80% charge level.

I have had my bike for 9 months now and have settled into a charging routine which seems to be working OK – but guess I won’t really know until the battery dies.
I ride the bike between 6 and 20 klms. a day. I recharge it every few days when it drops to around 36 volts+. I don’t allow it to get below 36 volts. I normally charge it to 41.5 – 41.6 volts. Am I doing the right thing? How often should I give it a balance charge and how to do this correctly? My charger is 2 amp output. I keep a record of all my charges on a WORD doc..
 
The banjo said:
I have had my bike for 9 months now and have settled into a charging routine which seems to be working OK – but guess I won’t really know until the battery dies.
I ride the bike between 6 and 20 klms. a day. I recharge it every few days when it drops to around 36 volts+. I don’t allow it to get below 36 volts. I normally charge it to 41.5 – 41.6 volts. Am I doing the right thing? How often should I give it a balance charge and how to do this correctly? My charger is 2 amp output. I keep a record of all my charges on a WORD doc..
Click to expand...
If I were you I would drop a volt meaning stay in the 35v - 40v range.
Unless your BMS supports balancing (which it probably does not) there is no benefit to the so called 100% balance charge.
 
Gionnirocket said:
If I were you I would drop a volt meaning stay in the 35v - 40v range.
Unless your BMS supports balancing (which it probably does not) there is no benefit to the so called 100% balance charge.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. I would not have thought that the lack of a "smart" battery charger or BMS would prevent the batterie's cells from balancing during a prolonged charge. (?) I'm being cautious here as a new battery costs A$800 + here in Oz.
 
My biggest issue is range anxiety, as I like to ride long-ish distances, and some days I find I need to rely on the assist a fair amount. Therefore, I always charge to 100% and will continue to do so.

I’ve considered delaying charging until as near to my ride as possible, but my second fear comes into play…..possibly forgetting to charge at all, thereby being unable to ride. 🙂 And, if I set a timer to do that each day, what if I decide not to ride that day?

So, I’ve given up, and just keep it charged. Of course, when I KNOW it’ll be some time, like weeks or months, I’ll not charge fully.
 
The banjo said:
Thanks for the reply. I would not have thought that the lack of a "smart" battery charger or BMS would prevent the batterie's cells from balancing during a prolonged charge. (?) I'm being cautious here as a new battery costs A$800 + here in Oz.
Click to expand...
The good news is with only a 2a charger and the modest discharge of riding of these hi energy cells, the battery (if quality and properly matched to begin with) should not fall out of balance.
A smart charger doesn't come into play here as it does with hobby LiPo's.
A balancing BMS is how it's done and typically only found in high-end batteries. The jury is still out on whether or not the cost is justified.
 
Gionnirocket said:
The good news is with only a 2a charger and the modest discharge of riding of these hi energy cells, the battery (if quality and properly matched to begin with) should not fall out of balance.
A smart charger doesn't come into play here as it does with hobby LiPo's.
A balancing BMS is how it's done and typically only found in high-end batteries. The jury is still out on whether or not the cost is justified.
Click to expand...
According to the Lekker shop the bike has a Samsung battery pack. I guess there are Samsung batteries & Samsung batteries & then there are Chinese knock -offs. It is built with good quality components and I hope the same applies to the battery. Link to site -
https://www.lekkerbikes.com.au/product/lekker-x-ebike/
 
Gionnirocket said:
Don’t stress about it and just enjoy riding. 👍
Click to expand...
I completely agree. I respect the 80/20 charge routine and those that use it. I actually used the 80/20
for while myself, but finally said. "I bought my bike to ride" and wasn't comfortable 'leaving' 40%
of my battery power unused.

Yes a brand name battery ( Bosch) in my case is expensive, but the joy I receive while riding my e-Bike
is worth the expense many times over. I'm not made of money, but when my battery is no longer
functional I'll buy another for many more happy hours and thousands of miles.

Don't get all worked up on the details...Enjoy the ride.
 
John from Connecticut said:
I completely agree. I respect the 80/20 charge routine and those that use it. I actually used the 80/20
for while myself, but finally said. "I bought my bike to ride" and wasn't comfortable 'leaving' 40%
of my battery power unused.

