Riese & Müller Magazine: Battery maintenance in winter
20.12.2024 | Tech & Service
We are confident that your bike will tempt you to get out on your saddle in winter, too – which is why we have compiled here lots of useful information about your battery and how to look after it in winter.
Essential information about your e-bike battery
Almost all e-bikes get their power from lithium-ion batteries. This technology is user-friendly and practical. However, extreme temperatures put severe stress on the batteries and are the main cause of premature power loss. Your battery is a wear part, which is why we advise not subjecting it to unnecessary wear and tear. Your local specialist workshop will be able to read off the precise condition of your battery – this is known as a ‘health check’. Most of our customers achieve between 800 and 1,000 charging cycles, depending on how they maintain their bike. According to our service workshop, the range record with a first battery is held by a customer who has ridden 35,000 kilometres over four years on their Homage.
The ideal operating temperature for a battery is between five and 20 degrees Celsius. If the temperature falls below this level, the battery performance also drops. That is not a problem, but your e-bike’s range will also drop temporarily. Continuous exposure to lower temperatures will mean your battery will deplete faster than it does in summer. In our current drive system, the Battery Management System (BMS) software protects the battery from extremes – in other words, it cannot be charged below zero or above 40 degrees Celsius. Today’s drives also offer the intelligent Long Life Mode charging function, which protects the cells of the battery from overcharging, extending their service life. However, there are also other ways you can help your battery to ‘stay in good shape’ for longer.
Tips for riding in cold weather
Your individual riding style has a considerable impact on the range of your e-bike – as you will be aware from the summer. However, in winter it can also affect the condition of the battery. With a cold battery, we recommend setting off with minimal level of assistance, and not switching immediately to turbo mode. An insulating neoprene battery or frame cover can help to prevent the battery from cooling down as quickly between rides. You can also help to protect your e-bike battery in winter by keeping its charge level between 20 and 80 percent. However, as this reduces its effective range, we recommend taking your charger with you – or possibly having a second charger in your office or another useful location. If you are also planning long rides in winter, we recommend having an add-on battery (Range Extender), which will increase the battery capacity by 250 watt hours. If you often cycle in winter, you will be used to regularly cleaning and maintaining your bike – while doing so, check the battery’s contacts, and clean them if you need to.
Tips for storing and charging your bike
Never charge e-bike batteries at temperatures below five degrees Celsius. Most of our e-bike batteries can be removed (also for this reason), whether they are incorporated within the frame (as is the case with the Delite, Nevo and Charger) or installed on the frame (as with the Load and Carrie). We would advise taking your battery with you into the warmth when parking your bike for longer periods in the cold. That way, it will be at room temperature when you re-fit it just before setting off. Room temperature is also ideal for charging the battery. Therefore, we would advise you not to charge it immediately when you bring it in from outside – leave it to warm up a little first. If you own an e-bike without a removable battery (like our Culture with Bosch drive), we recommend charging it in your home, garage or basement, where it is not as cold.
Tips for storing your bike
If you wish to ‘hibernate’ your e-bike over the winter – even just during a longer holiday – we would advise removing the battery from the bike. Store it in a dry place, at a moderate temperature, not in direct sunlight, and also not in the direct vicinity of your heating system or flammable materials. Ideally, make sure that the battery is charged to between 30 to 60 percent and check this regularly if the battery if not being used for several months. By doing this, nothing will stand in the way of you setting off on relaxing trips in the spring.
By the way, the market leader Bosch has recently published a website on the issue of battery safety, which provides lots more useful information on this topic:
https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/service/battery-safety