Motorcycle battery not charging – reasons and charging tips

The reasons why motorcycle battery not charging

A battery is a device used to store electrical energy and convert energy. Whether it is a lead-acid battery or a lithium battery, once the internal temperature of the battery is too high, especially if it exceeds 60°C, the chemical balance in the battery will be destroyed, which will cause the battery to malfunction. In addition, the materials inside the battery, such as lead plates and electrolytes, will degrade, and the battery life will be greatly shortened.

The temperature is high in summer, and battery needs extra care under high temperature. Therefore, for motorcycle batteries that have been used for a summer without correct charging methods, they are easily broken. An ordinary battery has a lifespan of about 3 to 5 years, and if the durability of an electric motorcycle battery is less than 3 years, it is basically caused by incorrect using habits.

There are some irregular ways in the use of electric motorcycles, which lead to the battery becoming undurable. From the perspective of the battery charging principle, the main work of the battery includes the electrolyte, cathode and anode plates.

If they are damaged or aged, the battery will naturally be unsatisfactory in the process of storing electricity, resulting in a decrease in battery life and the damage to the electrolyte and electrodes usually happens in the charging process of electric motorcycles. So, is there a way to troubleshoot why the motorcycle battery not charging?

Troubleshooting methods for motorcycle battery not charging

As a very popular means of transportation, electric motorcycles do not need to be maintained every once in a while like cars and fuel motorcycles, but this does not mean that they will not be damaged, and the most easily damaged parts of electric motorcycles are the batteries, common problems include battery crystallization, vulcanization, bulging, and not charging.

If the electric motorcycle has serious crystallization, vulcanization, or even bulging, and the battery life decreases, the repair shop will suggest to replace a new battery directly, because the repair is difficult, and the capacity will not be restored to the previous state after repair. However, if the battery has a problem of not charging, it is actually not necessary to replace the battery directly.

If the electric motorcycle battery cannot be charged, there are many possible reasons, basically all of which can be solved, there is no need to change the battery, and motorcycle riders can check the causes by themselves at home. Today, we will share 6 methods to check why motorcycle battery not charging.

Method 1: Check the charging inlet and outlet.

If the electric motorcycle cannot be charged, the first thing to rule out is the charger. When checking the power inlet, users only need to plug in the power supply, normally the charger will start and light up red. On the contrary, if the light is not on or the green light is on, there must be fault in the charger.

To check the output terminal, users need to use a multimeter to cooperate, plug in the power supply at the input terminal, and perform voltage detection on the output terminal. If the voltage cannot be checked, it means that the output terminal is faulty, and users shall directly replace the charger.

Method 2: Check the battery interface.

Check the charging port of the battery with a multimeter, and check whether there is voltage output. If there is no voltage, there is a line failure. Go directly to the repair shop to check and replace it.

Method 3: Check the power switch.

Check whether the switch of the whole motorcycle has tripped. Most electric motorcycles are equipped with power-off protection function, but if the voltage is too high, both the motorcycle and the battery will be damaged, and the power will be cut off. At this time, the switch of the battery compartment will be off, all the circuits of the motorcycle will be powered off, which will also lead to failure to charge. So just need to find the power switch, if it is off, turn it on, and then charge it.

Method 4: Check how long the battery has been used.

When the battery has been used for more than 3 years, there are serious aging reactions such as sulfidation, crystallization, and active material decline inside the battery, or the charge and discharge times of the battery have been used up, and the service life is reached. In this case, the battery needs to be replaced.

Method 5: Damage of single cell.

There is another common situation. A motorcycle battery pack is composed of multiple battery cells. Most electric motorcycle batteries are 12V for one section, and 48V for 4 sections. Then, when a certain section of the battery is going through bulging, hit, undervoltage, circuit falling off, etc., motorcycle battery not charging will happen.

This method of judging why the battery is not charging is relatively simple. Generally, it will be reflected when the red light turns green immediately after plugging in the power, or it is fully charged, but the dashboard still shows that it is not fully charged. It is necessary to consider that a certain battery is faulty and replace it. And only one battery needs to be replaced in this case, which can save a lot of battery replacement costs.

Method 6: Long-term idleness.

When the battery has been left for a long time and has not been charged in time, the battery will not be able to charge due to serious power loss. There are also solutions to this kind of long-term idleness that leads to severe power loss.

Solutions for motorcycle battery not charging

This method is mainly aimed at the situation where motorcycle battery not charging due to long-term idleness. It is relatively common and serious for electric motorcycles not to get charged for a long time, resulting in failure to charge normally. However, in this case, there is no need to rush to replace the battery. In fact, there are some  simple methods as below.

1. Turn on motorcycle headlights, when the headlights of the electric motorcycle are turned on, the battery will continue to provide current, which is also relatively opening the self-closed state of the battery due to deep power loss, so that the charger turns into a red light to achieve the purpose of charging.
2. If the original charger cannot charge the battery, choose a charger with a voltage lower than the original parameters. For example, for the original motorcycle battery of 60V, find a 48V charger, charge the battery slowly with a small current, and charge it for 8 hours. In this way, users can repair a battery that is slightly drained, and it will not damage the battery.
3. If the battery is seriously deficient and has not been charged for a long time, it needs to be stimulated with a high voltage. For example, a 60V original motorcycle charger needs to be charged with a 72V charger for 8 hours to solve the problem of motorcycle battery not charging, though, it can damage the battery this way.

How to charge motorcycle correctly in summer

● Avoid charging in high temperature environment

In summer, try to choose a shaded, ventilated and cool space for charging, so as not to cause the ambient temperature and battery temperature to superimpose, causing the battery temperature to be too high, thus damaging the battery. For more information, you can also click to check battery thermal management.

● Control the charging time

Pay attention to the charging time. When the remaining power of the battery is about 30%, it should be charged. Otherwise, charging with too much power will cause the backlog voltage of the battery and cause the battery to crystallize; charging with too little power will cause battery over discharge and damage the battery.

Secondly, the charging time must be reasonably controlled. The charging time of electric motorcycles is generally 6-8 hours. Do not charge electric motorcycles for a long time overnight, especially when the weather is hot in summer. If charge for a long time, the heat of the charger will be difficult to dissipate and cause a fire.

● Avoid charging with an unmatched charger

Nowadays, with de development of motorcycle industry, many families have more than one lithium battery two wheeler, but the brands and models are often not the same, which leads to different battery voltage and capacity. Some motorcycle owners may mistakenly think that electric motorcycle chargers are the same as mobile phone chargers, as long as they can charge the battery, they can be used. But in fact, mixed charging will cause damage to the battery. Therefore, avoid mixed chargers and try to use original chargers.

● Do not ride the motorcycle immediately after charging

Many motorcycle riders are used to riding an electric motorcycle out immediately after unplugging the charger. This habit will cause great damage to the battery, especially in summer. The residual temperature of charging and the high temperature of discharging while riding are superimposed, thus damage the battery.

During the long charging process of electric motorcycles, most of the electrical energy will be converted into chemical energy, but some electrical energy will be converted into heat energy or other energy, resulting in electric heating.
Riding an electric motorcycle while the battery is hot will cause great damage to the battery. Therefore, do not ride immediately after unplugging the charger. Wait for the battery temperature to return to normal. Give the battery a certain cooling time, at least 15 minutes, and it will be more conducive to protecting the battery.

● Do not charge the car immediately after riding

This situation is just the opposite of the above one. After riding the motorcycle, the battery is still in a high temperature state. At this time, charging it immediately will cause the temperature to superimpose, damaging the battery.
As long as the users get used to it, giving the battery a certain cooling time is beneficial to both the battery and the motorcycle.