12 Reasons why is my eBike battery not working?(Solved)

The battery in the electric bike is one of the most expensive parts, so the occurrence of any problem with it is very expensive. In this post, I will explain the most important reasons that may lead to the electric bike battery stopping working.

Read Also, How do I know if my eBike battery is bad? (Explained)

Why is my eBike battery not working?

1- BMS issue.

Just as the controller is the brain that controls the entire electric bike, the BMS is the brain that controls the battery, and its main function is to close the battery and disconnect the electric current in the event of any problem in the internal cells of the battery or the electric current entering the battery

if any problem occurs with it, it may cause the battery to stop working completely.

Read Also, How To Test & Reset battery BMS? (Explained with PICs)

2-OverDischarging.

Most electric bikes use a lithium-ion battery, and this type of battery is not recommended to be completely discharged from the charge, because this severely affects the internal cells, which may cause the battery to completely stop working.

3-Fuse Issue.

All electric bike batteries have a fuse that acts as a safety valve for the battery. In the event that the amperage rises beyond the permissible limit, the fuse will be damaged and prevent the passage of the electric current completely. In this case, the entire battery will stop working.

4- Damage Cell or Cells.

In the electric bicycle battery, if a cell is damaged, it is as if all the cells have been damaged, and the reason for this is that the BMS operates at the lowest voltage level in order to ensure the protection of the battery
Let me explain this point in another way.

If you have a cell voltage level of 2 or less, the BMS will consider that all battery cells are level 2, and the reason for this is to protect the rest of the battery cells in the event of major damage

Based on this, damage to one internal cell will lead to the entire battery being covered and stopped working.

5-Cell Imbalance.

Follows the previous point if there is an imbalance in the internal cells of the battery, the BMS will shut down the battery completely when the first cell reaches the minimum charge.

6-Connectors issue.

In many cases, the reason for the battery to stop working is not due to a problem with the battery itself, but it may be a problem with the connectors, which can disrupt power flow and cause the battery to stop working.

7-Bad charger.

One of the reasons that may cause the battery to stop working is charging it with a bad charger, which may cause one of the following problems:

Allowing a higher ampere, which leads to damage to the fuse and the battery to stop working
Allowing an ampere is less, which will take a very long time, which leads to a decrease in the voltage in the interstitials, which may lead to the BMS shutting down the battery completely.

8- Battery Degradation.

The life span of the battery is measured by the number of charges, which may vary from one brand to another.

You will notice that there are batteries whose default life is 1000 charge cycle , and others may be 800 cycle. But on average, the life span of an electric bike battery ranges between two to five years, depending on the use and the materials used in manufacturing

Therefore, the reason for the battery to stop working may be the end of its life span or the end of the number of charging times.

9-Physical damage.

If the battery of your electric bike is external, it may have been affected by a hit that caused any part of the internal parts of the battery to break, which will certainly cause the battery to stop working.

10-Extreme temperature.

The internal BMS in the battery is programmed to withstand specific temperatures, and if these temperatures are reached, it will shut down the battery as a precaution to preserve the battery.

These temperatures in most batteries are a maximum of 40 Celsius
Or zero Celsius is the lower limit

Note: These temperatures are the internal temperatures of the battery and not the weather, meaning that the external temperature may be 45 °C, but the temperature inside the battery is less than 40 °C.

11-Water Exposure.

The electric bike is not completely isolated against water and also the battery, although the insulation is often good, but in the case of riding your e-bike in heavy water, water leakage into the battery is very likely, which will cause the battery to stop working.

12-Software glitches.

Some e-bikes have software systems that interact with the battery. Software bugs or bugs can also lead to battery operation problems.

How to fix the issues that causes battery stop working?

In this part, I will try to share with you the solutions to the previous problems in brief.

Issue	Sign	Solution
BMS issue.	Battery will completely close	replace BMS
OverDischarging	Battery will completely close & won’t take any charging	keep battery on charge for 24 hrs , if the issue still exist you have to open the battery & test all cells with Multimeter
Fuse Issue	Battery will completely close & won’t take any charging	Replace the fuse
Cell Imbalance	Battery will die very fast	keep the battery on charge for 24 hours
Connectors issue	Battery accept the charge then disconnect.	replace the defected connector
Bad charger	Battery will not charge or charge will take along time	Charge with original charger or charger with the same Ampere
Battery Degradation	Battery will not charge & stop working	Replace battery
Physical damage	Battery will not work	Replace battery
Extreme temperature	Battery will not work or it will shutdown even if still have charges	ride ebike in optimal condition
Water Exposure	Battery will not work and ebike won’t start	dry the battery , test cells & BMS volt
Software glitches	Battery may stop work suddenly	contact the seller to do firmware upgrade to reinstallation
Damage Cell or Cells	Battery won’t charge & will not start	measure the battery cells volt