How do you take care of a battery?
In today’s episode of Go By Bike, I talk about one of the most common myths of ebike batteries – the idea of battery memory. How do you take care of a battery and is it necessary to discharge it all the way sometimes? Listen in for an important lesson that could help you avoid costly battery damage.
-Elise
Go By Bike is a daily video series that talks about how to be green by riding more and using your car less, including electric bikes, electric kits, cargo bikes, bike safety, and getting motivated to bike
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The battery memory problem isn’t about needing to discharge a battery once in a while, it’s about the level of charge on the battery for long periods of time. Many types of batteries will “remember” how much charge is on them after sitting dormant, if it’s not the maximum charge, and it will be more difficult to charge it past that point the next time they’re charged, which is why batteries should always be charged fully before sitting for a while and discharged fully before longer storage. You shouldn’t just charge it up half way or use it partially and let it sit unused. This is why people completely discharge batteries when storing them, using a slow discharge device made just for this (to limit the effects mentioned in your video). This information comes to me from many people that use rechargeable batteries that may sit for a week or a month between use, to power various kinds of airsoft guns. The memory developed on some mistreated batteries can sometimes be removed by using a charger with a much higher voltage, but this is dangerous because over doing it can cause violent reactions.