Electric bikes are equipped with a battery pack more than conventional bikes to provide strong power for the motor. The quality of the battery will affect the maximum speed and maximum mileage of the electric bike. So how much do you know about the battery of the electric bike? Let's talk about the battery of electric bikes in detail below.
1. What is the best electric bike battery?
There are many factors that can determine what is a good battery. The best battery for you may not be the best for me. If not maintained properly, the performance of high-quality batteries will be poor.
The battery pack consists of individual battery "cells". Batteries are divided into cylindrical batteries (such as AA and AAA) and prismatic batteries (such as batteries in mobile phones). Each type of battery is manufactured in various form factors (in the battery world, we use this term to refer to size). The most commonly used battery unit in electric bike battery packs is 18650.
The quality of a battery pack depends on its weakest battery.
According to my experience, there is a strong correlation between battery price and quality.When it comes to batteries, you really don't want to compromise on quality, because you will eventually have to pay the price.
2. Pay attention to the following points when buying an electric bike:
Battery manufacturers: Panasonic, LG, and Samsung are well-known in the battery industry for their high-quality batteries, so it is certainly worth paying high prices for these batteries. If the electric bikes you are buying do not have or do not provide information about the battery manufacturer, they will not be a reliable source anyway.
Battery chemistry: Lithium-ion (lithium-ion) batteries are the best choice for electric bikes. Although lead-acid batteries are much cheaper, they are three times the weight of lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries have a variety of battery chemistry variants. The most popular electric bike batteries are nickel manganese cobalt (NMC), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP).
The indicators to look for when choosing cytochemistry are:
- Specific energy: It has an impact on the battery's cruising range.
- Specific power: how the battery handles high load conditions, such as mountain climbing
- Safety: Does the chemical have a history of high site failures.
How to choose the right chemical substance? As shown in the figure below, NMC and LFP are both good choices, offering the best value in terms of performance, price, and safety.
Choosing the right battery chemistry is about figuring out what is most important to you. Do you want a battery with a longer range (higher than energy) but not so much power? Or do you want a battery that has more power (higher specific power) but may not last for a long time?
In my opinion, the best e-bike batteries are probably made from batteries made by Panasonic, LG or Samsung, using LFP or NMC battery chemistry.
3. What is the cruising range of an electric bike battery?
The cruising range of a battery pack depends on the amount of energy inside it, measured in watt hours (Wh).
Watt-hours(Wh) are calculated by multiplying the battery capacity (Ah) by the battery voltage (V).
Assuming that 1 mile requires about 25Wh of energy, a 14Ah, 36V battery should allow you to travel about 25 miles per charge.
Related: FAQs: 10+ Things You Want To Know About Electric Bike Here
Keep in mind that the rider's weight, external temperature conditions, and pedaling amount can have a significant impact on the range.
A word of caution: the range provided by electric bike manufacturers should be reserved. This number comes from tests run under perfectly customized laboratory conditions. Do you use a laboratory-grade charger to charge any of your electronic devices in an incubation room set at 28°C, which provides the perfect current when charging? Yes, neither do I. Therefore, we should assume that the battery only reaches the manufacturer's specified range when it is charged and discharged under ideal conditions.
To get a more realistic estimate, cut 15% of the manufacturer’s specified range and assume that this fill-in figure is your actual range.
If you are looking for a longer range, choose a battery with a higher capacity (Ah). If you are looking for more power, choose a battery with a higher voltage (V).
4. What is the life of an electric bike battery
There are many factors that affect battery life, such as:
- Environmental conditions: charge and discharge temperature
- Charging rate: how fast the battery is charging
- Charging voltage: what voltage the battery is charged to
- Depth of discharge (DoD): what voltage the battery is dischargedto
The above list is not exhaustive, but generally speaking, the battery will decay over time when it is charged. period.
Below is an example:
Day 1: You get a new electric bike, charge it to 100%, and start riding. When you get home, you charge your bike to 100%, and you are happy to be able to ride again soon.
Day 2-364: Life hinders you. Since the first ride, you still haven't ridden a bike.
Day 365: One year later, this is the perfect day to ride a bike, and you finally have time. You go to the basement, unlock your bike, and open it excitedly. 80% of the cost. What? You clearly remember that you charged your bike to 100% last year before moving it to the basement!
The fact is that we cannot beat thermodynamics. Let me say it again: the battery will decay over time when it is charged.
Now, because you kept the battery at 100% in a basement without temperature control for a full year, you inadvertently caused the battery to lose a certain amount of irreversible capacity. Your mileage will be reduced by approximately 20%, and you may have to replace the battery earlier than expected. The following table shows the recoverable capacity of the battery after 1 year of storage at different temperatures and different charging states.
This is why many electronic products have batteries that are only partially charged-to help slow this degradation. That being said, it is difficult to track how long the electric bike and its battery have been stored in the warehouse before being delivered to your door, so you can get a battery that has been aging for a year or two.
Manufacturers also tend to overestimate their batteries and claim that some batteries have a service life of at least 1,000 cycles.
The life of a lithium-ion battery is described as the number of cycles before the capacity (Ah) drops below 80% of its initial capacity. Generally speaking, this is about 250-400 cycles (depending on battery chemistry and other factors). If you charge and discharge the battery every day and properly maintain the battery, it will take about 1.5 to 2 years.
5. How to charge your electric bike battery to extend its life
What kills the battery faster than anything else is to charge it at high temperatures. If the outdoor temperature is 80 degrees and your electric bike is fully charged, move it to a place with a cooler indoor temperature and drain the battery as soon as possible.
Charge the battery at room temperature as often as possible.
When purchasing an electric bike battery charger, the slower the charging speed, the better. For example, if you have a 2 amp charger and your battery is a 14 amp battery pack, your charging current is 14 amps/2 amps = 7 hours. This is a good slow charge and will definitely extend the life of the battery pack. Avoid charging faster than 2 hours to fully charge.
There are many things to do to choose the best battery for your electric bike, and of course there is no one-size-fits-all method. However, if I were to buy an electric bike battery today, I would do this: LFP or NMC, slow charging, avoid storing or charging at higher temperatures, if you do not plan to charge, please keep the battery power at about 30%. It's a while.
Gyroor C3 electric bike powered by 36V 10Ah battery, 450W high speed brushless motor, max speed of 18.6MPH, with the mileage of 28-38 miles, which makes your commuting very easy, its maxload 265lb. For the electric bike battery, we provide 1 year warranty.