In This Guide You Will Learn:
If your battery is overheating or seems to run out faster than usual, it is your cue to take precautions and check your eBike’s battery health. Just like any other battery-powered devices, your eBike’s battery health can have a considerable impact on the overall performance of your e-bike.
Luckily for you, checking your eBike’s battery health has been made easier with the help of some simple techniques. We will take you through the process of using all the techniques to help your battery give optimal performance and last longer.
Signs of a bad eBike battery
Here are some of the signs that your eBike battery is not giving its best performance:
- Your battery is overheating quickly
- It is unable to hold a charger
- It is running out faster
- It has a weak connection with the motor
Check your eBike battery health by a road test
The best way to test your eBike battery health is to do a road test. Testing your battery in a real-life road test will reveal the actual range of the eBike battery.
However, you need to take care of the following factors when you take your electric bike for the road test. Let’s take a quick look at them:
Battery should be fully charged
It is essential to ensure that your battery is fully charged. We would recommend you to put your eBike battery on charging overnight before you go for the test. In this way, you will make sure that your battery is ready for the road test and know what performance you can expect when it has maximum charging.
2. Calculate the original capacity of your battery
If you are looking for an easy way to check the original capacity of your battery, you can use a simple equation for calculations.
Battery Voltage*Amps=Watt-hours. For instance a battery of 52V with a 10 amp\HR will give you the capacity of 520 Watt-hours.
After calculating the battery capacity, the next step is to find out its range. You can check the average range on the ebike controller screen which shows you average watt-hr per mile. Usually, the average Watt-hours per mile with pedal assistance is within the range of 15 to 20 Watt-Hrs.
However, if you are relying on the throttle, it will increase your average range from 20 to 25 to 25 Watts. Once you divide the total capacity of the battery with average watt-hours per mile, it will give you the battery range.
For example, 520/20 will give you 26 miles.
3. Go for a real-life road test
Once you are done with the battery charging and calculating the original capacity and range of your electric bike’s battery, you are all set for the road test. You can now test your bike on the road and check its performance.
4. Testing process
While conducting the road test, make sure you are taking your eBike on a flat road. Choosing a hilly area or a difficult terrain could affect the final results of your test. Another important consideration while choosing the road is to ensure that it is free of any traffic congestion. It will ensure that the capacity of the battery is used on the miles without any stops in between.
Moreover, it would be preferable to do the test on a day with mild weather. It should not be too chilly or blistering hot as temperature conditions can greatly impact your battery performance.
You should ride your bike at maximum speed until the battery completely finishes.
5. Road testing Verdict
After you have finished your test, how do you tell if your battery life is good or bad?
taking into consideration the average original capacity for your eBike battery. The best way to tell how good your eBike battery is, here’s another simple equation you can follow.
Total distance covered by your eBike during the road test*100/original capacity of the battery
Let’s follow our previous example and assume we covered 20 miles and the original capacity was 26 in our road test. In this case, the total percentage of our battery health equals 76.9 percent.
Test your ebike battery with a multimeter
Before you try to test your e-bike’s battery life and performance using a multimeter. A multimeter is an electric instrument that measures various electric properties. When you connect the multimeter to your battery, you will obtain these readings which will tell your e-bike‘s battery health. There are a variety of multimeters available in the market. So make sure you get your hands on an easy to read multimeter from any online store.
When you are working with multimeters, you should take some precautions since you will be working with electricity. It would be best if you consult your multimeter manual for all the precautions and safety guidelines to mintage any risks of shocks or electrocution.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use a multimeter:
- Remove your eBike battery from the frame.
- According to your battery type and model, you can easily find the positive parts and negative parts of your battery.
- Switch on your multimeter
- Make sure it is set to DC mode
- The black part which indicates the negative side of the battery should be connected to the negative probe.
- The red part of the battery which indicates the positive part should be connected to the positive probe.
You can also take help from your manual for further assistance. Once you have connected your multimeter with the battery, note down its battery voltage, its current and resistance readings to know the battery health.
1. Reading the voltage
Turn on the volts function on your multimeter to read the voltage readings. Voltage reading tells you the capacity of your battery. If you have charged your battery and the voltage reading aligns with the specs of your e-bike battery, it means your battery is good to go. However, if it goes below the range shown in your manual, it is an indication of a failing battery.
2. Reading the current
The next reading that you should check is, testing the current. The current reading tells you the flow of electricity in your battery. It also tells you the total power discharged per hour. The specifications of your battery shows you current in amp-hours i.e. current over time. Hence, you are looking at the duration of your battery life. For instance, if your battery shows you a reading of 18 amp-hours, it means it can deliver 18 amps in one hour.
However, if your multimeter shows you a weaker reading than the specifications of your battery, it means the battery is getting weak. It is simply a sign when your battery is about to lose its ability to render adequate power.
3. Reading the resistance
Next comes the final step which is measuring the resistance of your battery. Resistance measures the resists against the flow of electricity. Resistance has a direct impact on the current and is measured in ohms. But lucky you, you can forget all the physics and maths here and directly use a multimeter to check the resistance reading. If you have a high resistance, it is an indication of overheating issues in your battery. Higher resistance also means you will have a hard time charging your battery.
Other ways to determine your battery’s health
Some other ways that could directly help you to determine the battery health of your electric bike. One of the direct ways to do this is by checking your battery’s temperature when you are charging your battery. If the temperature rise is the same as usual, you don’t need to worry. However, if the temperature is extremely hot, it means there are issues with your battery’s health and performance. In this case, we would recommend you to change the charger first. If your battery works well with the other charger, It is all good to go once again.
Another way to determine your battery health is by using a spare battery and comparing your current battery performance with the spare one.
Final Words
All in all, checking your battery health is crucial to ensure its longevity and optimal performance. If you want to make the most of your battery, you can go for the road test or buy a multimeter to examine and maintain your eBike battery’s health. If your battery health is declining, you should instantly replace it.
Looking for excellent e-transportation services and aftercare? Look no further. Emotis takes care of all your e-mobility needs. Connect with us today!
By Sandra
Sandra is a freelance writer and author at Emotis who provides accurate information on the web on a wide range of interests. She takes special interest in electric bikes and e-mobility transportation issues.
