Get to know your ebike battery!
The “power” in Rad Power Bikes comes from a lithium-ion battery -- a lightweight, energy-dense alternative to the lead-acid batteries you’d find in most cars.
Like any battery, there are a few important things you can do to maximize its life, especially during the winter months when you may be putting your ebike away until spring.
Here’s how you can keep riding Rad for years to come:
1. Avoid excessive heat.
Just because you may like to be toasty during the winter doesn’t mean your battery does.
Warmer temperatures can wear down the components that are used to generate power for your ebike, effectively leading to premature capacity loss.
Ideally, batteries should be stored at room temperature, charged between 50 °F – 77 °F, and kept well away from heat sources and out of direct sunlight at all times.
Also, for those of us in particularly cold climates, try not to ride below -4 °F either. That'll damage your battery too.
2. Unplug the Charger Once Your Battery is Fully Charged
Charging the battery from completely empty to completely full typically takes between 3–7 hours (this applies to both our Standard and Slim battery packs.)
The charger is designed to stop charging automatically when the battery is fully charged. Nevertheless, we recommend you disconnect the battery from the power source and charger as soon as possible once charging is complete. As with any appliance, you should unplug your charger when you’re not using it to charger your battery. This will also prevent range decline from unnecessary charging.
When you’re charging up for a ride, keep an eye on the red and green light indicators on the charger. Remove the charger from the battery as soon as you see both a red and green light.
3. Recharge your battery any time it completely runs out of juice.
Okay, so now that you know not to keep it fully charged while you’re not using it, you might be tempted to let it drain completely before storing it away.
This is also not a great idea.
Your battery may seem pretty quiet, but it has a lot going on under the surface. It contains a management system that needs to draw at least some energy at all times to monitor the internal state of the battery.
The system will turn your electric bike off before it drops below an unhealthy voltage, but if it is not recharged soon after, the continuous draw can drop the battery below a healthy voltage. Once it hits that point, you'll have an unchargeable, unusable battery.
Keep it around that 75 percent range and you should be A-OK!
4. Use the charger that comes with your battery.
We’re not trying to trick you into relying on our products. Sticking with our battery charger is honestly one of the most important steps you can take to keep your battery healthy.
The battery and charger are designed to work together. The battery manufacturer has tested the heck out of charging the battery using the charger they created to do exactly that job. Switching it up could result in it being charged too fast, which will heat up your battery. And as we now know, too much heat can land your battery in trouble. You could be looking not just at capacity loss, but major unrepairable, damage to the battery.
5. Treat your battery like it’s expensive (because it is)!
This may surprise you considering how snazzy our rides look, but the battery pack can be the most expensive component on any ebike. Considering it’s one of the key parts that keeps your electric bike from being, well, just a bike, it’s important to keep this in mind.
With just a little bit of care, your battery can keep chugging along, which in turn, will keep you on the road and getting the most out of your ride.
And as always, don't be afraid to check your owners manual for any further questions! Your battery will thank you.
