Levo Gen 3 my levo suddenly wont charge - because of the temperature?

[Razorx]

I went down to my cold storage? .. its like 23 degrees farenheit if my calculations is right.
I started the bike and it was at 23% so i decided to charge it cause i might wanna go biking in the afternoon.
Put in the charger and nothing happens.. The charger itself shows green light but nothing on the bike.

I removed the charger and tryed starting the bike... Now the bike wont even start.
Tryed everything all over again and no sucesss. Its a 2024 model...

Could it be the cold? its not even that cold i think.... What do i do? Suggestions?

 

[James_C]

why not just take the battery indoors and charge it once its warmed up.

 

[Razorx]

Seems to be a real hazzle to have to be doing that?!
If the cold is the problem... is that what people do? Take the bike inside to charge it during winter?

Removing the battery is not so easy so i would like to do it everytime i want to charge either during winter.

 

[Weeksy]

Then just take the bike somewhere warm and charge it and try and get it stated.. clearly that will answer the question easier than any other option?

 

[Razorx]

Hehe yes ill try that. I really hope this is not the solution for everytime i want to go riding during winter...
If the cold is what the problem is im a bit dissapointed.. its not even that cold.

last year i went biking more than every other day. So if i have to remove the battery to charge it everytime im not happy

Never had this problem with my old bosch cx... and rode alot colder tempreatures than this.

 

[Bazzer485]

There has been many problems in electric vehicles not changing at low temps. To remove the battery all you have to do is invert the bike or lay it on its side undo a single bolt to remove the battery, take it inside and charge it nonce it’s warm.
It doesn’t matter what brand of bike you have they all use lithium cells which will give low performance at low temps.
Who want to ride at 23 degrees and freeze your junk off?

 

[xtraman122]

Who want to ride at 23 degrees and freeze your junk off?

Plenty of us live in places where it gets cold in the winter, but as long as there’s no snow/ice you can still have an enjoyable ride, you just need the right gear. I just went on a great ride on Sunday where it was below freezing the whole time but a beautiful day outside otherwise. It’s ride in the cold or go months without riding for many of us.

 

[Razorx]

I ride all year round and enjoy it. Its alot of snow outside where i live so it gets cold...
Well the problem seems to be the cold. I removed the battery and i let it get warm and then it started charging.
Its not hard to remove the battery but to have to be doing that like everyday from now on sucks...

As i said its not even that cold!?
My old bosch i had for like 5 years and rode through alot colder days than this. Never had any problems.

 

[Bndit]

From Levo manual:

CHARGING TEMPERATURE
°C 0 — +40
°F +32 — +104

 

[Razorx]

Oh ok.. So zero degrees celsius.
Im gonna have to remove the battery for a few months every day from now on then .... to bad.

 

[johnnystorm]

Could you pop a cover over the bike and maybe wrap around a usb heated pet sleeping pad? Use some smart plugs to set the pad come on for an hour before the charger does?

 

[Mina08]

I have a small fan heater pointed at the bike when i charge it below freezing, and put the heater fan on 30mins before taking the bike out for ride, the battery takes 30secs to remove, 1 bolt.

 

[steve_sordy]

I had a similar problem with Shimano set up on my Focus Jam2. It was the charger that was the problem. Whenever the battery and charger were below 10degC, the charger refused to charge. If I kept the charger in the house, problem solved. But during the process of discovering what the problem was, I got my bike supplier involved (all still under warranty). Focus insisted on replacing the battery (despite me and the LBS having proved it was not the problem). The LBS gave me a new charger from a different batch and the problem stopped. People all over the world were having the same problems with the same batch of chargers that I was having problems with.

The amusing point was that Focus still believe that it was the new battery that solved my problem.

 

[Razorx]

I tryed that with just taking the charger inside... but that did not do the trick for me ... would have been alot easier

 

[timo2824]

Oh ok.. So zero degrees celsius.
Im gonna have to remove the battery for a few months every day from now on then .... to bad.

Wrap the down tube with an electric blanket while charging.

 

[Binhill1]

I take mine out and charge indoors 99 percent of time. If bike gets stolen they will need to buy a battery is another reason. Bike usually upside down to clean chain anyway so 20 seconds to take battery out.