Yes a brand name battery ( Bosch) in my case is expensive, but the joy I receive while riding my e-Bike
is worth the expense many times over. I'm not made of money, but when my battery is no longer
functional I'll buy another for many more happy hours and thousands of miles.

Don't get all worked up on the details...Enjoy the ride.
Click to expand...
Bosch batteries are a completely different animal. Much more advanced battery management systems. Their high standards account for the pricing structure. Saw my Bosch buddy today. 17,000 miles on his first battery.
 
Pulsar said:
I use a Luna digital charger and just select 80% and it does all the work. It also has selectable charge rates which is nice. I’ve seen folks use a digital volt meter to just shut charging down at a prescribed voltage if you want to baby sit charging? Luna charger is $100 and money well spent in my opinion considering our batteries are usually $500+.
Click to expand...
But always sold out
 
tomjasz said:
Stress? Satiate! Recently added a new one to the stable.
Click to expand...
My DIY hack can charge to any voltage with a 0.1V resolution without stress and at the cost of a pizza👍

John from Connecticut said:
I completely agree. I respect the 80/20 charge routine and those that use it. I actually used the 80/20
for while myself, but finally said. "I bought my bike to ride" and wasn't comfortable 'leaving' 40%
of my battery power unused.

Yes a brand name battery ( Bosch) in my case is expensive, but the joy I receive while riding my e-Bike
is worth the expense many times over. I'm not made of money, but when my battery is no longer
functional I'll buy another for many more happy hours and thousands of miles.

Don't get all worked up on the details...Enjoy the ride.
Click to expand...
Tom is right... Bosch batteries are on a different scale and I believe that they do balance via the BMS.

That said... You're only leaving 40% of the battery unused if you are cutting your rides short in order to maintain the 80/20. I ride from 80/60 (approx 2hrs/20mi) just about every day as that's all my schedule allows for... and just about all my butt can handle in the saddle anyways so I'm not leaving anything unused.
My battery charge takes <90 minutes with a nice and slow 2a charger before each ride and if I wanted I could even skip a charge or double my ride any particular day without stress. I believe that the OP is in a similar situation.

That, that said... I fully agree in that I would never cut a ride short in order to maintain the battery
 
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m@Robertson said:
That pretty much flies in the face of every resource, everywhere unless you put some context in. How long was the 100% charge held, for instance? If you charge to 100% and immediately go for a ride, there's far less damage to the internal cell chemistry than there is if you charge to 100% overnight and let it sit from 2am until noon when you go for your ride. Or 3 days later. What was the charge amperage? 1 amp? 5 amps? Do you think that matters? What was the discharge? a steady 1 amp? 30 amps? Do you think that matters?
Click to expand...
The "damage" comes from heat in the cells and not the actual state of charge. A good BMS will taper down the current as it nears full. But do we trust all of them? Also how the gauge is calibrated. It's to the marketing advantage to push the limits as much as possible to make the batteries look good on paper. They have capacity specs but not lifetime.

Taking it close to zero is more damaging. Again the BMS should shut down before damage the the lower you go the less total life of the cells.

I do the 80/40 on my phone and on my bike. I haven't been doing it long enough to see if it really helps. My Specialized battery was replaced at about 1700 miles under warranty for a (no) charging issue. I have a 10 mile commute I do in full TURBO mode and use 30-40% of the battery so the partial charging works well for most of my usage. If I plan on going out for a long day I will charge 100% and if I forget to unplug then I don't sweat it.
 
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The banjo said:
I have been trying to find a Luna charger here in Australia with no success. What model do you have?
Click to expand...
Isn’t Luna Mate still near you?

luna-mate.com

48V Charger Advanced Ebike Charger

Bringing the best high-performance E-Bike kits to Australia and New Zealand.
luna-mate.com luna-mate.com

Frankly their chargers aren’t known to last anywhere as long as those from Grin eBikes.ca

Luna can’t sell Grin products. When they sold the Satiators they were enamored by them. But when Grin cut them off Luna suddenly fussed them constantly. My original Satiator is near 7 years old and charges all my batteries. 36, 48, and 52v as well as logs their lifespan and charging data.
 
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