Unused Battery

[Jacko]

If a 48 v battery is hardly used but is kept charged 50-80percent what kind of life expectancy should it have.

 

[Jacko]

thanks Timpo. I accept the fact that batteries degrade and have to be replaced but what bothers me is finding replacements. As I understand it many of these companies have their own style of battery and mgt. systems. It isn't like a flashlight, car or even golf cart where batteries are easy to find. I have a 2017 Izip E3 Dash and it's really hard to find the right battery. Then you wonder how fresh is it!!

 

[rich c]

thanks Timpo. I accept the fact that batteries degrade and have to be replaced but what bothers me is finding replacements. As I understand it many of these companies have their own style of battery and mgt. systems. It isn't like a flashlight, car or even golf cart where batteries are easy to find. I have a 2017 Izip E3 Dash and it's really hard to find the right battery. Then you wonder how fresh is it!!

Well not exactly. There are rebuild companies that pull all the cells from the battery holder and replace them. So a bit like a flashlight then.

 

[McCorby]

You will typically lose 20% / year of storage for lithium ion batteries.

An article by Popular Mechanics stated, "According to battery-testing firm Cadex Electronics, a fully charged lithium-ion battery will lose about 20 percent of its capacity after a year of typical storage. Increase the temperature to just above 100 degrees Fahrenheitas in a hot attic, for exampleand that number is 35 percent."

Why Your Gadgets' Batteries Degrade

Your phone's or computers' battery drains over the course of a day, but its effectiveness also wears down over the course of weeks, months, and years. We explain why, and the best way to do long-term battery storage.

www.popularmechanics.com

So if you store it for...

0 year - 100%
1 year - 80%
2 years - 64%
3 years - 51.2%
4 years - 40.96%
5 years - 32.768%

and so on..

I’m sorry, but this doesn’t sound right. Shimano states 5% degradation per year. Mine is actually doing better at 5% in a little over a year and a half.

From Shimano FAQ:

 

[Jacko]

the 3rd one

 

[Jacko]

I'm really happy with the bike (3rd one above) Reminds me of my Lincoln Town Car .....Big, Stable and Powerful. Real nice features. Best of all I picked it up barley used (400mi) for 1K

 

[Jacko]

Thanks again for all your attention Timpo. A friend told me about an outfit called Hi C I believe out of Colorado that rebuilds. I will look into it

 

[Jacko]

you're great!

 

[McCorby]

Jacko, what issues are you having with your battery? Has it degraded to the point of being unusable? Do you run out of juice too soon? If not, I‘d not worry about it until you have to, and just enjoy your new bike! If it was well cared for, and only has 400 miles, I’d guess it still has around 70% or more capacity. Assuming they used quality cells. Ymmv.

 

[Jacko]

Just got the bike recently and the weather hasn't allowed me to ride far. When I got bike it hadn't been used In over year and I my just be paranoid about it's life. Had 60 or so percent charge when I picked it up. Think I just have to wait and see. Thanks

 

[darksky]

As a new e-bike owner I see a lot of advice about batteries and if not using a battery for a period of time to charge it to about 80%. How does one charge to a certain percentage? Thanks.

 

[legsofbeer]

As a new e-bike owner I see a lot of advice about batteries and if not using a battery for a period of time to charge it to about 80%. How does one charge to a certain percentage?

For long term storage it is recommended to charge to 40-60%, not 80%. If you don't have a voltage display just time how long it takes to do a full charge from near empty, and take 60% of that. Not perfect, but good enough. You don't have to be perfect on this.

 

[6zfshdb]

If a 48 v battery is hardly used but is kept charged 50-80percent what kind of life expectancy should it have.

This will vary with how the battery is stored and the type of cells used in it's construction.

FWIW, three years ago, I bought 3 bikes and 5 - 48V 15ah batteries with Panasonic cells. All are stored at room temp. Two of the batteries have never been used. Bench tests show both at 90% of their original capacity.