Electric Bike Care and Maintenance

And hopefully yourself in the process

Battery care

Apart from the bike itself, the battery will be the most important thing to care for. And the best way to care for your battery is to buy a quality battery charger. Unfortunately, this typically translates to a more expensive battery charger. If you're using top-notch batteries, it makes sense to invest the money.

Sealed lead acid

If you use a sealed lead acid battery (SLA), then you haven't a lot to do. Charge it overnight make sure it's properly attached, and be on your way. After a certain number of charges, it'll stop working and you'll need to buy another. These batteries are heavy and take a longer time to charge (about 5 to 1 charge/use ratio) than other batteries. But they are easy to care for and relatively cheap.

Nickel metal hydride

Nickel metal hydride batteries (NiMH), on the other hand, can charge quickly but have a higher self-discharge (as high as 30% per month) rate than other batteries. Nickel based batteries prefer to be charged as fast as possible, so a good charger should be purchased. As this battery gets older, you'll probably need to fully discharge it before charging. Avoid high temperatures when charging (and in general).You also must be careful not to overcharge this battery, but this can easily be remedied by getting a smart charger. That said, it is still a bad idea to leave it plugged in for a long time.

Lithium-ion

Lithium-ion batteries (Li-ion) are increasingly popular due to their weight and slow self discharge rate (only about 5-10% a month). However, frequent full discharges are not great for your Li-ion battery's shelf life. Professionals recommend an intentional, full discharge once every 30 charges or so. When in storage, these batteries should be at about 40% charged. These general rules also apply to other types of lithium batteries.