Many riders store their e-bike in winter. This may be because the dirty weather spoils the fun of riding, because the risk of accidents increases or because they want to protect their electric bike. In principle, however, you can also ride an e-bike in winter – even though the bike battery prefers it warm.
When riding an e-bike in cold weather, you must of course pay attention to everything that also applies to bikes without electric assistance. Among other things, you should pay particular attention to a careful riding style, your own visibility and bike maintenance. Slippery roads, poor visibility, wet conditions and road salt can otherwise quickly become a danger for both rider and bike. However, good e-bikes are at least protected from rain and splash water.
With electric bikes, there is also the fact that the e-bike battery does not like sub-zero temperatures. As long as the temperatures are not arctic, the bike battery will not be directly damaged by the cold, but there are a few things to bear in mind:
- In cold weather, both the usable capacity and the currently available power of the e-bike battery are reduced. This means that you can ride less far and often less fast.
- The battery must not be charged in the cold. This can damage the separating layer between the electrodes and lead to short circuits. In winter, e-bike batteries should therefore be charged indoors. The charging process should only be started when the battery has warmed up and is dry.
- The e-bike battery should also not be stored outside.
- It is best to keep the e-bike battery warm while travelling. One way of doing this is to use insulation. In addition, you should switch on the assistance right from the start and not just on the first hill. This way, the battery itself generates some heat as soon as you set off.
Our fireproof lithium battery container RETRON BOX is ideal for safely charging and storing e-bike batteries indoors.
