I cannot answer for inexpensive e-bikes. On big brand bikes, the batteries come "hibernated" and they are "woken up" by first charging. For instance, the first battery on my Specialized Vado 5.0 was manufactured in 2017. It was only activated on Oct 31st, 2019 before I received the e-bike from the LBS. It is 2022, and that very battery is the best of the three batteries I own for that e-bike!