If you were to ask e-bike enthusiasts what’s the priciest part of an electric bike, most would agree on the battery or the motor. Not only are these parts the most complicated, and therefore the priciest, but also the most common to break and malfunction. That’s why investing in a good, high-quality model makes all the difference.
When you find out more about the topic of battery cost, we assure you that you’ll want some extra tips and tricks about bike battery maintenance. That’s why, besides answering today’s main question, we provide some maintenance tips and solutions to common battery problems.
How Much Do E-bike Batteries Weigh?
If you have previously wondered what the ideal bike battery weight is, don’t worry - you’re not alone. Many wonder whether the battery’s weight indicates the battery quality and whether there’s a “sweet spot” of pounds that we’re aiming for.
To answer the main question - electric bike batteries weigh anywhere from 10 pounds to 20 pounds, which is about 5 kilos to 9 kilos. To be more precise, a standard 48 V, 15 A battery stands at around 10 pounds or 5 kilos. The weight of the battery goes up as the voltage does, and the capacity goes up. A few models weigh only 7 pounds, about 3 kilos, but these are reserved for city bikes for kids and teens.
To conclude, battery capacity is proportional to the weight, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality is proportional to the weight too. Quality is a pretty loosely defined term, and if you correlate quality to capacity, then yeah, higher quality is higher weight. However, we’d say you have to learn more about how bike batteries are built to conclude whether this is a true statement.
Read more: E-bike conversion kits
Battery Maintenance Tips
If you want to ensure your battery lives up to its estimated “lifetime,” you have to learn about proper maintenance. Here are some of the best tips and tricks you need to learn about battery maintenance.
Where do you keep your battery? Storage temperatures are more than important when it comes to your battery’s lifetime. So not only do you need to take care of the temperature of the room your bike’s stored in, but you also get to discover a bit more about mounting options that suit your bike’s components best.
Keep it charged. If you have a Lithium battery, you might want to keep it fully charged at all times. If you continuously use the bike’s battery and, at some point, it gets fully discharged, you’re reducing the battery’s capacity. This is also known as flattening the battery.
Keep your battery clean and dry. Wet batteries engage in a process called oxidation, and this can also lead to corrosion. So make sure that you take some extra care of the battery after a ride in the rain, and investing in an emery cloth might be a really good idea too.
Do not play “Bob the Builder.” Opening the battery and aiming to fix it on your own is not the best idea. The complex system in the battery can easily be broken, damaged, or exposed to harmful chemicals and materials. Instead, make sure to bring your battery to the nearest bike repair station to get it checked out professionally.
Conclusion
Electric bike batteries are quite pricey. In addition, they make up a large chunk of the bike’s weight, and they can be up to 20 pounds heavy (9 kilos). Therefore, proper maintenance is very important, and taking care of your bike’s battery by following the above-mentioned simple tips makes a big difference.