eBike in vacation home, what to do with charging?

[glenna]

I am planning on buying an e-bike (battery is NOT removable) for a location that I am not living at all the time.
I will be away for 3-4 months at a time.
Other than having a friend periodically charge my battery, does anyone know of another solution?

Thanks.

 

[HumanPerson]

If you're gonna be gone that long from the residence and ebike i'd set it at around 45% charge then
have your friend just check on your place.

After you get back to said residence just fully charge it up and let the cells balance.
Then you're good to go

Hope this helps.

Welcome to our humble home, by the way


HP

 

[Thylacine]

Use a (some) battery tender(s) and maybe a pair or more of battery equalizers:

Battery Chargers

Battery Tender® battery chargers charge and maintain your vehicle's battery leading to a four times longer battery life.

www.batterytender.com

Amazon.com: Mazava Battery Equalizer LCD Display Battery Voltage Balancer Battery Bank Extend Battery Life Support Gel Flood AGM Lithium Battery Balancer12V 24V 48V 96V

Amazon.com: Mazava Battery Equalizer LCD Display Battery Voltage Balancer Battery Bank Extend Battery Life Support Gel Flood AGM Lithium Battery Balancer12V 24V 48V 96V

www.amazon.com

oh... and get out your wire cutters and put on your thinking cap..

This article may yield insight:

What A Good Idea : Long-Term Lithium Pack Storage Without Incurring Non-Recoverable Losses

Remember the good old days of Lead Acid when you could just throw your car batteries on a $12 float charger and then forget about them for years? How I long for those days. Welcome to the new era o…

electricbike-blog.com

 

[Thylacine]

Hi Glenna. Does the home the bike is at have internet? If so, a remote controlled outlet may be adequate if the battery charging dongle is smart enough to just do its job without any button pushing...

'HumanPerson' aired a decent suggestion NOT to fully charge said cells and/or battery pack to 100%. Many and several variables can assidentally cause overcharging which can stress cells and decrease service life, among other factors..

 

[Thylacine]

Black100 makes a good point. Avoid the hassle and buy an eBike with a removable battery.

 

["A"]

As long as your battery is kept above 50 degree F, you should be fine for 3-4 months between charge.
The heat (above 90 degree F) doesn't bother the batteries for storage, but the cold really shorten the battery life.

 

[Hoggdoc]

If you're gonna be gone that long from the residence and ebike i'd set it at around 45% charge then
have your friend just check on your place.

After you get back to said residence just fully charge it up and let the cells balance.
Then you're good to go

Hope this helps.

Welcome to our humble home, by the way


HP

I agree with most of this accept I would store battery at 60%. This all assumes we are talking about Lithium batteries. If it a lead acid battery get a quality "Battery Tender" and leave it plugged in all the time.

 

[CloneWerks]

SOP for Li-Ion and Li-Po battery packs

1. Do your long-term storage at or near 50% charge.
2. Check the charge after about 60 days (these types have a small self-discharge rate)
3. Do NOT charge a cold or very hot battery, try to bring it to "shirt-sleeve" temperatures first

 

[CloneWerks]

Hi Glenna. Does the home the bike is at have internet? If so, a remote controlled outlet may be adequate if the battery charging dongle is smart enough to just do its job without any button pushing...

'HumanPerson' aired a decent suggestion NOT to fully charge said cells and/or battery pack to 100%. Many and several variables can assidentally cause overcharging which can stress cells and decrease service life, among other factors..

Wow, that remote plug is even fancier than the thing I use to ensure that my charger never goes longer than 5 hrs.

 

[rbrsddn]

Wow, that remote plug is even fancier than the thing I use to ensure that my charger never goes longer than 5 hrs.

Solar charger. Problem solved... First Post

 

[HumanPerson]

Solar charger. Problem solved... First Post

Welcome to our humble home

Boost charge controller? I use MPPT with 4 100w solar panels. I set at 4 amps and harvest free range wattage from the sun at least once per month.

Good stuff right there the Sun is

 

[Rockbike]

As long as your battery is kept above 50 degree F, you should be fine for 3-4 months between charge.
The heat (above 90 degree F) doesn't bother the batteries for storage, but the cold really shorten the battery life.

This is incorrect. Lithium ion batteries store even better in the cold, as long as it's above freezing. It's best to warm them to at least 60F before discharging them or 70-80F before charging but these are merely optimum temperatures and higher or lower will not ruin them, merely shorten their life a little faster.

At 35F, a lithium ion battery charged to 60% can be safely stored for a year or more if there is no vampire drain on it.

 

[Vaf513]

I am planning on buying an e-bike (battery is NOT removable) for a location that I am not living at all the time.
I will be away for 3-4 months at a time.
Other than having a friend periodically charge my battery, does anyone know of another solution?

Thanks.

You can leave the bike even up to 6 months as long as climate in house is in the 50s to 60s. Very important though leave the battery at 50 percent charge. Don't charge or tender while your gone. Just leave battery at 50 percent and it will be the best thing for battery. Should always be stored at 1/2 full

 

[JerryB]

Just saw this thread for first time.....I didn't know they made ebikes with non removable batteries......I am fairly new to ebikes.....my question....what do you do when that battery is shot.....throw the bike away??

 

[Vaf513]

Well when they say non removable they mean they don't pop out with a key and a lever. They mean you have to turn your bike over. Grab an Allen key or screwdriver to get the battery out.

 

[JerryB]

Well when they say non removable they mean they don't pop out with a key and a lever. They mean you have to turn your bike over. Grab an Allen key or screwdriver to get the battery out.

Thanks for the clarity.....makes sense. With that said......the original poster can remove the battery for storage....sounds like it just takes a little more effort......that's a good thing.

 

[mtogo]

I am planning on buying an e-bike (battery is NOT removable) for a location that I am not living at all the time.
I will be away for 3-4 months at a time.
Other than having a friend periodically charge my battery, does anyone know of another solution?

Thanks.

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR EBIKE CHARGING FOR MORER THEN TWO DAYS. COULD CAUSE A FIRE!

 

[Capt Kirk]

Just a suggestion, but as a Electrician, if something can go wrong, it will. Leaving a Lipo or lithium ion battery connected to a unattended charger in a vacation home is just asking for trouble. The battery as mentioned is removable, it just takes a bit more effort to remove and re-install in the bike. Pretty sure if there is a resultant house fire, the investigation will concur that the cause of ignition will trace back to the battery in question, and may void your coverage. The wifi outlet "could" malfunction and stay on, or off, the battery itself could be defective, with an internal short causing a uncontrollable high intensity fire. If you fly to this vacation home most airlines will not allow a lithium battery on the plane, but they can be sent by a shipper prior to taking your flight, just be sure to inform them of the contents

 

[Calsun]

My lithium e-bike batteries will hold a charge for 90 days or longer. It takes less than 2 hours to get mine back to a full charge.