What me worry?
Begin forwarded message: > From: ElectricBike.com <[email protected]> > Date: September 14, 2016 at 7:33:55 PM MDT > To: [email protected] > Subject: [New post] Ebike charging for long Battery life > > > New post on ElectricBike.com > > > Ebike charging for long Battery life > by Eric Hicks > ] > Ebike charging for long Battery life > > > So you want your battery to last a long time….remember that most people will > not ride their ebike 500 times in their lifetime….500 charges is the typical > lifespan of a 18650 ebike battery…. And 500 charges will take nearly anyone a > long time to get through….. So our first advice is not to worry about it and > ride it like you stole it. By the time your ebike battery is used up, there > will probably be some amazing technology around and you will want to replace > your old clunky battery anyway. Also most people will damage their ebike > battery from abuse (dropping etc) way before they use it up from natural wear > and tear. > > However it has been theorized that you can get up to double the life of your > batteries expected life, by taking care when charging. > > Simple Rule To Remember > > > Lithium batteries like to stay cool. If you want to make your battery last a > long time do not let it get hot, either in discharge or when charging. How to > tell if you battery is getting hot? just use the finger test and just put > your finger on it. Warm is ok…. Hot to the touch is bad and you are > shortening the life of your battery when you get it hot. > > Always Charge Slow When You Can > > > Ebike batteries prefer to be charged slowly…. The smaller the pack in amp > hours the slower they like to be charged. If you are concerned with battery > life don't buy the highest amperage charger you can find….just stick with a > low amperage (2-3 amps) charger, or go with an advanced smart charger which > can charge slow or fast with the turn of a knob. It's always good to charge > slow unless you are in a rush. (read more on the benefits of slow charging > here) > > When to charge? > > > You do not have to charge your battery after every ride…. These are not old > school lead acid packs that if you forget to charge you will shorten the life > of your pack…. Lithium batteries only need to be charged when needed. > > Where to charge? > > > All large lithium batteries are a potential fire risk and should be charged > in a safe place, preferably outside or in the middle of a garage floor Other > safe ways to charge an ebike lithium battery are in a fireproof bag, oven or > barbecue grill. (read this article on safe charging) Do not attempt > charging a battery you think is damaged. > > Never charge a lithium battery unsupervised inside a house or building. > > 80 90 100 percent Advanced Chargers > > > Consider buying a smart charger that will automatically automatically charge > your battery at 80, 90 or 100 percent, and only charge to 100 percent when > you are planning long ride. > > Chargers that do this include the Satiator and the Luna Advanced Charger. > > We know from research done by the auto industry that batteries live longer > lives when not charged to 100 percent every time ….but at the same time you > should charge your battery to 100 percent at least once in a while to ensure > its balance charged. > > Watch our video on the Luna charging station pictured above. > > Balance Charging an Ebike Pack > Balance charging is a function that is controlled by more advanced bms (read > article on bms) . What it does is when the battery has reached its peak > charge, the cells will slowly be balanced so each line of cells are at the > same voltage….this not only extends the range of your pack, it also extends > the life expectancy. Modern name brand 18650 cells are very good at staying > in balance, but should be charged to 100 percent once in a while to ensure > proper balance is kept. > > Know your high voltage cut off limit > Always use a charger that is designed for you pack. If you use the wrong > charger you not only risk the long life of your pack it can also become a > fire hazard. Make sure the charger’s maximum voltage matches the maximum > voltage of your pack. Here is an example of maximum charge voltage for > 18650 battery packs. If you do not know what your batteries maximum voltage > is find out...and write it on a label on the battery so you never forget. > > Here is an example of maximum voltages for popular luna cycle 18650 packs > > 10s (36v) - 42v max voltage > > 13s (48v pack) - 54.4v max voltage > > 14s (52v pack) - 58.8v max voltage > > Know your low voltage cut off limit > Knowing what your high voltage cut off and knowing what your low voltage cut > off is the clear way that you will start to understand your pack and how to > maximize its life, and also how to maximize your range when you need it. > > High voltage cut off > > Here is typical low voltage cut off of some popular 18650 packs. Low voltage > cut off will vary depending on which cells and which bms. > > 36v (10s) - 27.5 volts > > 48v (13s) - 36 volts > > 52 (14s) - 39 volts > > Storage of your lithium battery pack > > > Do not store your lithium batteries either fully charged or fully > discharged….but somewhere in the middle. If you have a smart charger we > recommend you charge to 80 percent and store there. > > If you are storing for a large period of time, charge it to around 50 percent > and keep it in a fire safe place. > > If you have to choose between storing your batteries empty or full….choose > full to keep the battery from drifting down to a level that it cannot be > safely charged. The bms will shut down and you can ruin your battery if the > battery drops below the low voltage cut off. The bms is the battery > management system that keeps your battery from overcharging or undercharging > and monitors the safety and health of your pack. (read more about ebike bms) > > Tools that can help you > > > Always have a handy multi meter around to monitor the health of your pack. > > You can also invest in a wattmeter, a Cycle Analyst, or a batt-man which will > also give you a fairly accurate voltage of your pack, and also give you a > good idea of the capacity of your pack in amp hours as your battery ages. > > It’s normal for a lithium battery to drop in both amp hours and max voltage > as it ages. > > Only buy ebike packs containing name brand and authentic 18650 cells > > > The last tip we will give you to maintain long life of your battery and the > safety of it during charging is when you purchase your battery pack make sure > that it is cells are made from a name brand Japanese or Korean company > (panasonic, samsung, lg, or sanyo) and that the cells are authentic. > > At this writing China is not good at making their own battery cells, although > they have proven they are good at rewrapping chinese cells to look like name > brands on the outside, or relabel them as name brands that boast ridiculous > impossible numbers. > > Buy your ebike battery from a source you trust, and preferably a USA > supplier. Of course i recommend Lunacycle.com for all your battery needs. > (disclaimer i am the owner of Luna Cycle). > > Eric Hicks | September 14, 2016 at 6:20 pm | Categories: Technical, > Uncategorized | URL: http://www.electricbike.com/?p=17758 > Comment See all comments > Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from ElectricBike.com. > Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. > > Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: > http://www.electricbike.com/ebike-battery-longevity/ > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
