My battery range has decreased

Updated 8 months ago by Jack

Its fairly normal to experience variable range from your battery. This is because there are a variety of factors that can affect the battery range such as terrain, wind direction, temperature, rider effort and so on.

First, be aware that a new battery requires approximately 10 charge cycles (fully charged to fully depleted) to reach peak performance.

Battery failures are extremely uncommon, and over 96% of all battery range enquiries we get can be solved by following the guides below.

Mechanical Causes

If your new battery has had over 10 charge cycles, basic mechanical checks. These will make sure that there is nothing mechanical is causing additional assist and thus, depleting the battery faster. You can test this by elevating the wheels (when it is safe to do so) and turning the pedals to feel if there is any resistance.

If you feel any resistance there are a few checks below to identify possible causes:

Battery correctly inserted

The battery should be firmly inserted into the controller. When correctly inserted it makes a *click* sound. The strap connected to the tighter of the two strap fixings.

Chain/Belt tension

If your chain/belt is too tight it may be causing additional resistance. This can be resolved by setting a slightly looser chain tension.

Brakes rubbing

If you can hear/see the brakes rubbing this may also be causing additional friction and will require a brake adjustment.

Tyre pressure

Ensure your tyres are pumped to the recommended pressure (see the side of the tyre for recommended pressure). This may seem minor but an underinflated tyre can reduce battery range by up to 80%.

Mudguard/Fender Clearance

Check that there is no contact between the fenders/mudguards and the tyres. This may cause excess resistance.

Over 90% of battery enquiries we receive are a result of mechanical causes. It is important you follow the above checks diligently. Even seemingly-slight deviations from the correct setup on the 5 points above can have significant effects on your bike's battery range.

Other Causes

Cold weather

The display on the battery and the LCD may not always be in perfect sync and that is normal. When a battery is in use the voltage drops during periods of high use and then returns to baseline when that 'high demand' event ends, for example when accelerating the power needed to bring the bike and the rider up to speed is higher than when just cruising on flat ground.

For this reason it is certainly possible to see the battery level on the display drop temporarily.This effect is particularly true in the winter, when batteries are cold they are a lot more suspect able to this, it's for this reason that Tesla have battery heaters in their battery packs to mitigate this. We use the same cells as Tesla (pre-2022) so we know they are good. We advise to keep your batteries warm and always fully charged in the winter. If your battery was not fully charged when warm and then you let it get cold you will find that it may have as much as 50% less range depending on how cold it gets.

Speed Limit

Be aware that the higher the speed limit, the more your battery range will be reduced. The AMX has been optimised for a 25kmph speed limit. Anything over this can cause a dramatic reduction in battery range.

You can check how to set your speed limit in this article

If your battery/bike has not been in use for some time

If you are storing your bike you must follow the storage guide in our user manual. Please be aware a recently stored battery can behave like a new battery and require 10 cycles to balance the cells to reach peak performance.

Battery Degradation

A note about batteries - Batteries are technically a consumable item on an e-bike as they degrade over time. This is in part due to the lifecycles of the cells within (650 full charge cycles or approximately 3 years of use), but likely due to the use of the battery for example taking physical damage, prolonged exposure to high or low environmental temperatures, improper storage or charging, overuse, excessive use of high assist, not restricting the speed limit, etc. Analog Motion provides comprehensive best use guides in the User Manual and technical support

If you have completed the above tests and you are still experiencing reduced range, it is possible your battery has degraded.

If you believe your battery has degraded and is out of warranty, a new battery can be purchased using the link below. This will fully restore your battery range.