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How to extend the life of your eBike Battery

    • 2785 posts
    November 28, 2022 10:01 PM EST

    The 300Wh, 400Wh, 500Wh & 625Wh PowerPacks used on Bosch-powered eBikes are amongst the most advanced batteries currently on the electric bike market. They offer a superior range, reliability & longevity compared to many other batteries. However, this all comes at a price; with a replacement pack currently costing around £600+. Some people are put off by the price of a replacement battery, thinking that it will have to be replaced every other year, but this is just not true.To get more news about how long do ebike battery last, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

    Bosch actually guarantees their batteries for 2 years or 500 charge cycles (whichever comes first). This doesn’t mean your battery will pack up after 2 years and 1 day. In fact, Bosch themselves state that the battery should be good for around 10 years or 1500 full charge cycles. After 1500 cycles the battery will still work, but any battery will age over time so it will start to lose capacity and therefore not power your electric bike as far.
    Also, it’s worth pointing out now that many people think that a part charge counts as a full charge cycle in Bosch’s terms. Well, it doesn’t, if you just top the battery up a small amount, only this is recorded and will not be counted until there are enough of these partial charges to count towards a full charge cycle.
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    When a Bosch-powered eBike visits our workshop we can use our diagnostics tool to read the battery itself. The Bosch battery is very clever and records many different parameters, these are then saved within the system for us as a Bosch eBike dealer to consider. Also, we can tap into the system and see exactly how many ‘Full Charge Cycles’ this particular battery has had. We can also view many other parameters for example – maximum/minimum battery temperature, charge state, usage, etc.

    We can also analyse other brands of batteries including Brose (Specialized), Giant, Yamaha & Shimano. Not every battery has such a good warranty as Bosch, but we can still help you get the most out of your system.
    If your eBike came from us, we normally charge the battery fully just before letting it out of the workshop as we know you’ll be itching to ride it the minute you receive it. This helps condition the battery and gives it a start point from which to gauge the rest of its operation. If you find it’s not fully charged, please charge it to 100% before riding. This applies to all brands of electric bike batteries too.

    Should I keep my battery clean?
    Yes, it is good to keep all components of your bike clean. Although it will not affect the internals of the battery at all if the exterior case is dirty. The best way to clean the battery, or any components of your electric bike for that matter, is with a specialist bike cleaner, wet sponge, and low-pressure hose. A typical garden hose is perfect for washing away grime without applying too much pressure.

    Although the Bosch batteries are weatherproof, it is never advised to use any sort of high-pressure jet/pressure washer on your bike. This pressure can force water into the battery case itself and cause problems. It can also force water into other parts of your electric bike where you don’t want water to be (motor, bearing internals, suspension seals, etc.). So although it may be quicker to clean please don’t use pressure washers at all.

    Will my battery range be affected if using an inverter in from my vehicle or motor home?
    No, you can use inverters to charge your electric bike – for example – from the cigarette lighter port in most cars. This can be handy if you are out and about or wish to charge on the move. But please make sure that the inverter itself is rated for the correct output for the Bosch charger. You can normally find all of this information on the inverter’s packaging or on a sticker on the inverter itself. The Bosch charger is designed for a rated voltage between 207 – 264 volts with an output of 42v.

    The charger only charges the battery at a low 4 amp current, so is fine for most inverters and car batteries. Please check these values to make sure the inverter is compatible before plugging it in. Also, remember depending on the inverter itself that the battery may take a little longer to charge than if it was plugged into the mains.

    Most importantly of all make sure the vehicle engine is running whilst the battery is on charge because it could drain your vehicle battery faster than you think.
    How you can extend the life of your eBike battery easily:
    Remember the power of the motor can peak at 500w so can draw power from the battery quicker and put a higher load on it. The harder you use your eBike the faster the battery will discharge.

    The faster it discharges, then the more you will be charging it back up. This means that you could end up performing many more charge cycles than someone who is using their eBike lightly in the same time period. After a long time, the capacity of the battery will gradually drop. So you could be replacing it sooner if riding the bike very hard for the majority of the time (this is especially prevalent in de-restricted bikes).

    I would recommend using an assistance level that works for you. Many people (mainly adrenaline junkies) could use their eBike flat out in the maximum assistance mode ‘Turbo’. The eBike will use more power and therefore you will get a shorter assisted distance out of it.

    Quite honestly you don’t ‘need’ to use the eBike flat out in ‘Turbo’ all of the time (it is fun though!). The use of ‘Eco’ & ‘Tour’ modes for the majority of riding is generally more than enough, with ‘Turbo’ mode assisting me on the very toughest of climbs.

    You can also put your Bosch eBike in EMTB mode, which will vary the motor’s input depending on what you are putting in yourself. This will give you the most bike-like ride feel and will give you an even drain on your battery.

    Obviously, everyone’s fitness levels are different so you will need to work out what works for you, it is far too easy to hit ‘Turbo’ mode for the majority of your ride. The bike won’t go any faster (mph) but it will have more ‘grunt’, in fact, the eBike will only go as fast as you pedal, it’s just the amount of assistance the motor gives you that changes.