E bikemotion charging

Electrically assisted bikes, trikes, etc. that are legal in the UK
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Paul A
Posts: 132
Joined: 5 Feb 2007, 11:43am
Location: Chester UK

E bikemotion charging

Post by Paul A »

I'm just beginning to use my new Bianchi e-impulso bike with its Malhe set up.
It's probably a question asked many times before but is it better to keep them battery topped up with charge or to more or less discharge it before topping it up?
Last edited by Paul A on 11 Apr 2023, 11:12am, edited 1 time in total.
richtea99
Posts: 93
Joined: 30 Jun 2020, 9:56pm

Re: E motion charging

Post by richtea99 »

The ideal battery storage level is between 20-80% for extended storage and, if need be, then top it up before you go out for a ride.
The bit I don't know is 'before a ride', but I'm assuming charging it the night before is fine. I believe it's leaving the battery highly charged/flat for many days/weeks that degrades it.

See advice here from Ribble who have the same Mahle / ebikemotion system:
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/blog/car ... les-guide/

You can actively run the battery down to below 20% on a ride without damage - just remember to charge it back up to 20%+ before stashing it away for a week or two.

I've had my ebikemotion bike for 3 years and I've not noticed any drop in storage capability yet.
peterb
Posts: 392
Joined: 2 Dec 2017, 10:13am

Re: E motion charging

Post by peterb »

As above, ideally 20% - 80%.
My Orbea Gain is coming up to 4 years old this summer. Some months from new, after returning from a long ride I recharged the battery to 100% in readiness for a ride the next day. Unfortunately due to the rapid overnight onset of a severe flu-like viral infection I was unable to ride again for over 6 weeks, and noted a drop in the predicted range shown on the app, and found the battery capacity had fallen by 10% to 225w. Since then I have not noticed any further drop. I try to keep the bike at 80%, topping up to 100% just before a ride, if required. Otherwise I try to operate within the 20% - 80% zone. I treat my Mahle X35 range extender similarly. I also try to store the bike above 50*F if possible.
dragonrider
Posts: 95
Joined: 21 Jun 2011, 10:17pm
Location: Harrogate

Re: E bikemotion charging

Post by dragonrider »

I have owned and used a Ribble SLE for more than 4 years. It was one of the first that Ribble manufactured. I love it! It has now done more than 15,000 miles. The battery is now dropping a bit on storage but not much. To counter a few urban myths about battery storage and use I can tell you the bike is stored and charged in a shed in North Yorkshire. So temperatures in that shed drop to outside temperatures after a while.

I have never fussed over charging it. Every time I ride it typically 30-50 miles and then I charge it straightaway and leave it charging until I remember to unplug it, often next morning. Then next time I get it out of the shed and ride it.

Honestly there are a load of urban myths going on. Mahle and the manufacturers of other e-bikes have built into the software that they won’t overcharge, and similarly they won’t go completely empty in use. The only time I have heard of a damaged battery is by leaving it flat, unused, over a long period in the winter.

How do people charge them to 80%? Do they keep trotting in and out to the shed/garage? Get a life folks! Stop fussing, and just get on and ride the damn thing.
peterb
Posts: 392
Joined: 2 Dec 2017, 10:13am

Re: E bikemotion charging

Post by peterb »

I'm sure you're right dragonrider, but after my experience described above I'm playing safe. You cannot always guarantee you will be able to use your bike fairly soon after charging it fully - I had intended to ride the following day but was out of action for over 6 weeks. I charge the bike to 80% using the app display. From experience I know the bike charges at just under 3% / 5 minutes, and also use a simple kitchen timer to alert me.
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bikes4two
Posts: 1306
Joined: 12 Jan 2010, 10:14pm
Location: SE Hampshire, UK

Re: E bikemotion charging

Post by bikes4two »