 

[weihlac]

Don't charge a cold battery. It may permanently damage it if you try. Keep the battery warm before riding. Otherwise, your range will be reduced.
"Avoid exposing your batteries to extreme temperatures. Do not let them/the bike sit in direct sunlight for long periods of time or inside a car that heats up. In the cold season, keep your Turbo batteries at room temperature before riding in cold conditions – if the battery is not removable, keep your bike inside until you ride"

https://support.specialized.com/kb/sp_en-us/content/ECV3-4642/Bike-Status?query=what+is+a+charge+cycle

 

[Binhill1]

Don't charge a cold battery. It may permanently damage it if you try. Keep the battery warm before riding. Otherwise, your range will be reduced.
"Avoid exposing your batteries to extreme temperatures. Do not let them/the bike sit in direct sunlight for long periods of time or inside a car that heats up. In the cold season, keep your Turbo batteries at room temperature before riding in cold conditions – if the battery is not removable, keep your bike inside until you ride"

https://support.specialized.com/kb/sp_en-us/content/ECV3-4642/Bike-Status?query=what+is+a+charge+cycle

Charging temperature would be why I would always need a removable one . Shed not heated so i won't manage to get an Amflow .

 

[Mad_Angler1]

It's very common for any Lipo or Li battery system to restrict charging in low temps. Cold is the killer for any battery and the state of charge is just not accurate at lower temps.

Charging below 15c can bring issues let alone down to 0c.

Sadly it's nature of the beast.

 

[Turbo Mike]

Likely a SW switch for safety. See below.

Charging lithium-ion batteries in cold weather can be dangerous and cause permanent damage:

• Thickening electrolyte
  When temperatures drop below 32°F, the electrolyte inside the battery thickens, which can:
  
  • Reduce the battery's ability to deliver power
    
    
  • Cause lithium plating on the anode, which can lead to safety issues and permanent damage
    
• • Slowed chemical reactions
    Charging at temperatures below freezing slows down chemical reactions, which hampers energy production
    

To safely charge lithium batteries in cold weather, you can:

• • Warm the battery
    Allow the battery to warm up to at least 32°F before charging. You can use an external heater or a built-in heater.
    
  • Use a low charging current
    To reduce the risk of lithium plating, use a lower charging current.
    
  • Use a cold-weather charger
    Some chargers are designed for cold environments and have temperature sensors to prevent charging if the battery is too cold.
    
  • Use a battery management system
    A battery management system (BMS) with temperature monitoring can help ensure the battery isn't charged when it's too cold.
    
  • Store in a heated compartment
    Storing batteries in a heated compartment can help prevent cold weather from affecting them.
    
  • Use solar panels
    Solar panels can help keep your batteries charged, even in cold conditions.
    

The optimal temperature range for lithium batteries is -4°F to 140°F.

 

[RustyIron]

Cause lithium plating on the anode, which can lead to safety issues and permanent damage

Heyyyyy... I just asked an AI Program about this and got an almost identical answer. Are you the guy ChatGPT calls when it doesn't know the answer?

A couple weeks ago I was exploring a temperature problem. I found on Amazon some heating blankets that people use for small animal cages or for sprouting seedlings. A 10" x 20" blanket is rated at 20 watts, and the 20" x 20" is 40 watts. The blankets are really cheap. Keeping the battery at a constant temperature is far better than just bringing it indoors when you want to charge it. It might take hours for the inside of the battery to reach room temperature.

 

[Turbo Mike]

Heyyyyy... I just asked an AI Program about this and got an almost identical answer. Are you the guy ChatGPT calls when it doesn't know the answer?

A couple weeks ago I was exploring a temperature problem. I found on Amazon some heating blankets that people use for small animal cages or for sprouting seedlings. A 10" x 20" blanket is rated at 20 watts, and the 20" x 20" is 40 watts. The blankets are really cheap. Keeping the battery at a constant temperature is far better than just bringing it indoors when you want to charge it. It might take hours for the inside of the battery to reach room temperature.

No. The response made sense and was an internet search.

I am an aerospace engineer that worked on turbine engine controls.
Using SW to protect equipment and the user from hazards is common.