Protecting the battery of your electric (cargo) bike against cold temperatures is important, as cold can reduce battery performance. This can reduce capacity, which in turn affects the range.
We would like to give you some tips on how to best protect your battery during temperatures below 5°C/ 41°F:
- Don't leave the battery in the bike. One of the best ways to protect the battery is to remove it from the bike when you are not cycling. Remove the battery and store it at room temperature when your bike is parked. So take the battery indoors, in the house or office if possible.
- Charge the battery at room temperature. If you need to charge the battery, do so at room temperature. Bring the battery inside and wait for it to warm up before you start charging.
- Avoid deep discharge. Try to avoid completely draining the battery in cold temperatures, as this can be permanently harmful and shorten the life of the battery. Therefore, charge the battery regularly, even if you have only done a short ride.
During cold days, allow for a loss in range of between 5% and 20%, in frosty conditions it can be as much as 30%. This is because the energy cells used do not do their job as well when it is cold. The energy flows through the system less easily, resulting in less power and a lower range. In fact, a good Battery Management System (BMS) itself ensures that less power is delivered in cold weather. Just to protect the battery. The same goes for charging time, which gets longer as the temperature drops.
It’s good to know that the effect of the reduced range is temporary, as the cells do not suffer permanently from the cold (as long as you observe the tips above). As soon as the temperature rises again, the range also increases again.
Did you know?
A bicycle battery performs best at temperatures between 10 and 25 degrees Celsius.