# Battery Best Practices - Uninsulated Cold Garage in CDN Winter



## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

I am trying to come up with a good solution to charging my cold e-bikes in my uninsulated garage after a ride. I have the Shimano STEPS E8000 motor and accompanying InTube 630Wh battery (which is unremovable). No ability to bring my bikes in my house or somewhere other than my uninsulated garage. 

Not sure if what I am doing is ok for the batteries or not. This has been my routine:

1. Drive home from ride. The bikes are usually VERY cold at this point (fully charged, ice cold bikes stored in uninsulated garage before the ride, 45 min highway drive there, 3 -5 hour ride, 45 min highway drive home). 

2. If the bikes are not too cold after the ride, my charger when plugged in will light green, then red, and then will stay red and charge for 3 or so hours until it turns green again when the battery is fully charged. 

3. If the bikes are too cold, the charger when plugged in will turn green, then red, then green again. I assume there is some kind of mechanism in the charger which detects that the batteries are too cold to charge, and the charger shuts down until the batteries are sufficiently warm to be safe to charge. 

4. When the bikes have been too cold to charge and my garage was freezing cold, I placed a hot water bottle on top of the down tube and battery area. After 30 minutes or so, the batteries were warm enough for the charger to charge. I left the hot water bottle on the down tube during charging. 

5. I bought a low temp electric car battery warmer from Canadian Tire. I have not tried it yet. I was thinking about wrapping it around the down tube before and during charging, when the battery is otherwise too cold to charge (instead of using the hot water bottle). 

6. I also bought a parabolic heater from Costco which I intend to point at the bikes to warm them up. 

7. When it’s really cold in my garage and the batteries won’t charge, I would like to use the heater plus a hot water bottle or the electric battery warmer on the down tube before and during charging. 

I normally fully charge the bikes immediately after a ride (subject to warming the battery, if necessary).

Any comments, good or bad, or suggestions (yes - I will insulate and heat my garage, but that won’t occur now until next winter)?

Thanks.


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## Jack7782 (Jan 1, 2009)

Temporary idea is to place a trouble light, face up with an old fashioned 100w bulb on the floor of the garage directly under the bikes - then cover the bikes with a tarp. Sounds dumb, but this worked great for a car that I had in my cold uninsulated MN garage. (tarp over hood and light under battery area)


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

mtnbkrmike said:


> 5. I bought a low temp electric car battery warmer from Canadian Tire. I have not tried it yet. I was thinking about wrapping it around the down tube before and during charging, when the battery is otherwise too cold to charge (instead of using the hot water bottle).


This is probably your best solution since it is designed for warming batteries. If you have any other fumes in the garage from Gasoline or other chemicals you want to be careful of things that could create too much heat.


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## 2SLOFATASS (Mar 26, 2020)

Any comments, good or bad, or suggestions (yes - I will insulate and heat my garage, but that won’t occur now until next winter)?

You asked for it.

A kijiji buyer put out an ad looking for a norco fat vlt, I responded suggesting not to buy this ebike and at the top of the list of why not, was the inability to remove the battery easily.
Top of the list why I never purchased it.

I did think on this, what about a battery warmer, wrap around type plugged into a timer so you can adjust the heat when you charge?


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Jack7782 said:


> Temporary idea is to place a trouble light, face up with an old fashioned 100w bulb on the floor of the garage directly under the bikes - then cover the bikes with a tarp. Sounds dumb, but this worked great for a car that I had in my cold uninsulated MN garage. (tarp over hood and light under battery area)


This seems like a pretty good idea.


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## KRob (Jan 13, 2004)

Is the battery not easily removable? I just bring my battery in the house after a ride. When it's warmed up to room temp I plug it in and charge it. Winter time temps inside my uninsulated garage hover around 37 deg F and can drop below freezing after an extended cold snap.

I ride from my house or drive 10 minutes to a trailhead though so may not be applicable to your situation.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

KRob said:


> Is the battery not easily removable? I just bring my battery in the house after a ride. When it's warmed up to room temp I plug it in and charge it. Winter time temps inside my uninsulated garage hover around 37 deg F and can drop below freezing after an extended cold snap.


It's not removeable. I'd just bring the bike into the house to charge and then put it back in the garage when its done. But the lightbulb idea seems like it would work, too.


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

MSU Alum said:


> It's not removeable. I'd just bring the bike into the house to charge and then put it back in the garage when its done. But the lightbulb idea seems like it would work, too.


Battery is not removable. Not feasible to bring the bikes in my house


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

2SLOFATASS said:


> Any comments, good or bad, or suggestions (yes - I will insulate and heat my garage, but that won't occur now until next winter)?
> 
> You asked for it.
> 
> ...


Not sure what you are trying to say, but zero regrets buying these bikes. So far I have not had anything but joy.


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

Just reporting back on this. The battery blankets from Canadian Tire wrap perfectly around the down tubes, top to bottom, where the batteries are housed. It’s a perfect solution for when my bikes are in the garage charging. 

I wish I could find a Velcro neoprene insulated wrap (or something similar) that I could Velcro around the down tubes while the bikes are in transit in my truck en route to the trail head. This is my next project.


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

mtnbkrmike said:


> Just reporting back on this. The battery blankets from Canadian Tire wrap perfectly around the down tubes, top to bottom, where the batteries are housed. It's a perfect solution for when my bikes are in the garage charging.
> 
> I wish I could find a Velcro neoprene insulated wrap (or something similar) that I could Velcro around the down tubes while the bikes are in transit in my truck en route to the trail head. This is my next project.


You might try a yoga mat / workout mat. My wife has one that is pretty thick and squishy, i cannot say how well it will insulate, but it is grippy and could easily be cut down and velcro'd tight.


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

Klurejr said:


> You might try a yoga mat / workout mat. My wife has one that is pretty thick and squishy, i cannot say how well it will insulate, but it is grippy and could easily be cut down and velcro'd tight.


Thank you Sir.

I am also in touch with a local businessman who makes pogies, custom frame bags and other things. He has quite a cult-like following online (across North America and beyond) because of the preeminent quality of all his products and reasonable pricing. I'm thinking it would be nice to patronize a local businessperson, and also get a really nice product out of it.

I will report back with pics and feedback once this is done.


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