How to store your e-bike or e-scooter battery for winter
Leave the battery partly charged, keep it indoors in a cool, dry, safe spot, and check it during storage. Here is what Bosch, Shimano, Rad, Yamaha, Segway and fire safety groups say.
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Battery and electrical safety. Lithium-ion batteries can catch fire if they're damaged or charged wrong. Never open a battery pack, and stop using any battery that's swollen, hot, wet or smells burnt. Every edit to this page is checked by a second person before it goes live.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 15 to 30 minutes, then a few minutes at each check
If you park your e-bike or e-scooter for the winter, how you store the battery matters for both its life and your safety. Makers agree on the basics: don't store it full or empty, keep it indoors in a cool, dry place, and check it now and then. The exact numbers differ by maker, so follow your own manual where it gives one.
Never store or charge a battery that is swollen, dented, leaking, cracked or has been in a crash or flood. Don't open it or try to repair it. Contact the maker or a pro. See e-bike battery care.
Steps
1Check the battery for damage
UL Standards and Engagement says to check batteries regularly for punctures, dents, leaking or swelling, and notes that a battery damaged in a fall can fail hours or days later (ULSE safety tips). Bosch says not to charge a damaged battery and to take it to your dealer (Bosch battery safety).
Photo needed: Battery case being checked under good light for dents, cracks or swelling. Add one
2Set the storage charge
Aim for a partial charge, using your maker's number:
-Bosch: 30 to 60 percent, which is 2 to 3 lit lights on the display (Bosch battery safety).
- Shimano: about 70 percent (Shimano E-BIKE FAQ).
- Rad: about 75 percent for storage longer than two weeks, since keeping it full can cost range (Rad winter battery tips).
- Lectric: no higher than 75 percent for a week or longer (Lectric optimal battery health).
- Yamaha: run it down until one or two capacity lights are lit (Yamaha e-bike FAQ).
Don't store it empty. Super73 says never to leave its battery stored with an empty charge for more than 24 hours (Super73 failed charger guide).
Photo needed: Display or battery gauge showing a partial charge. Add one
3Take the battery off the bike
Shimano says to remove the battery from the bike for storage, and Bosch says to remove it when possible if you won't ride for a long time. Rad says that if the bike can't stay somewhere dry and above freezing, bring the battery inside.
4Choose the place and temperature
- Bosch: a dry place at 32 to 68 F, well ventilated, with a smoke detector, away from heat and anything flammable.
- Shimano: a cool, dry indoor spot out of direct sunlight, about 10 to 20 C (Shimano winter battery care).
- Rad: indoors between 50 and 77 F.
- Yamaha: indoors, cool and dry, 15 to 25 C.
- Segway Max G2: a recommended storage range of 50 to 86 F (Segway Max G2 manual).
- ULSE says not to store or charge near heat or in sunlight, and never to charge near an exit, where a fire could block your way out.
Photo needed: Battery on a shelf in a cool indoor room, away from the furnace and the door. Add one
5Check it during storage
Check intervals differ too. Rad and Lectric say to check monthly and top back up to about 75 percent. Yamaha says to check monthly and charge for about 10 minutes if only one light is flashing. Shimano's winter guide says to recharge to about 70 percent every six months, and Segway's Max G2 manual recommends charging once every 60 days. CPSC says to follow the maker's advice on how often to charge a battery you don't use much (CPSC universal charger warning). Stay nearby while it charges.
6Wake it up in spring
Shimano says to let a cold battery warm up slowly to room temperature before charging, without using a heater, and to charge it fully before the first ride. Bosch gives 32 to 104 F as its charging range. Then do a quick brake cut-off and throttle check before you ride.
Old or damaged batteries
Don't put a lithium battery in the trash or curbside recycling. CPSC says to take it to a battery recycler or household hazardous waste site (CPSC micromobility information center), and FDNY notes it is illegal in New York City to put rechargeable batteries in the trash or recycling (FDNY lithium-ion battery safety). Bosch says to return used or faulty batteries to your dealer.
A battery that got hot, smells odd, hisses or swelled in storage needs a pro, not a charge. Don't charge or use it, and contact the maker or a pro. For more, see battery drains fast and find a shop near you.
Videos
Sources
- Battery safety, Bosch eBike Systems
- 12 questions about the eBike battery, Bosch eBike Systems
- E-BIKE FAQ, Shimano
- Looking after your e-bike battery in winter, Shimano
- Electric bike battery tips for winter, Rad Power Bikes
- Optimal battery health, Lectric eBikes
- E-bike systems FAQ, Yamaha
- Ninebot KickScooter Max G2 product manual, Segway
- Identifying a failed charger, Super73
- Five e-bike and e-scooter safety tips, UL Standards and Engagement
- CPSC urges consumers not to buy or use universal chargers, CPSC
- Micromobility information center, CPSC
- Lithium-ion battery safety, FDNY
Stuck after these checks? Find a shop near you.
If these steps didn't fix it, find a shop near you in our partner network. For battery or wiring trouble, look for shops marked Battery and electrical.
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