Should you charge your brand-new battery to 80% or 100%

[QAJAQR]

You take the battery out of your brand new bike for its first charge. Do you start it off right by charging to 80%, or do you go to 100% to get the cells into balance more quickly (and will charging fully get the cells of a new battery into balance more quickly)?
If this sounds like an ignorant noobie question . . . it's because I'm an ignorant noobie.

 

[smorgasbord]

For brand-new you want to get 5 or 6 full charges to get the cells balanced. After that, do the 80%/90% charge.

 

[tomjasz]

I suggest our customers do a long, 8-10hour, charge on a new battery. I ALWAYS do three of four 100%c charges for a new battery, before I go to 80%. I have 2014 batteries that still give me decent mileage..

 

[QAJAQR]

Thanks to all responders.

 

[AHicks]

Yup. A full charge when you first get it, then a few more after it's been ridden a few miles. So charge, ride a few miles, charge again, ride a few miles, charge, etc.

After you get a few charges into it, then you can do the 80% thing if you like, just make sure it gets the 100% treatment frequently as well. A constant diet of 80% charges will cause the battery to get out of balance, reducing available power and range.

Oh, and welcome to e-biking!

 

[funnel]

One of the secrets for lithium battery longevity is to keep the battery to 50-70% charged when you're not using it. So if see you'll have bad weather for the entire week, or during the winter, don't keep it fully charged for extended periods of time.

 

[Marcela]

Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries

Review simple guidelines for charging Lithium-based batteries and prolong battery life such as; a portable device should be turned off while charging and more.

batteryuniversity.com

 

[tomjasz]

We do know that there ARE BMS do the balancing for us?

One of the secrets for lithium battery longevity is to keep the battery to 50-70% charged when you're not using it. So if see you'll have bad weather for the entire week, or during the winter, don't keep it fully charged for extended periods of time.

Storage temperature is a key factor in storage.