Battery charging question

[ptkatoomer]

Don't think this matters but I've got a Yt industries Decoy MX10. The manual says that I should expect to get around 1000 charging cycles out of the battery.
My question is this: Am I using up one of my "charging cycles" when I'm only topping off the remaining charge? In other words, say every ride uses up 2 1/2 bars (out of 5). Should I expect to get 2000 cycles out of the battery?
I'm just looking for the best way to optimize battery life.
Thanks.

 

[Bndit]

Charging cycle is from empty to full, so if you use half of the battery and charge it full, it`s half cycle.

 

[steve_sordy]

It can't hurt to discharge the battery and recharge to full once in a while, or is that old tech speaking?

 

[Gareth]

I'm just looking for the best way to optimize battery life.

I’d say don’t worry and just use it.

Try not to fully discharge it, and if you do, or it is below 30% charge after a ride get it straight on charge as soon as you can.

If you are not going to be using it for a few weeks try not to charge to 100%, try to leave it between 30 and 70%.

Another thing, according to the Bosch user guide, is to avoid is using the battery when it is cold. In other words, if the battery has been sitting at a low ambient temperature in your garage, bring it inside and let it warm up before use. Apparently they are OK to be stored and charged down to 0 degrees C, but using them from such low temperatures could cause damage.

If we get a cold spell round here (ie freezing weather for more than a couple of days) I bring my Cube battery into the house along with the Mondraker bike.

Bosch user guide is here - https://www.bosch-ebike.com/fileadm...de/Akku_Guide/Bosch-eBike-Akkuguide-EN-GB.pdf

 

[steve_sordy]

Same basic recco as @Gareth but my garage never goes below 6degC, so I leave the whole bike there. Also, I leave the battery between 50% and 80% for anything longer than overnight. I set a timer and charge to 100% before each ride.

 

[ciorbarece7]

Using the battery in cold weather conditions won‘t damage it, it just won‘t deliver the same range. From my experience when riding aroud freezing point you can expect around 10% less range.

From what I‘ve heard the battery should not be charged in cold temperatures if possible.

Also when the battery ist stored at „normal“ temperatures from my experience it‘s not a problem to charge it to 100% and leave it like that for al long time.

 

[Ark]

It can't hurt to discharge the battery and recharge to full once in a while, or is that old tech speaking?

its a waste of time, charging to 100% and letting the charger turn it self off once in a while is a good thing though.
at the very end the charger takes a long time to make sure all the cels are topped off to the same voltage.
Batteries should be stored between 40-60%

I don't think any of the ebike batteries self discharge to storage voltages, DJI drone batteries do it which is kinda cool.
they must have a tiny heating circuit inside that triggers to discharge the batteries

 

[Gareth]

Same basic recco as @Gareth but my garage never goes below 6degC, so I leave the whole bike there. Also, I leave the battery between 50% and 80% for anything longer than overnight. I set a timer and charge to 100% before each ride.

Absolutely ideal Steve.

Sadly, my garage has zero insulation, and basically it is at ambient temperature. So as a precaution during an extended cold period, such as just now, the batteries come inside. I’m just playing safe. That means a monster Mondraker in the hall just now. How did bicycles become so big?

I just charge to 100% after a ride, unless I don’t think I’ll use it in the next fortnight or more. The Cube battery is now almost 4 years old. No issues so far – don’t mention the bloody motor though.

Using the battery in cold weather conditions won‘t damage it, it just won‘t deliver the same range. From my experience when riding aroud freezing point you can expect around 10% less range.



From what I‘ve heard the battery should not be charged in cold temperatures if possible.

Have a read through the Bosch guide I linked to. Storage and charging down to 0 degrees C they say is fine. For cold use they recommend warming the battery before use (ie bringing it inside before use). And they recommend thermal protection for extended cold use.

I ride mine in sub zero conditions, but the battery is at inside temperature before the ride.

See under ‘Winter use’ page 27.

Anyway, the thing I do have issues with at the mo, are my GoPro batteries. Gopro just keeps shutting down with a perfectly good battery. I’m gonna keep spare batteries in my jacket pocket and rotate as required and see if that solves the problem. I think the GoPro batteries might just be poor on cold days.