Orbea Gain stops charging at 85%

[Dadam]

Anybody had an issue like this?

At 85% the charger starts flashing red and the bike stops charging. The bike then turns off after its normal timeout but the charger keeps flashing until powered off.

I went to charge my Gain Friday night for a long ride on Saturday. I normally keep it between 50 and 80% and this was the first long ride in a while so wanted to charge to 100 in readiness. I came back to check the charge after an hour and the bike had switched off and the charger was flashing red. I switched it off at the mains for a bit then turned it on again. Light went green for a minute then flashing again. Head unit reported 85%. I tried a couple of times and it went up to 87% but stubbornly refused to take any more.

I went for the ride anyway and it had enough juice as it turned out. Then I charged it up again in the evening from 15%. It was charging fine, but then again it topped out at 85% and started flashing.

This is the first time I've ever experienced this in 3 years. If it was just battery degradation I'd have expected a more gradual change. This seems quite sudden.

I'm wondering if the voltage in the battery cells could have become unbalanced? Going to see if running it down to zero and recharging will help.
Or is it a faulty charger?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I do not know

But I would guess that the measurement system is based the current/voltage/whatever from the battery

and some of the cells have become dead/unreliable/grumpy

and as a result the measurement system is detecting this but not realising they are no longer available
so reporting the charge level at 85% means that 15% of the battery capacity is no longer available

Now - what I do know is that the original battery that came with by first ebike
which I got second hand in 2011!!!
started doing weird things like that and also its range dropped a lot
I got a new battery - that was probably not as authentic as it claimed and started losing range after only a year or so

so I went back to try the original again and magically it had regained its ability to charge somehow
only The Gods know what happened
but if you keep using it and charging it then it might regain some capability
probably by magic

but I would just use it as it is and keep an eye on the actual mileage it will do on a full charge and keep an eye on it in case it starts dropping

I hope the use of daft words is a clear indication that this is all guesswork from someone who knows naff all about it

that Chemistry degree I got was a LONG time ago!!!

 

[Dadam]

so I went back to try the original again and magically it had regained its ability to charge somehow
only The Gods know what happened
but if you keep using it and charging it then it might regain some capability

This is what I'm wondering (hoping). As a battery has many cells, each of which takes a charge and produces a voltage separately, the BMS tries to keep them all in balance. If they get out of balance, it stops discharging the battery as much so that the lowest charge cells don't get over discharge.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

Whilst I have no experience with electric bikes I just wonder if it is worth riding until almost depleted ( obviously not far from home) and then try charging again. But, as what has been said about individual cells loosing capacity, that is more than likely true. The other thing being of course is that batteries like warmer weather and so the winter is not kind to them. Incidentally, my late father had a mobility scooter that had similar issues to the OP. He bought a new battery and was advised to keep it topped up, even if it was`nt being used. There may be someone with more knowledge than me.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Whilst I have no experience with electric bikes I just wonder if it is worth riding until almost depleted ( obviously not far from home) and then try charging again. But, as what has been said about individual cells loosing capacity, that is more than likely true. The other thing being of course is that batteries like warmer weather and so the winter is not kind to them. Incidentally, my late father had a mobility scooter that had similar issues to the OP. He bought a new battery and was advised to keep it topped up, even if it was`nt being used. There may be someone with more knowledge than me.

Riding until it totally runs out might well help

I reckon - based on my extensive research of a lot of conflicting opinions - that making sure it is warmed up to room temperature before charging might also help a bit

 

[Shearwater Missile]

Riding until it totally runs out might well help

I reckon - based on my extensive research of a lot of conflicting opinions - that making sure it is warmed up to room temperature before charging might also help a bit

That is a good point too, batteries do not like the cold.