Winter or cold weather battery storage

[Needpower]

Anyone have any advice or helpful tips for battery storage for +30 days! Should the battery be completely drained of power? Should it just be shelved to diminish power over time? Should a charge be administered
periodically? Any tips would be gratefully appreciated, thanx.

 

[KenM.]

Do not discharge it!!!!
Put a full charge in it. You are suppose to recharge every couple of weeks. But I would think it would last for a month. But that is just my thinking . I have never had a battery sit for more then five days myself.
I am sure people that really know will post to help you too.
Just do not let it discharge all the way. BAD!! Hope this helps .
Keep looking up! Ken.

 

[Pastabatman]

BH's (Easy Motion) recommendation for long term storage is charge to 80%, then monitor and recharge as necessary every three months.

 

[Ebike Commuter]

I believe the manual that came with my bike suggests to charge to ~60%, then check it periodically during storage and recharge if needed. How quickly it discharges will depend on the BMS electronics. Based upon what I've read, Lithium batteries should have better longevity if maintained somewhere around the midpoint of the usable voltage range for a given battery. If you had a Grin Satiator charger, you could periodically verify whether the battery has discharged or not, since the charger displays the voltage of the battery during charging. I've read that if the battery remains at a low voltage level, this can kill the battery and present a safety hazard upon charging.

I charged a 36V battery to 38V a few weeks ago before storage. The fuel gauge on the battery showed 3 out of 5 lights on this battery at this charge. The digital display on the bike showed 58%. I just checked it today and it was at 37.8V, so almost no drop in a few weeks. I will check it again after a month or so and post the voltage drop.

 

[Cory151]

50% to 80% charge is the best bet for long term storage.

 

[JoePah]

Charge to 80%
Store above 40F or 5C
Charge to 80% every 3 months
Never charge the battery if its below 40F

 

[Ebike Commuter]

The following text is written on label of the 36V lithium ion battery that came with my bike,

"Charging the BH Easy Motion battery at 60% is mandatory if not used or stored for a long time period. Check the charge condition after 4 months. When only one LED of the charge-control indicator will light up, recharge the battery again approx. 60%."

One LED lighting up on the battery fuel gauge corresponds to a charge somewhere between 10% and 37% of a full charge. A full charge is achieved at 42V and the battery can be depleted to ~34.2V under normal use.

 

[jazz]

Finding the exact 40 to 50 percent SoC level to store Li-ion is not all that important. At 40 percent charge, most Li-ion has an OCV of 3.82V/cell measured at room temperature. To get the correct reading after a charge or discharge, rest the battery for 90 minutes before taking the reading. If this is not practical, overshoot the discharge voltage by 50mV or go 50mV higher on charge. This means discharging to 3.77V/cell or charging to 3.87V/cell at a C-rate of 1C or less. The rubber band effect will settle the voltage at roughly 3.82V. Figure 7-2 shows the typical discharge voltage of a Li-ion battery.

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batteries

 

[MLB]

Charge to 80%
Store above 40F or 5C
Charge to 80% every 3 months
Never charge the battery if its below 40F

My Battery Tender Lithium Ion 12v batteris in my electric mower say the ideal storage temp is 34 degrees............

 

[JoePah]

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_at_high_and_low_temperatures

IF you charge below 40F, it is supposed to be at a reduced rate.. Since most owners don't have a charger with an adjustable charge current, keeping temps over 40F is the easy and safe thing to do.

 

[MLB]

Not talking charging, just storage. I thought it interesting since most of what we hear is "take them in the house" in winter.

 

[Donny]

Do they not make trickle charging systems for these? That's what I always used on my motorcycle batteries. It keeps just enough juice going to the battery to keep it topped off so that it doesn't go flat.

 

[MLB]

Do they not make trickle charging systems for these? That's what I always used on my motorcycle batteries. It keeps just enough juice going to the battery to keep it topped off so that it doesn't go flat.

Those apparently don't work like we've always hoped. I have 2 of them I've always used but I still have to replace batteries fairly regularly with 4 bikes. The trickle isn't that smart and apparently can still cook the battery. Just slower.

 

[RealDeal]

I had always heard good things about the Battery Tender for car and motorcycle batteries. It sounds like we need one for electric bikes.

 

[cvc]

I guess I may be in a bit of a Conundrum.
I have to Store my Fairly New E-Bike a TAOTAO 8O6 6OV. in an Unheated Garage [but with hydro] during the Winter, and who Knows-I MAY need to Ride it, somewhere!
How am I to Prevent the Batteries from Freezing?
How often and for how Long can I effectively Charge It?

 

[rich c]

I guess I may be in a bit of a Conundrum.
I have to Store my Fairly New E-Bike in an Unheated Garage [but with hydro] during the Winter, and who Knows-I MAY need to Ride it, somewhere!
How am I to Prevent the Batteries from Freezing?
How often and for how Long can I effectively Charge It?

Why can't you take just the battery pack in the house?

 

[harryS]

Partial charge is good for battery longevity. Full charge is the worst. Just put the bike away at 50-80% of charge. I leave mine in the garage. It doesn't get much colder than 10-15 F in there.

People do put lithium camera batteries into a freezer for storage. Cold temperarure is OK if it's just sitting. You can also ride in in below freezing temperatures. Just never charge when the internal battery temperature is below 32F. Let it warm up first. You will damage the electrolyte by charging when it's frozen..

Trickle charges are for lead-acid batteries. Keeping a lithium charger on a lithium battery keeps it at 100% and 100% is bad for longevity if stored.

I don't like these big batteries in my house. They're still fire risks. Garage is OK for my plastic case batteries.. My soft sided batteries are kept outside in the barbeque grill.

 

[cvc]

Why can't you take just the battery pack in the house?

There's I Believe about 6 of them in the TAOTAO, and they're Installed in Series.
I think they're Partial Lead.
The place I Bought the Bike from has since moved way out of Town, and when I had a Problem Last Winter-Which was 1 Bad Battery-Out of a New Set-The Meter would never show More than 1/2 Charged.
They came and Removed them-It took about a 1/2 Hour, and kept them all Winter, and That's when they Discovered the Faulty Battery.
They just brought them Back in July-By then I was too Unwell to even Ride.
So I have Less than a Mile on it.
I'm Attempting with Help to Bring it In my Small Bungalow for Winter-Which will take up a Lot of Space.
It's Bigger than the size of a Vespa, and I Have a Storage Compartment attached above/behind the Back of the Seat.
Oh-The Charger has a Little Fan in It, with a Light that goes from Red to Green when Topped Up.
But I have no way of knowing if it's a Trickle Charger.

 

[rich c]

Partial lead? What's that? Everybody else here is talking lithium batteries.

 

[cvc]

Partial lead? What's that? Everybody else here is talking lithium batteries.

My Apologies, Rich.
I'm New to the Forum, and wasn't Aware it was Exclusively about Lithium, but I Did get an Answer to My Question, anyway.