Maintenance 101 for your electric two-wheeler, a cheat sheet for a breezy ownership experience

With the increasing popularity of electric 2-wheelers, more and more people are embracing the eco-friendly and cost-effective mode of transportation. Owning an electric scooter or motorcycle not only helps reduce your carbon footprint but also offers a smooth and quiet ride. However, like any vehicle, electric 2-wheelers require proper maintenance to ensure they run efficiently and have a long lifespan.

Today, as more and more of us in the country become EV owners, it seems like an apt time to review a small list of simple and effective hacks that can significantly prolong the life of our electric two-wheeler. Besides keeping things smooth and running, these hacks can go a long way in keeping maintenance costs at bay, allowing us to make the best of our EV-owning experience.

Basics first: Battery care
Maintaining an electric motorcycle is much easier than its conventional counterpart. Since there is no fuel tank, many of the hassling maintenance tasks associated with engines—such as changing the oil, replacing the air filter or adjusting the valves, do not need to be done at all. Instead, the main area of focus is now on the powerhouse of the vehicle—the battery.

Ensuring good battery health is not very difficult, it just requires some attention and care. Read the manufacturer’s instructions on how to properly charge your bike. Most Lithium-ion batteries thrive on partial discharge cycles, between a charge of 20-80 percent. This means that you should not wait for your battery to drop to 0 percent before charging it and should ideally keep it above 20 percent. Unless necessary, you can also avoid fully charging your vehicle and keep it instead at an optimal 80 percent. This prevents battery wear in the long run.

Make sure you park your electric two-wheeler in a spot that is neither too hot nor too cold. Weather conditions have a lasting impact on the health of your battery, and ideally a temperature range between 15-35 degrees Celsius is what it must be kept at. Additionally, just as with ICE vehicles, rapid acceleration, or deceleration result in lower mileage in electric two-wheelers as well. Mindfully riding with smooth linear acceleration can preserve battery health.

No compromises: Covering other grounds
Besides focusing on battery health, we must also continue to practice some fundamental habits to keep our vehicle running. This includes simple things like regular cleaning of electricals (not with too much water as this might damage it) to keep the moving parts free of dirt, debris and moisture. Checking your tyre pressure is also essential to prevent any unforeseen accidents, as is ensuring that the major moving parts of your bikes are lubricated.

The experience of owning electric bikes is new to us still, and remaining informed, aware and proactive will be critical in helping us becoming better owners. Going through manufacturers’ manuals, contacting servicing help when in need of help, and doing our part, with the help of simple steps, will be extremely effective in the long run. Our journey toward becoming more responsible owners will involve us not spending an overwhelming amount of time or effort to keep our e-bikes running, but rather taking mindful, small steps, that ultimately combine to make lasting impact.

Shreshth Mishra is the Co-Founder of Simple Energy. Views expressed are those of the author.