of multiple 18650 cells.
Yes, these are the same cells used in your rechargeable flashlight. The difference is that they are wired in series to function as a single unit.
In addition, a balancer inside the battery is also used to ensure that the charge and loads placed on the batteries are equal to promote longer life and better use of stored energy.
What further separates these from car batteries is that they rely on lithium as opposed to lead. The use of lithium does drive up the price some, but it brings several advantages to the table, namely that these are pretty much maintenance-free.
The number one thing you need to be careful of is discharging the batteries completely, as doing so shortens the battery’s lifespan. Thankfully, onboard systems are in place to avoid this.
They work by cutting off supply from the battery when the charge gets too low, leaving just enough to prevent damaging the cells.
Not all eBike batteries are built the same, though, which is why you need to learn even more about them before you invest in these relatively expensive components.
How long do eBike batteries last?
Another advantage that lithium batteries have over their counterparts is that they can supply a superior number of cycles. The cycle of a battery is essentially the number of charges it can provide in its lifetime. If a battery can offer 300 cycles, you can get 300 charges.
Three hundred cycles are about average for a lead-acid battery. Nickle batteries can supply 500, and that’s a significant step up. On the other hand, lithium batteries can provide an average of 1,000 cycles before needing to be replaced.
So long as you practice proper care, eBike batteries can supply around three years of use to the average hunter.
What’s the typical range of eBikes?
Aside from some of the best electric hunting bike options. most can travel around 20 miles on a single charge. That’s a respectable number for most hunters. There are some variables to take into consideration, though.
The maximum range is generally based on a ride that takes place under perfect conditions. Riders can usually achieve that maximum range by limiting the use of the battery. Furthermore, there’s no consideration of rider and gear weight.
In most cases, those numbers come from riders who aren’t hauling gear. weight takes more power to overcome, and you can expect the actual range to be a bit lower when you start piling gear on and hopping on your electric bike.
How much does speed affect the longevity of my battery?
There is no internal combustion engine on an eBike. There’s a motor. They aren’t the same, even if the terms motor and engine are used interchangeably.
An engine runs on fuel. So, even if it’s dependent on the battery to supply small amounts of electricity, burning fuel creates motion.
That isn’t the case with a motor as they are entirely reliant on electricity. For all intents and purposes, the battery is your fuel source on electric hunting bikes.
Just like an engine consumes more fuel to reach higher speeds, a motor draws more energy from the battery. As a result, driving faster drains the charge more rapidly than you would at moderate speeds.
How much is a replacement?
You can find cheap eBike batteries for around 250 from aftermarket suppliers. We caution you against going with this option, though. Those cheap batteries are generally of inferior quality and will fail to live up to many of the promises they make.
Going to a manufacturer of the bike is usually the best bet for the average hunter. They can be four times the price but will be built of far better quality than many of the low-dollar suppliers found on the internet.
Of course, there are exceptions to this concept, and you can very well find a decent battery for a bargain. We advise you to talk to a specialist, particularly someone familiar with your exact model, as their knowledge of the market can help you find the battery that fits within your price range.
Technical Aspects Explained: Volts, Amps, and Watts
When you shop for batteries on your own or talk to a specialist, a few key terms are going to appear.
It’s important to know that all of those terms used to describe a battery are essential as they determine whether or not it is compatible with your eBike.
Can’t I just add a bigger battery?
The size of the battery and the specs above correlate with the amount of power it can supply and the range you can obtain. So, shouldn’t you just add a bigger battery? If a little is good, a lot is better. Right?
Not exactly. You might be able to upgrade the battery to a small degree. However, the components of the bike and the batteries match one another.
While your motor is always dependent on amps and voltage, the electronic parts can only handle so much, and going too big will cause severe damage.
It’s not as simple as buying a cheaper bike and combining it with a more capable battery. If you want more range, more power, or a higher top speed, simply invest in the better bike in the first place.
How about recharging? Any advice?
Charging an eBike isn’t the same as charging an ATV or car battery. Mainly because you don’t want to charge them 100%, that sounds odd, but the explanation as to why is pretty simple.
The major weak point of a lithium battery is that the life of each charge gradually gets shorter each time. When you charge them to 100%, the system shuts off.
If you continue to leave it on the charger, as you would if you leave it overnight, that charge will naturally be lower. When it does, the charger kicks back on tops the battery off.
Over several hours, that accumulation of discharges and recharges can harm battery life. The best way to avoid this is simply charging the battery to just under 100% and only charging up when needed.
Finally. how do I get the most out of my eBike battery?
We know. It’s getting hard to hide those hunting expenses from your spouse. But, between firearms, range finders, and packs, there’s quite a bit you need to stretch the truth on.
Unfortunately, eBike batteries will be something you need to sneak in from time to time. Don’t worry. We’ve got a few tips to help you get the most out of each battery.
Tip #1: Keep it charged in storage
We did say only charge the battery when you need to. However, you don’t want to store the battery with any less than 40% of a charge.
During the off-season, check up on it from time to time to make sure it doesn’t go any lower, as letting it go completely dead for extended periods can cause damage.
Tip #2: Take it to the extreme from time to time
We’re about to contradict ourselves by telling you that it’s a good idea to let the battery discharge completely and charge it to 100% every 30-40 charges. This helps to monitor the battery’s condition by ensuring everything is functioning correctly while giving you the advantage of utilizing the battery in its entirety.
Tip #3: Keep away from water
Avoiding deep puddles on an eBike is a must as it’s simply weather-resistant, not waterproof. Furthermore, submerging the battery in water will allow water inside, which can compromise its condition.
Tip #4: Avoid extreme temperatures
You want to keep your batteries away from too much heat or cold. Cold weather drains batteries faster, and Rapid discharges are an enemy to lithium batteries.
Heat can be equally bad, if not worse, as too much can lead to overheating the batteries, resulting in excessive wear on the system or catastrophic failure.
Tip #5: Throw it in the cabin
Don’t leave the battery on your eBike while you store it in the bed of your truck. All those vibrations can wreak havoc. Take a few seconds to remove it and store it in the truck’s cabin as the vibrations are at a minimum.
At the end of the day, electric bicycle batteries are batteries. While there are some quirks and things you need to know, you’re not unfamiliar with this territory—batteries power your GPS, your opticals, and even your clothing these days.
Making sure you get the most out of them is as simple as treating them with respect as you would any other.