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S3 & X3: How to take care of your battery

Updated

S3 & X3: How to take care of your battery

Updated 
 

1. Charging your e-bike

The VanMoof e-bikes have an integrated battery that can’t be removed for charging. 

How to charge your bike:

  1. Take the charger from your VanMoof box and plug it into a power outlet.
  2. Connect the other end of the charger to your bike.
  3. The battery will automatically stop charging when it reaches full capacity. 
  4. Unplug your bike when it’s fully charged. You should never leave your bike in the charger. 

Good to know:

A full battery charge for the S3 & X3 takes about four hours, and you can reach 50% charge in 80 minutes.

Battery care tips

  • Try to avoid letting your battery run empty. The best percentage of charge for your bike is between 20% and 80%.
  • Don’t charge when you don’t need to. For example, if the battery is around 50% and you’re not planning a long ride, don’t charge it. 
  • VanMoof batteries will not charge below 5°C/41°F. If it’s cold outside, it’s always better to charge your bike inside at room temperature (between 15-25Cº). 
  • Charge your bike in a well-ventilated dry location (moisture and extreme temperature fluctuations can affect the charging process).
  • Have you got a VanMoof PowerBank? If you don’t use it that often, we recommend charging it every three months to keep it in good shape.

 

2. Storing or parking your bike 

To keep your battery healthy and your bike functioning like normal, it’s important to store your bike correctly when you aren’t using it for a while. 

Tips for storing your bike over a long period

  • Don’t store it with a 100% charge for too long.
  • Leaving your bike for a few weeks? We advise keeping it around 40 to 60% charge.
  • Leaving your bike for a few months? We advise keeping it around 80% charge.

Bike not turning on after storing it for a while? 

To protect the battery from fully draining, your bike will go into shipping mode if unused for a while. This means your bike might not (auto) wake up like normal. If your bike isn’t turning on, follow the steps below:

  1. Plug your bike into the charger and charge it for about two hours
  2. Wake up your bike with a quick reset by pressing the power button for 2 seconds
  3. Turn your bike on

 

3. Cold weather care

Parking your bike outside

Outside temperatures can significantly influence the performance of your battery. The range and power output of a battery will be better in mild to warm weather rather than in sub-zero conditions. If you do park your bike outdoors in the cold, just make sure the battery isn't totally empty.

Charging your bike

Charging a battery in sub-zero temperatures may damage the battery – we recommend charging at room temperature. To be safe, it’s best to give your bike about an hour to warm up to room temperature before you plug the charger in. To protect the battery from damage, it can’t charge when its internal temperature falls below 5°C. If the battery is too cold, your display will show ‘error 12’ (S3 & X3) when you plug in the charger.

Motor assistance 

The battery cells themselves won’t deliver power when their internal temperature falls below -10°C. That means you won’t be able to use motor assistance. Of course, you can still ride your bike without the motor assistance.

Battery drain

In low temperatures, you may notice that your battery drains faster and the Turbo Boost feels slightly less powerful. Riding on a lower power assist level for the first few minutes will give your battery a chance to warm up properly.

 

4. Low battery level 

If your battery is running low, some vital functions of your bike will remain active, while shutting down others.

This is what happens when your battery hits critical energy levels:

  • Less than 5%: Your bike will deactivate the support motor but will keep your lights, gear shifting, display, and sounds active. 
  • Less than 3%: Your bike will now also deactivate the lights and display. Your electronic gear shifting will shift to the 2nd gear only.

 

5. Lifecycle and warranty

The VanMoof integrated battery is rated for over 500 charge cycles before it falls below 70% of its original total capacity. Our bike warranty guarantees all original bike components for a period of three years from the date of delivery. It is possible to extend the lifetime of the integrated battery when the bike’s charge is kept between 20% and 80%.

Please go to a VanMoof Partner if your battery needs servicing. The integrated battery should only be removed by a VanMoof Partner unless otherwise instructed.

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