  • I'm with Dragon Rider on this one - assuming that you have a quality battery (ie. the Mahle one for instance) then plug it in after every ride and be happy that the BMS(Battery Management System) will prevent over-charging (and over discharging too).
  • If however you want to eke out your battery life to the nth degree, it does seem to be the case that there are things that can be done on the charging side that will increase the total number of charging cycles (aka the 'life' of the battery)
  • It can get very boring to read about these little tricks - some will find it interesting, others not and others who just get on and ride/use the blessed thing
  • The Battery University website HERE gives you some idea of said tricks, but be prepared for a bit of a read!
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Without my stoker, every trip would only be half a journey
NickWi
Posts: 208
Joined: 28 Apr 2011, 8:14pm

Re: E bikemotion charging

Post by NickWi »

My Gain was five years old last month and still runs just fine and whilst I've washed, cleaned and maintained the bike myself it's never been near a dealer, it's running whatever software it came with and the battery is original.

As a general rule post ride I wash, clean and lube my bikes and keep them in good condition, and since getting the Gain, tend to plug it in to charge it after I've done that in readiness for the the next ride. About two years ago and due to an illness I had about a year of not riding at all (and both the bike & ranger extender were fully charged) and no harm seems to have been done. The OEM batter is 5years old now and as you'd expect with any Li battery has lost a small amount of capacity, but it's not a worry. I have a range extender and If I know I'm going out for a rider of 30miles+ I take that with me. Bottom line, to me anyway. Life's to short to worry about the intricate technicalities of battery storage & charging and even if storing incorrectly has degraded the battery slightly, it's by such a small amount I don't notice it. I still ride my Gain as a electrically assisted bike, not an electric bike. The main drive comes from me and I appreciate the assistants on the hills and headwinds rather than needing it on the flat.

Changing the subject, looking back at 5yrs worth of Gain ownership. My Gain started life as an Aluminium framed D20 with a Sram 1x11 Gravel set up and obviously things have changed on newer models, but in no particular order a few thoughts.

1. The first thing I did was dump the OEM tyres. It was like riding through treacle. I thought I'd appreciate the softer ride of the larger gravel tyres. NO. Putting on some decent road tyres and they made a world of difference to both the ride and range.
2. Paintwork is sh*t. It chips way too easily. Catch the frame with a lock, lean it against one of the other bikes, you name it it chips, not scratches, chips.
3. Rest of the kit is really good though. In my case it's Sram Rival 1x11 with disc brakes. Apart from having to replace the chain everything else has just works and continues to do so. After this length of time/miles, I've never even had to tweak a spoke!
4. The first Range Extender went back under warranty as it was causing the pink/purple error message. The replacement didn't and three years on and counting later is fine.
5. I've added a rack & mudguards to mine and to all intent & purpose looks like your ubiquitous tourer, albeit bright Orange. That suits me fine and to this day I still get people asking me 'is that an e-bike?'.
6. Going back to the main point of this thread, as mentioned above I haven't been particularly caring with battery power percentage / storage ratio, and you know what, it doesn't seemed to have mattered.
Airsporter1st
Posts: 784
Joined: 8 Oct 2016, 3:14pm

Re: E bikemotion charging

Post by Airsporter1st »

dragonrider wrote: 24 Apr 2023, 5:40pm I have owned and used a Ribble SLE for more than 4 years. It was one of the first that Ribble manufactured. I love it! It has now done more than 15,000 miles. The battery is now dropping a bit on storage but not much. To counter a few urban myths about battery storage and use I can tell you the bike is stored and charged in a shed in North Yorkshire. So temperatures in that shed drop to outside temperatures after a while.

I have never fussed over charging it. Every time I ride it typically 30-50 miles and then I charge it straightaway and leave it charging until I remember to unplug it, often next morning. Then next time I get it out of the shed and ride it.

Honestly there are a load of urban myths going on. Mahle and the manufacturers of other e-bikes have built into the software that they won’t overcharge, and similarly they won’t go completely empty in use. The only time I have heard of a damaged battery is by leaving it flat, unused, over a long period in the winter.

How do people charge them to 80%? Do they keep trotting in and out to the shed/garage? Get a life folks! Stop fussing, and just get on and ride the damn thing.

I’m relieved to read this - my thoughts entirely and I treat my Orbea Vibe the same way.
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