Caring for your battery is one of the best things you can do for your UBCO vehicle. So here’s our most valuable tips to extend and protect the lifecycle of your battery — to keep you cruising for longer.
UBCO bikes are powered by a large lithium-ion battery — sturdy and robust enough to do the hard yards. But like with any battery, it’ll gradually degrade and reduce in charge capacity over time.
For UBCO riders, our app shows you the general health of your battery with an indication of the charge level. Depending on the battery, it will usually take 4 to 6 hours to charge the battery from flat to full.
Battery performance and lifespan is dependent on many factors from everyday usage to environmental conditions. However, the depth of discharge (battery % drained), and how it is used will always affect the battery performance. For normal use, an UBCO battery should run at prime performance for 800 full discharge cycles (meaning from 100% to 0% charge) or about five to six years, before you may notice a slight decrease in capacity.
But there are ways you can maintain your battery performance for longer.
Here are UBCO’s top care techniques that everyone should know about:
1. Ride, ride and ride
As they say with any car, using your UBCO bike on a regular basis will help keep your battery in good health.
2. Charge often
Partially charge your battery at least once a month to ensure the health of the power supply — even if you haven’t ridden your bike in a while.
BATTERY FACTS
Myth: You should use your battery to zero before recharging, or else the charge capacity will reduce.
Fact: Wrong! Battery Memory is an old school battery problem. You can charge your UBCO battery at any time without impacting the battery health.
3. But, store with average charge
However, if you aren’t planning to use the vehicle or you’re going to let it sit for over a month, ensure it has between 50% to 90% charge before packing it away. Storing the battery with either too full or too low a charge can accelerate cell damage, reducing the battery life and capacity.
Remember to avoid charging to full 100% before storing the vehicle long-term. If you need to reduce the charge, you can always take it out for a spin.
4. Unplug from the vehicle
If you are storing your UBCO for a significant period of time, unplug your charging cable from the battery, and unplug the battery from the bike until you’re ready to use it again. This will prevent overcharging or accelerated over-discharge of the battery.
5. Battery safety mechanisms
With connectivity through cloud software, if any technical faults are detected within UBCO batteries, the vehicle will produce an error code, preventing it from being ridden until you identify and resolve the fault. Make sure you have the latest battery management systerm (BMS) update via your UBCO App.
6. Store it well
Lithium batteries generally don’t do well in sub-zero or hot conditions when not being used. Best practice is to store your battery in a dry area, out of direct sunlight and replace it in the vehicle when you are ready to use it.
7. Temperature management while charging
You should also avoid charging your battery in temperatures below zero degrees or above roughly 30°C, as this will accelerate degradation of the battery's capacity.
8. Check the condition of rubber port covers
UBCO battery ports have rubber covers to protect them from the elements while adventuring outdoors. Ensure you regularly inspect these covers, and if damaged, replace them before jumping on your next ride.
9. Battery damage
UBCO bikes and batteries are built for the toughest of conditions, and while they’re not easily damaged, ensure you regularly inspect your battery for any cracks, dents, or damage that may compromise the battery. If you have any concerns, have it checked out by your local service agent.
Our batteries are waterproof to IP 66 - however when cleaning, avoid aiming water directly at the battery ports and ensure the vehicle’s power plug is plugged in to the battery.
Taking care of a battery is like taking care of a living thing. You have to continuously feed the battery by charging it, but it’s a delicate balance with not overfeeding it as well. So care for your battery and you’ll be enjoying the UBCO ride — hassle-free — for many years to come!
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your UBCO battery, contact us here.