E-Bikes are still pretty new to the market, and we have only had them for the past few years. As someone who absolutely loves E-Bikes and believes they are taking cycling in such a positive direction, I am asked many questions about them. Most of the most common questions I am asked is how long does an E-Bike battery actually last?
How Long Will My Battery Last While Riding?
You can see anything between 2 to 6 hours on a full charge from electric bike batteries as far as duration goes. This comes down to a lot of different factors, such as;
Where do you ride?
If it’s very hilly, you will find yourself getting much less mileage than if it is very flat. Also, if the terrain is very challenging and you’re riding off road, then you will use more battery life.
What power setting?
Modern E-Bikes typically come with different levels of assistance for the rider. The more the bike helps you naturally, the less time you will get from the bike.
How much weight do you carry?
You will also find when touring and carrying excess weight. This could be extra clothes or camping equipment. You will use more battery moving it around with you.
The batteries health
A brand new, well-maintained electric bike battery will be much better than a battery that has been used for many battery cycles and has lost some of its efficiency.
The type of electric bike battery
Electric bike batteries typically use modern-day lithium-ion batteries, but there are others on the market, such as lead and nickel. These batteries will also have very different overall lives.
How Many Miles Do You Get From a Fully Charged E-Bike Battery?
As we mentioned above, it comes down to many factors as to what distance you will get out of your electric bike’s batteries.
On modern bikes, you will typically see on a high power setting 30 miles, on a medium power 50miles, and a low power around 70 miles or more. It’s generally speaking about how much pedal assist you want.
What’s the Lifespan of an Electric Bike’s Battery?
Most manufacturers don’t give a year estimate of how long electric bike batteries will last, for they often give you what I call a charge cycle.
This is an estimation of how many times you can fully charge the battery before it loses its efficiency and starts not to work as well. Battery life expectancy can hugely vary depending on what battery type it is.
Lithium battery
These are the most commonly used e-bike batteries and will be good for between 800-1000 charge cycles.
Lead battery
You won’t often see many bikes use lead batteries. These are very old technology and will only give you roughly 300-400 charge cycles.
Nickel battery
Nickel battery lifespan is about 500 charge cycles. It’s better than lead but still not a huge amount compared to Lithium batteries.
Realistically most lithium-ion batteries, on average, will last more than 5 years, so you will get a considerable amount of use out of it before it needs changing. It goes with anything with a battery in. The better you look after it, the longer it will last.
Tell Me the Best Way to Prolong the Battery Life of an E-Bike?
There are many ways to prolong the life of an E-Bike battery, and surprisingly very few people know about these little tips and tricks.
Charge it regularly
Just give the bike a run out every so often, and keeping it used will go a very long way to making sure the electric bike’s battery stays in good health. I would say try and ride it at least once a month. Even if charging may cost a few dollars, you have to use your e-bike to sustain it’s battery life.
Top to bottom charge
To make sure all the cells get used and none die, it’s essential to let the battery go to a low point (10%) and charge it completely full from there regularly.
This will hugely help the life of your battery. Many people ask if it is bad for batteries to drain completely, it can be, but most modern batteries have protection from this.
Don’t let the battery get too hot or cold
Many manufacturers don’t often say, but you have to be cautious about storing and using your bike. You are not going to want the bike to be getting too cold, for example, less than 0 degrees or too warm, 40 degrees plus.
It’s not ideal for the battery and will shorten its life. Also, try not to leave the bike in direct sunlight as this can make it very warm.
Avoid overcharging the battery
Many E-Bike users tend to, after their ride, put their bike on charge and just leave it there charging until the next use. This makes the battery warm and actually damages it if left too long.
Most modern bikes have overcharge protection, which will cut the charger off when the bike is full. Some older E-Bikes don’t have this protection, unfortunately. The longest charge you give the bike should be roughly 12 hours, in my opinion.
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How Much Does an E-Bike Battery Cost to Replace?
E-bike batteries are not cheap, and you can find yourself very surprised at the cost of them. Sometimes they can be up to a third of the total cost of the bike.
When buying a replacement battery for your bike, you’re going to be looking at a spend of about $500 to $900. When it comes to an electric bike’s battery paying a little extra for an official battery is worth doing.
Official batteries
When we talk about official batteries, we are talking about batteries directly from manufacturers. There’s a lot of technology that goes into making a battery. Because of this, they are at the higher end of the price range.
Unofficial batteries
You will often find cheap aftermarket batteries on the market that claim they will do the same as the manufacturer’s battery.
They are much more affordable, sometimes half the price, but unfortunately, in my experience, I have found them to be a bit of a letdown.
They don’t last as long when being used. The lifespan isn’t very good, and also, they don’t all have the protection features that official batteries have.
How Do I Know When I Need a New E-Bike Battery?
It can be challenging to know when to need a new battery. Typically you are going to want to look for a loss in performance.
Maybe the bike isn’t able to go as fast as it used to, you might find a loss in the battery life, and it is not able to go as far as it used to, and also you might get an error message on the bike screen.
There are many ways you will be able to tell, but the most important thing to look out for is just the bike not working as well as it should. I wouldn’t run it will a lousy battery, or this could lead to damage to the electric bike.
Conclusion
A good E-Bike battery will last more than 5 years and be able to go more than 800-1000 charge cycles. It will be able to give you more than 70 miles of assistance while in low power. The better you look after it, the more it will continue to work well for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do E-bike batteries last ok in winter?
Providing you store the e-bike battery well in a cool and dry place, will be absolutely fine. Make sure it’s not too cold, and you don’t leave it for an extended period of time.
What are the most commonly used batteries?
Lithium-Ion by far, roughly 97% of the market is lithium-ion batteries. The other 3% is an old lead and nickel batteries.
When coming to replacing my E-Bike battery, do I need a specific one for my bike, or are they all the same?
They are all very unique to the bike. An electric bike’s battery will be made to suit that kind of bike. An e bike’s battery is not typically interchangeable. You will need a specific battery for your bike.
Is it possible to charge an E-Bike’s battery faster?
Most lithium polymer batteries and e-bikes today charge pretty quickly and don’t take long periods of time. If you find it takes more than 6 hours, it might be time for a new battery. Some new bikes have fast charging, but typically it does need time.
