E-Bike's.

[wdw2quad]

I have been wondering how long do the e-bikes batteries last? Can they go for year's? Do they get recycled after use and if they do are they toxic then, will they hurt the environment? I've wondered these thing's for some time now and It really matter's what we leave behind in our world.

[Rick Ankrum]

The battery life is mostly determined by the number of charges. Many batteries can take 300 to 400 charges.

[Sue E Eades]

(06-07-2023, 11:51 AM)wdw2quad Wrote:  I have been wondering how long do the e-bikes batteries last? Can they go for year's? Do they get recycled after use and if they do are they toxic then, will they hurt the environment? I've wondered these thing's for some time now and It really matter's what we leave behind in our world.

ebike batteries are certainly a potential problem. It is ironic to see all the advertising about ebikes somehow being better for the environment -- but better than what? Maybe better than driving a car around the neighborhood for recreation, but certainly not better than riding a regular bike.

When properly kept at around room temperature and properly charged, most ebike batteries should last a few hundred charge cycles before becoming completely useless. Part of the problem is that the typical ebike battery is a proprietary case around a large number of small standard size batteries. If just one of those batteries dies prematurely or one of the spot welded connections comes loose, the entire battery pack is dead.

Unless something goes wrong inside, the battery pack on an ebike won't suddenly stop working, but will take less of a charge each time it is recharged. After one-or-two-hundred-or-so charge cycles the difference in reduced range would start being noticeable and become more noticeable over time. Depending on how you ride and charge your ebike, eventually it gets to the point where it's just not usable. Then the battery pack needs to be replaced or rebuilt. If the user is familiar with battery packs, it can be possible to rebuild a battery pack by replacing all the individual cells -- surprisingly this is almost always less expensive than buying a new battery pack from the ebike manufacturer (IF that style battery pack is even still available).

The worn out battery pack (or cells) need to be recycled or discarded as hazardous waste if there is no battery recycling facility available. The EPA has a website talking about lithium batteries
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/frequent-questions-lithium-ion-batteries