Battery Safety

Getting the Most Out of Your Battery

Electric Bikes are proving to be extremely popular methods of transport. But what are some things you can do to ensure you’re using and maintaining your electric bikes battery correctly? We recommend the following tips to ensure your battery life is maximised and any risk of failure is eliminated.

The Media Fuzz

As we have probably all heard in the media lately, is the growing number of stories around lithium battery fires. With this in mind theres a few things we need to consider that the media fails to disclose to us and it's important to understand exactly what are the actual causes of these!

In fact lithium batteries are still extremely safe to use providing they are given proper care (just like our phone or laptop) and fires are extremely rare cases typically speaking of which in reality are also very preventable!

In most cases, the common causes of fire are because of one or multiple of the following;

  1. Non Genuine Chargers - Use of aftermarket or non-genuine chargers that were not designed for the product or specified by the original manufacturer
  2. Exposure to Elements - Battery has had severe exposure to elements such as water, flood, heat or cold temperatures. In fact water damage is one of the most common causes of failure that is seen with reported battery fires
  3. Modification - The device has been modified with an aftermarket battery to try achieve more performance by using higher powered batteries that the device was first not designed for or the battery is not designed by the manufacturer
  4. DIY Customisation - Users attempting to customize the systems of the product in order to achieve more performance/range that was not designed or specified by original manufacturer to safely manage
  5. Grey Brand Imports - Resale of no name grey imported brands using poor quality components without any proper Certification or poor manufacturing giving low waterproof protection etc
  6. Over Charging - Leaving the charger running for extended periods even after the charge is complete or even left in hot spaces exposed to sun etc be sure to put your charger in a cool hard dry space
  7. External Damage - Devices having impact damage or thus other external means to battery or charger and not discontinuing use

Best Practice Tips:

  1. Place your battery on charge when it is Low (eg. 20%) never run it to empty

  2. To avoid overheating batteries, never overcharge your device - unplug the device asap once it is fully charged (when light turns GREEN on charger)

  3. Never store you bikes battery or charge in direct contact to sunlight or hot places - keep in cool dry place

  4. If you plan to not ride for extended periods of time, place your battery on charge once per month even if not used, this will keep your cells active

  5. Avoid excessive vibrations to avoid damage to the battery housing and or contacts

  6. Check the contacts regularly for damage, burn marks, foreign objects, strange electrical smells etc 

  7. Avoid charging your device on flammable materials, such as the bed, couch or on paper. Always place charger on hard dry surfaces

  8. Never allow your battery to get wet or be exposed to water/moisture

  9. Always use a genuine charger approved by the manufacturer, NEVER use an aftermarket or foreign branded charger

  10. If your battery or charger has been exposed to damage of any kind - discontinue use immediately and have inspected by a professional or dispose of safely

  11. Store them in a secure, dry, and cool place, and away from flammable materials or objects including metals

  12. If you notice signs that the battery has a problem, such as overheating, odors, leaks, or change in colour/shape, shut off the device and move it away from things that can catch fire. Dispose of immediately at a certified disposal site

  13. To properly dispose of lithium batteries, take them to a battery recycling location or contact your local waste management service provider for disposal instructions. Never throw in a general waste bin.

    Here at Ampd Brothers we only ever use the best brands and certified components on our products so you can rest assure, along with all of our customers that you are buying the safest products on the market!

    For more information on how to get the most life out of your lithium battery Checkout this Article.