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Di2 Battery Drain Over Winter / Non Use?

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Di2 Battery Drain Over Winter / Non Use?

Old 03-27-19, 10:06 AM
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NoWhammies
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Di2 Battery Drain Over Winter / Non Use?

Last summer I managed to get approx 2,600km out of my Di2 batter before charging it.

After charging the Di2 battery and riding it for the remainder of the summer, I hung the bike up for the winter. The bike hung in my unheated garage, but the temperature never dropped below freezing.

After approx 1,900km the battery indicator is now a solid red. So a charge is needed.

My question is, did the winter/lack of riding suck the life out of my battery?

Thank you.
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Old 03-27-19, 05:14 PM
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Yes. The same happens to my Vespa scooter.

Cold is the enemy of batteries.
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Old 03-27-19, 06:50 PM
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Just sitting is going to lose some charge. I'd say getting as much as you did is pretty good. Charge it up and good to go
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Old 03-28-19, 03:23 AM
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Batteries exposed to cold for extended periods of time lose capacity. The colder and longer the exposure without charging the bigger the loss. Either charge it periodically or bring it inside if you wan't to preserve the life of the battery.
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Old 03-28-19, 10:01 AM
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Thanks folks! I'm going to eek out a couple more rides with the Di2 battery showing solid red and then put it on the charger. I heard someone call it "Di2 batter roulette" which I suppose is apt. I don't plan on doing any long rides though until I do charge it up.

Cheers.
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Old 03-28-19, 10:21 AM
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A little loss over the whole winter is typical. Also when the battery is cold it will be weak, but when it warms up it will go back to normal. This is also typical of any battery. You may have more of a charge than you think if you bring it inside and let it get to room temp. Don't charge it while it is cold. Riding in the cold will shorten the useable ride time, while it is cold.
Over the winter bring it inside and charge it a few times.



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Old 03-28-19, 12:08 PM
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Is your battery Li-ion? If so, you shouldn't try to drain it down before charging it. Worst possible way to condition Li-ion batteries are to charge when cold or fully drained.
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Old 03-29-19, 09:43 AM
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I'm not sure what the battery is @surak. It's whatever the battery is that came with my Di2 system last year. Most likely Li-ion is my guess.
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Old 03-29-19, 08:56 PM
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Originally Posted by NoWhammies
Thanks folks! I'm going to eek out a couple more rides with the Di2 battery showing solid red and then put it on the charger. I heard someone call it "Di2 batter roulette" which I suppose is apt. I don't plan on doing any long rides though until I do charge it up.

Cheers.
Why don't you just charge it more frequently? You won't hurt the Li-ion battery which don't really like to be fully discharged anyhow. Most Li-ion batteries can be charge 500+ times or so before they start to lose capacity. I'd guess in a cycling application, they batteries are more likely to die from old age and not from charge cycles.
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Old 03-29-19, 11:02 PM
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Originally Posted by NoWhammies
Thanks folks! I'm going to eek out a couple more rides with the Di2 battery showing solid red and then put it on the charger. I heard someone call it "Di2 batter roulette" which I suppose is apt. I don't plan on doing any long rides though until I do charge it up.

Cheers.
I lost that game once and couldn't shift chainrings, 20+ miles from home. The RD still works for who knows how long, so I kept thinking "do I really need to shift, or should I save it for later?"
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Old 03-31-19, 08:44 PM
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Battery has been charged! I'm tracking the charge/km usage in Garmin so I'll see how many KM's I get form this charge.
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Old 03-31-19, 09:20 PM
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Originally Posted by NoWhammies
Battery has been charged! I'm tracking the charge/km usage in Garmin so I'll see how many KM's I get form this charge.
The cold weather will give you less than warm weather.
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