Bicycle Light Li-Ion Battery Care and Maintenance
Do I need to charge my Li-Ion battery if I am using it for the first time?
Yes. It is necessary to give your Li-Ion battery a full charge before using it.
What is the life-span of my Li-Ion battery and how often can I recharge it?
You can expect the service life of your Li-Ion battery to be approx. 300 charge-discharge cycles. For most riders this equates to about 3 years use. The service life means up to the point when the battery has 80% of its original capacity and is then ready for replacement.
How long does it take to charge my Li-Ion battery?
This obviously depends upon the amount the battery has been discharged. Generally recharge of Li-Ion batteries takes 2-6 hours.
I use my Lumicycle light system for an hour every day. Is it better to charge it every day or wait 3-4 days and give it a full charge?
This is not such an important issue for Li-ion batteries. However, we recommend an occasional discharge/charge cycle as a good maintenance principle.
Discharging (running the light system)
Can I completely drain my Li-Ion battery before recharging it?
This is not necessary on a regular basis but is beneficial occasionally.
How big is the loss of capacity at low temperatures?
Li-Ion batteries operate between -20 and + 60 degrees centigrade. However, performance significantly decreases below freezing.
Storage
How do I store my battery during the off-season when it is not being used and what is the rate of self-discharge?
Li-Ion batteries should be stored in a cool place when not in use for extended periods. Their self-discharge rate is 10% per month. This is far lower than for NiMH batteries. Although it is not essential, we recommend occasionally charging you Li-Ion battery during the off season to counter the self-discharge effect.
Guidelines for prolonging Li-ion battery life
Unlike NiCad batteries or NiMH batteries, lithium-ion batteries should be charged early and often. However, if they are not used for a longer time, they should be brought to a charge level of around 40%. Never use the battery care functions some cellular phones provide for nickel based batteries. (This will deep cycle the batteries.)
Li-ion batteries should be kept cool. Ideally they are stored in a refrigerator. Aging will take its toll much faster at high temperatures. Keeping them in very hot cars can kill lithium-ion batteries.
Avoid running the battery through "deep discharge" cycles — that is using it until it's fully depleted to 0 %.
Many authors suggest that freezing Li-ion batteries may be detrimental. However, most Li-ion battery electrolytes freeze at approximately -40 °C. Household freezers rarely reach below -20°C. Published experiments demonstrate that freezing (even below -40°C) is unharmful if the battery is fully warmed to room temperature before use. More details are given in the book "Characteristics and Behavior of 1M LiPF6 1EC:1DMC Electrolyte at Low Temperatures" by L.M. Cristo, T. B. Atwater, U.S. Army Research, Fort Monmouth, NJ.
Buy Li-ion batteries only when needed, because the aging process begins as soon as the battery is manufactured.
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