Battery for Electric Bike - Tips and Tricks
Something that can be confusing when choosing an electric bike is all the different devices attached to the battery and the engine. Mainly what it says when you read about the batteries is that it's hard to understand what it says. Here we break it down for you.
Watt-Hours and Ampere Hours, to Measure Distance
You have probably read something about watt-hours (Wh) or ampere-hours (Ah or mAh). These are just two ways of saying the same thing, explaining the size of the battery and how far you get per charge. These two measurements have a constant relationship with each other in the case of electric bike batteries. These two are the sole measuring units.
Ampere Hours
Ampere hours measure the bicycle's electricity consumption over time. It is a measurement tool that shows the range of your electric bicycle.
On most electric bikes, the ampere-hours are between 7 and 17 Ah. And a rule of thumb is to not buy an electric bike with a battery that has less than 10 Ah to get about 90 - 100 miles per charge.
Milliamper Hours = 1000 x watt hours / volt number (mAh = 1000 * Wh / V)
Watt-Hours
Watt-hours indicate the battery's capacity over time i,e how much power the battery can provide to the electric bike's motor over time. On a sauce basis, watt-hours measure how much range you have through your battery.
Electric bike batteries usually have around 400 - 420 watt-hours that estimate to about 90 - 100 miles on a single charge. A single battery charge could be self-calculated by riding at a bike's "normal speed" i,e not with maximum assist running. When driving your bike with assistance to the max, you will get an estimated 60 miles per charge under normal conditions on a battery with a capacity of around 415-watt hours. If you need a little extra range, we recommend choosing a model with 500-watt hours.
If you multiply volts and ampere-hours, you get the battery watt-hours.
Volt - Battery Voltage
Another thing you measure when it comes to the electric bike's battery is the Volt (V). Volt is the voltage on the battery that gives the electric bike's motor power. With a higher voltage number, you increase the energy that goes from the battery to the engine. Almost all electric bicycle batteries are 36 Volts.
What Affects How Far You Get On An Electric Bike
Giving an exact estimate of how far you get per charge is difficult, as many external factors affect the range of a bike. Below is a small list of things that negatively affect the battery.
- Cold temperatures. When the temperature drops below 20 degrees, the effect decreases by about 0.5% per degree. When it's around 0 degrees, the electric bike's battery has a power reduction of 10%, and at -10, battery reduction is at 15%.
- Hilly terrain
- Head-wind
- Soft surface/ground surface
- Low tire pressure
- Poor maintenance of the bike
- Heavy load
How to Cake Care of the Battery for Your Electric Bicycle
For your electric bike battery to feel as good as possible, there are several things to keep in mind. New batteries get delivered in a "sleeping" position to avoid reducing the mileage during storage. What you need to do is charge the battery for 24 hours to bring it to life. The maximum power of the battery reaches after 10 - 15 charges. And also, you have to let these charges take time, as it is crucial for the battery's future life.
There are a few things to avoid to get the battery to last as long as possible.
- Avoid the battery from completely discharging.
- Do not stop a cold battery from charging. Leave it at room temperature first.
- Avoid leaving the battery in the sun or exposed to heat.
- Do not attempt to disassemble the battery.
- Use only the supplied battery charger.
- Do not use the battery if it is damaged.
Before disposing of the battery, check that the state of charge is 60% - 80%. Charge the battery for two hours once a month. For long-term storage, the battery must charge 24 hours the first two times before you use it normally again.