First time charge of battery

[Limeybastard]

There seems to be different instructions from e-bike manufacturers on how to perform the first charge of the battery. Why is so, since they are all primarily using the same chemistry. Some say charge first time to 8 hours, some say charge to full and remove unplug, so what is the correct practice for first time charge of a li-on battery? Does it matter? Im referring about the first time charge and not the charges thereafter. cheers

Ok, so I just came across this thread after posting my question. Key word here is balancing.

New E Bike battery initial charge / break-in information

Just purchased a new E bike battery and I'm seeing different recommendations regard break in. Some say to do 3 complete charge / discharge cycles, while others say to only discharge to 50% for the first 3 rides. Who is correct? Also, I have a Cycle Satiator charger and want to know if I...

electricbikereview.com

 

[chunk]

Battery capacity, size, charging rate all have a bearing on how to properly charge a specific battery. If you follow the manufactures guide on how to charge and or balance the battery you should be good to go. I use a lot of Li-on batteries in my radio hobby and find they are pretty forgiving if you follow the basic guidelines. My generic rule of thumb for a new battery pack is to fully charge and discharge to about 40% then recharge and do it for a few cycles. From then, charge as needed so as to always be ready to go. But I would follow any specific instruction that came with the bike and or battery pack.

 

[Limeybastard]

Battery capacity, size, charging rate all have a bearing on how to properly charge a specific battery. If you follow the manufactures guide on how to charge and or balance the battery you should be good to go. I use a lot of Li-on batteries in my radio hobby and find they are pretty forgiving if you follow the basic guidelines. My generic rule of thumb for a new battery pack is to fully charge and discharge to about 40% then recharge and do it for a few cycles. From then, charge as needed so as to always be ready to go. But I would follow any specific instruction that came with the bike and or battery pack.

Thanks for your response. This is the issue, it seems each manufacturer has a different method for its initial charge. Why would this be the case?

 

[tomjasz]

There are a lot of different BMS and their functions, like balancing vary between versions. Don’t overthink. Just use makers recommended methods.

 

[imdudesdad]

These instructions seem to say to keep your battery topped off. Go figure whom to believe?

https://support.biktrix.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035659232-Battery-care-instructions

 

[AHicks]

Thanks for your response. This is the issue, it seems each manufacturer has a different method for its initial charge. Why would this be the case?

Regarding part of your question, the part about allowing it to charge for 8 hours, is baloney. I'm PRETTY sure most chargers will have completely charged the battery and shut themselves off WAY prior to 8 hours.

To answer your whole question, there are a bunch of "best practices" regarding the batteries. Many opinions. Realize a lot of this has yet to be proven in long term real world testing. A lot is based on what the engineering types are predicting. In another 5 years or so, I believe we'll have a lot more real life experience to base our decisions on. What matters vs. what doesn't.

There are some who are pretty anal when it comes to following these best practices. Others fully charge the battery when it gets low without further thought. At this point, I haven't seen any clear winner regarding who is getting better battery lifetimes. Both groups seem to be going several years.

There ARE a couple of no-no's. You don't want to store your battery long term after fully charging it, and you don't want to make a habit of running your bike until the power shuts off. Avoid those situations and you should be fine.....

-Or-

Continue reading about the battery technology and form your own opinions. Something you can live with, and call it a day!