Improving the life of e-bike batteries
Batteries are the life and soul of e-bikes. And therefore, the batteries of an e-bike are important criteria in the selection process of an e-bike. Most of the e-bike manufacturers out there give you a warranty on the batteries and also state the distance that the bike can travel on a single charge.
However, the warranty does not mean the e-bike batteries will last only for that duration; and neither the distance specified means it will travel that distance only- it could be more or lesser, depending on how you handle your e-bike.
Certain practices on your part can prolong the life of your e-bike batteries and help you get the most out of your e-bike. Here are some good practices to follow in that regard:
1. Don’t go full throttle- Maintain a steady speed and don’t try to go too fast. The faster you drive the more battery you will consume and the shorter will be the distance traversed.
2. Don’t put too much weight- Don’t carry more weight on the e-bike than that specified by the e-bike manufacturer. If the manufacturer has specified two people as the carrying capacity, stick to that and don’t carry three. More weight forces the battery to do more work and that ultimately east into the distance traversed and the overall life of the battery.
3. Clean out the e-bike parts- Make sure you clean out the parts of your e-bike every couple of months or so. Going for professional servicing is a good idea. Dirty parts can affect the ride quality and consume more battery, thereby shortening the range.
4. Don’t drive on flat tyres- Always keep the air in your tyres optimum. Flat tyres too make the battery work harder which ultimately means shorter distances traversed on a single charge.
5. Don’t charge it unnecessarily- Charge the e-bike batteries only when they are less than half. This prolongs the life of the batteries. In some cases, batteries can only be charged only when they are fully discharged, like in the case of e-bikes which use Li-ion batteries.
Keep the above tips in mind the next time you drive your e-bike and you will get a lot more out of your green ride.
Harish Mehta is the vice-president of VRLA Manufacturing, a company that manufactures e-zipp. E-zipp is an electric bike which runs on batteries and thus helps cut costs and fight global warming. To know more about e-zipp and electric bikes, click here.
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