Winter has come, and the lowest temperature is generally below zero, which is a test for electric cargo bikes. Many owners can also clearly feel that the endurance of electric bikes in winter will be greatly reduced, and the charging speed is also different from the usual. So some cargo bike owners recently asked me how long will it take for the electric cargo bike to be fully charged in winter? Will the charger continue charging after the green light is on? Now I will answer the questions.
How long will the electric cargo bike be fully charged in winter?
The power source of the electric cargo bike is the battery, so if you want to know how long the electric bike can be fully charged, you need to know how large the battery is carried by the electric vehicle. According to the characteristics of electric vehicles on the market, 48V12AH lead-acid batteries will be selected for general electric bicycles, 60V20AH lead-acid batteries will be selected for electric light motorcycles, and 72V32AH lead-acid batteries will be selected for electric motorcycles.
The calculation of battery charging time is also very simple. You can use the formula battery capacity/charging current. For example, the charging current of 48V12AH battery is about 1.8A, and the charging time is about 7 hours (12 ÷ 1.8). The same formula can also be used to calculate the remaining batteries. The charging time of 60V20AH battery is about 8 hours (20 ÷ 2.5), and that of 72V32AH battery is about 8 hours (32 ÷ 4).
It can be seen from the above calculation that under normal circumstances, it takes 7~8 hours for the electric cargo bike to fully charge, but it is now winter. The low temperature will reduce the battery’s activity, and the charging speed will also slow down, which will be 1~2 hours more than usual.
Will the charger continue to charge after the green light is on?
There are many kinds of electric bike chargers. Most electric vehicles use red and green indicator lights, that is, red lights represent charging, and green lights represent full charge. But some people will say that the charger is not fully charged after the green light is on. If the charger is not unplugged, there will still be current flowing in. Is this really true?
Most electric cargo bikes use three-stage chargers. The charging process is mainly divided into constant voltage, constant current and trickle current. The first two stages will be charged with large current. Usually, the green light will be on after the second stage. The intuitive perception of cargo bike owners is to fully charge. But in fact, after the green light is on, trickle charging is required to fully charge the battery with low current. Therefore, the charger will not be fully charged when the green light is on, and it will take a while to fully charge.
If the charger is not unplugged after trickle charging, will there be any current entering? Some maintenance technicians have also tested with professional instruments. Even those chargers with “automatic power-off” will find that after testing, there will be current after fully charging. If they do not pull out all the time, they will intermittently enter a small current. In this case, charging overnight will make the battery bulge.
How to extend the endurance of electric cargo bikes in winter?
In winter, the endurance of electric bikes will decline. Some cargo bike owners may suspect that there is a problem with the battery, but this is not the case. No matter lead-acid battery or lithium battery, its activity will decline at low temperature, so the battery capacity will decline significantly, and the battery capacity will be reduced by 30% – 50% after zero. So, is there any way to extend the endurance of electric vehicles?
There is no fundamental solution to the impact of low temperature on the battery, because this is the characteristics of the battery, and it will naturally recover after the temperature rises. However, when charging the electric vehicle, the owners can choose a place that is not ventilated, such as the garage, to try not to let the charging environment temperature be too low, so that the battery can charge more.
Finally, we should remind you that it is better not to charge electric cargo bikes indoors in a confined space. If there is an accident in the room, the damage will be huge. Therefore, even if the battery life is low, you should charge it outdoors.
summary
The performance of the battery is greatly affected by temperature, especially the low temperature, which will reduce the capacity of the battery, so the charging time will be longer, but the actual power is not high. If this happens, the cargo bike owners need not worry too much. As long as they do not overcharge or leave it unused for a long time, the battery life can still recover after the temperature rises.
