Bosch batteries

[gerryscott]

I would be interested to know how bosch cycle owners are finding their batteries after a year.Any loss of capacity, what kind of range they are getting?.I cannot understand why a massive company like bosch cannot have their batteries more competively priced. Kalkhoff batteries are similarly priced, but at least you get larger capacity and range, also owners have no sign of loss capacity after 3 years.This is why I am sticking with kalkhoff.

Electric Bike Running Costs

 

[trex]

loss of capacity is meaningless without linking it to the number of miles the bike has done.
Most Bosch bikes are bought for leisure rides, not enough miles to affect their battery capacity.
In my personal experience of Chinese batteries, one cell in the pack fails before the loss of capacity is noticed. I read somehere that a Bosch battery can survive one whole year without topup charge. Don't leave your Chinese battery more than 3 months without a topup charge. Chinese batteries are not fitted with smart BMSes.

 

[Electrifying Cycles]

Diagnosis kit gives number of cycles and an estimated of current ah. Also number of shops have battery testers which give a % reading.

 

[flecc]

loss of capacity is meaningless without linking it to the number of miles the bike has done.
Most Bosch bikes are bought for leisure rides, not enough miles to affect their battery capacity.
In my personal experience of Chinese batteries, one cell in the pack fails before the loss of capacity is noticed. I read somehere that a Bosch battery can survive one whole year without topup charge. Don't leave your Chinese battery more than 3 months without a topup charge. Chinese batteries are not fitted with smart BMSes.

The Kalkhoff batteries mentioned by the OP are not supplied by Chinese companies, though of course some parts may be. The Panasonic batteries they use are of course from that Japanese company and Kalkhoff's own brand are made by specialist German company BMZ mainly using Samsung, Panasonic or Sony cells. They all have smart BMS and monitoring of the battery by the motor system when in use.

So not one Chinese company mentioned, and in addition their Panasonic batteries have automatic shutdown of tbe BMS when the battery hasn't been used for two weeks, meaning they can be stored indefinitely without charge.

I don't know if any of this is true of the Bosch batteries, though at their prices I'd hope most of it is.
.

 

[Blew it]

I would be interested to know how bosch cycle owners are finding their batteries after a year.Any loss of capacity, what kind of range they are getting?.I cannot understand why a massive company like bosch cannot have their batteries more competively priced. Kalkhoff batteries are similarly priced, but at least you get larger capacity and range, also owners have no sign of loss capacity after 3 years.This is why I am sticking with kalkhoff.

My Bosch powered Haibike is twenty months old, the 300 series battery is still good for thirty miles on moderate terrain in Sport mode, power level three on the old HMI unit. This battery is showing no loss of capacity so far. I also have a 400 series Bosch battery which is eighteen months old. On a recent day-long ride of thirty-nine miles, moderate terrain, sport/three assistance there was just one bar left on the battery when returning home. This battery is not showing any loss of capacity yet.

I also have a 3½ year old 26v Panasonic powered Kalkhoff, the 10ah Panasonic battery is still good for twenty-four miles on medium assist. This battery is not showing any loss of capacity to date. The machine can also be fitted with a thirty-six month old BMZ 18ah battery which is still good for a forty mile plus ride at medium assist, no loss of capacity yet.

As a leisure rider with several machines, none of the above batteries have ever been subjected to a daily charge/discharge cycle. I don't think this makes that much difference, forum member 'tillson' reports no loss of capacity on his Panasonic 26v 10ah battery after more than four years of daily commuting.

 

[Tor Atle Lunde]

I read somehere that a Bosch battery can survive one whole year without topup charge.

FWIW, my 300Wh Bosch battery died sometime during last winter while it was not in use. It was charged before storage. I did not charge it during the winter but checked the LEDs on the battery 2-3 times and it only dropped 1 LED at the end. Usage was 1000km and to be fair Bosch didn't find the premature death acceptable either as they gave me a new one.

 

[El Champiero]

After 18 months of use (12 months running in de-restricted mode) on average 24 miles per day, 4 days per week (sometimes charged twice per day, other times charged once per day):

My battery lost about 15% of capacity.

I used to be able to do the 24 mile commute in destricted mode on tour setting 1 on one charge with 1 bar left on the battery when I got home. Recently though, I had to charge it at work as it drops from 5 to 3 bars rather than 5 to 4 like it used to.

It has been used hard and charged quite often. I bought another new 8.8aH battery from a German supplier for about £270 which is a good price. It has been used for about 2 months on Tour 1 about 4 times per week - one charge per day. Soon I will be re-celling the old battery case with new high drain higher capacity Panasonic cells and seeing how I get on with a new 11.6aH battery. I will then have a good condition spare 8.8ah battery for sale (if someone can come to Bristol to pick it up though as I cannot post it due to the lithium cells being banned for posting unless you have a licence which costs loads to get)