What do you to winterize your e-bike?

[Tricia]

We didn't do anything special for our e-bikes last year when we put them away for winter, but I thought I heard somewhere that you need to do something specific for the longevity of the battery to get them ready for winter hibernation.

Anyone have insights on that?
@newfydog You have a ton of experience with e-bikes. Any wisdom?

 

[scott43]

Put Stabil in the gas so it doesn't go..oh wait, e-bike...the OTHER motorized vehicle...

I'd find a suitable float charger to keep it charged at a certain level. You don't want full charge or empty charge. You want it to charge up to say 70% then discharge to say 30%. Repeat. Li-Ion batteries prefer this type of cycle, not just sitting empty or fully charged. If you can't find an automated one, just be diligent and charge it yourself at some interval to simulate this type of charging cycle.

 

[newfydog]

We didn't do anything special for our e-bikes last year when we put them away for winter, but I thought I heard somewhere that you need to do something specific for the longevity of the battery to get them ready for winter hibernation.

Anyone have insights on that?
@newfydog You have a ton of experience with e-bikes. Any wisdom?

I ride it all winter----the battery really helps power through the snow. Now, we have another set in storage in France, which we have not seen since well before the pandemic started. I worry about them, but mostly I picture congealed, dried up tire sealant. We have left them for a year before, and found they were fine when we returned. Shimano recommends leaving the battery 3/4 charged for extended storage. It will be interesting to see the level if we ever get to fly over there again. I can't remember what the level was after a year, but they charged up and ran like new.

 

[Philpug]

I ride it all winter----the battery really helps power through the snow. Now, we have another set in storage in France, which we have not seen since well before the pandemic started. I worry about them, but mostly I picture congealed, dried up tire sealant. We have left them for a year before, and found they were fine when we returned. Shimano recommends leaving the battery 3/4 charged for extended storage. It will be interesting to see the level if we ever get to fly over there again. I can't remember what the level was after a year, but they charged up and ran like new.

Ours will be parked in an unheated area, I will probably keep the batteries inside through.

 

[firebanex]

Ours will be parked in an unheated area, I will probably keep the batteries inside through.

Not that I own an ebike, but I do have an RV and a bunch of battery powered yard equipment. Batteries come inside for winter storage and the tool gets left outdoors. Learned it from my Dad and it's never caused him issues and hasn't caused any issues for me yet either.

Lithium batteries only lose something like 1.5% charge a month, so maybe checked it after a month or more and see what's up charge wise and charge if need be.

 

[Andy Mink]

For Bosch, 68°-70°, store at 2 or 3 lights (30%-60% charge), after 3 months hook it to the charger for about 20 minutes to stimulate the cells. I imagine most or all lithium cells are similar.