To remove, or not to remove (the battery)

[Brian Park]

Hi All

My first time on this forum a day after buying my bike and I'm already full of questions! Thought I'd start with a simple one as I weirdly I can't seem to find a definitive answer in the (downloadable) manual!

Simply put, when its pouring with rain and I need to lock up my bike outside, do I take the battery off, take it indoors and leave the now exposed connectors open to the elements?

Is it better to leave the battery locked in place in the pouring rain thereby protecting the connectors or is this unnecessary? I live in Scotland where it rains A LOT so this is something I need to figure out pretty sharpish before it becomes a warranty issue with Bosch.

Any definitive answers please?

The battery is the downtube mounted variety if that helps.

 

[JoePah]

Send Pics! I like to know where all my Scotch money is going to..lol

Leaving an electric bike out in the rain for long periods of time is a bad idea... Lots of electric connections that will age faster if they are wet a lot.

IF you're going to leave it out in the rain a lot, suggest you buy a bike cover. And take the battery inside if it's cold out (below 10C).
If you can't cover it, cover the connectors with a baggie if you need to take the battery inside.

IF it does get wet try to store the bike in a warm room over night so the connections dry out.

 

[TimmCVR]

Dont keep Battery on bike while transport...

http://www.chefvomradweg.de/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_14&products_id=86

Check the -Bosch Motorcover- for transport your bike

Timm

 

[Brian Park]

I was hoping to get the opposite of these answers. I bought the bike to get me in and out of work 5 days a week over 37miles. All my other bikes would have been locked up in the car park of my work with nothing but a cover for my leather saddle to protect its modesty. Now I find out that ebikes can't be kept outside without weather protection. Bummer!
I'd have hoped Bosch would have considered a little thing like weather when designing their bikes but I'm guessing they were primarily designed for precipitation free zones. I may be looking to return this before it's gets damp!

 

[JoePah]

Maybe ask the dealer you bought it from what they recommend. bike covers are cheap.

Ebikes can be used in the rain, and they can be left outside. Just not a great idea to leave them out in the rain uprotected all the time.

 

[Brian Park]

I was wanting to coax that answer from someone! Just wanted to be sure that it's ok to leave the bike exposed to rain for a few hours every so often without having to worry about damaging the terminals. Overnight it's kept in a garage but during the day it's exposed to the elements, whether they be direct sun or rain.

To be sure about this: on a cold wet day (<10c), take the battery indoors, leave the bike outside, perhaps cover it if there is to be extreme weather but on the whole Bosch have it weatherproofed.

On a warm rainy day (>10c), leave the battery connected as it provides weather protection to the terminals while connected.

Would anyone agree with that or am I being reckless?

 

[Tara D.]

I would get a cover personally

 

[Ann M.]

When you have an electrical contact point where moisture can potentially enter, like the vertical battery mount it's an easy preventative measure to protect that connection. All contact points like that one will develop some oxidation if left in the rain for long periods of time, repeatedly so covering it and the console mount are cheap insurance.

 

[Brian Park]

Thanks for this. So basically the contact points can tolerate getting wet however they should not remain wet for extended periods of time. Drying it off after a rain shower should be fine and taking sensible precautions when heavy rain is forecast is sensible.

 

[Patrick D.]

Apply dielectric grease to your terminals to prevent corrosion. Don't charge your battery in freezing temperature. In the summer time Don't leave your battery out in the sun for extended periods of time heat is the number one killer of cells. Don't discharge your battery below 80% DOD or 3.5v per cell. If your not going to ride for more than a week keep your battery at a 60% SOC or 3.8v per cell. The rest of your bike is pretty tough but the battery does need to be taken care of. Follow these rules and your battery should last for many years.

24v 7 cells in series
36v 10 cells in series
48v 13s
52v 14s
60v 16s
67v 18s
72v 20s
88v 24s

 

[EddieJ]

Brian, I have already added my input to the above question here in this thread http://electricbikereview.com/commu...ch-motor-exposed-to-elements.3541/#post-41723 But I would advise not stroring either the battery or the console on the bike when not attended. It potentially makes the bike more appealing to any would-be thief.

 

[Brian Park]

Fantastic! Thanks for that info - it's just what I was looking for. I just need to source some of this grease now...

 

[EddieJ]

If you use Ebay, you can find it on there. Halfords also sell it, and presumably any good motor factors should sell it. Oddly Maplins don't appear to, which I find to be very strange.