Recharge a Lithium Ion Battery Every Day?
02-04-16, 08:08 PM
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Recharge a Lithium Ion Battery Every Day?
I am commuting to work on a cruiser that has a 20 amp hour, Li Ion battery that will go over 40 miles on a charge. I work less than 4 miles from my house, so I could conceivably commute every day and charge my battery only once a week. I thought that was cool, but I read somewhere online that you should charge your battery after every ride. I have read other conflicting information that says you should not do that. So, I'm now confused about taking the best card of my expensive battery.
Is it OK to run it all week on one charge?
Is it OK to run it all week on one charge?
02-04-16, 08:18 PM
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You have the luxury of keeping your battery within the 20%-80% charge that most feel will provide you with the best battery life. The problem is obtaining a charger that "stops" at 80% (think Luna Cycle has one), then using not past 20% (use a meter to determine usage, but for reference 175 pound rider, 50 pound bike, flat, no wind, 18-20 mph throttle only = 20-25 wh per mile).
Last edited by 2old; 02-04-16 at 09:38 PM.
02-04-16, 10:32 PM
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For maximum lithium-ion battery life:
- Don't discharge below 20% (some battery management systems will stop discharging if you hit 20% capacity)
- Don't charge to 100% unless you are actually going to need the range
- Especially don't use the charger to hold the battery at 100%
- Don't charge the battery if it is especially hot or cold
- Do recharge after discharging the battery a small amount rather than waiting until you've discharged it by a large amount
- Do charge the battery to only 80% capacity if you don't need the range (like 2old says, lunacycle.com sells chargers with controllable charge levels)
- Don't discharge below 20% (some battery management systems will stop discharging if you hit 20% capacity)
- Don't charge to 100% unless you are actually going to need the range
- Especially don't use the charger to hold the battery at 100%
- Don't charge the battery if it is especially hot or cold
- Do recharge after discharging the battery a small amount rather than waiting until you've discharged it by a large amount
- Do charge the battery to only 80% capacity if you don't need the range (like 2old says, lunacycle.com sells chargers with controllable charge levels)
02-05-16, 06:10 AM
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02-05-16, 08:39 AM
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Same here. Uphill all the way, but only 2-3 miles. Don't want to be all sweaty. Downhill all the way home, prolly won't use the assist. Weekend fun rides I will use my bent or my Cannondale. As for the charging question, I'm kind of in the same boat but my questions were already answered in my thread entitled "Charging Cycles." (its still on the main page) This is a fantastic forum. Everyone is intelligent and helpful.
