Shimano Battery Life Poll

guika

Member
Oct 31, 2020
33
11
HU
My E-tube is on my iphone and I also have ST-unlocker on the same phone, do either of those apps show you the battery firmware? Checked it after a half charge yesterday and it had gone up to 44 times and still at 95% on my battery.
With etube but only on tablet. Thats what folks said some post before. Make a try.
 

rikioh

New Member
Nov 18, 2020
5
0
Austria
Same here... 2 Bikes with Shimano 8035... battery build date is Okt. 2019. On both bikes battery went from 100% to 90% after 10 cycles... not sure what firmware, have to check with my tablet...i am trying to keep my battery always between 20-80%


i am not sure if the range really has decreased or not...
 

papab

Member
Jun 10, 2018
89
45
colorado
You guys with the degraded capacity, what is the indicated range when the battery is full, before you start riding? Is that lower than it was too?
 

guika

Member
Oct 31, 2020
33
11
HU
For me yes. Less with 10%. And my battery 90%

Shimano accepted my claim and said if it is reach 80% than they will replace my battery.
 

jimbob

Active member
Aug 3, 2020
518
429
East UK
For me yes. Less with 10%. And my battery 90%

Shimano accepted my claim and said if it is reach 80% than they will replace my battery.
Was that through your local dealer, or speaking directly to Madison?

Its good to know that 80% is the number to wait for before trying for a claim.
 

jimbob

Active member
Aug 3, 2020
518
429
East UK
You guys with the degraded capacity, what is the indicated range when the battery is full, before you start riding? Is that lower than it was too?
Yes, noticed that the expected range has dropped in line with the degraded capacity. That doesn't mean the actual range has decreased of course, just that that's how the calculation is done.

That said, I have noticed a decrease in range when riding, but could be anecdotal of course.
 

TG1971

Member
Nov 14, 2020
47
15
Yorkshire
Me and my wife have two identical bikes but hers in small and mine is large, she is 12kg lighter in full kit than me

my bike
26 cycles
87% full charge capacity
Battery bt-e8010
Ec-e6000

hers
29 cycles
99% full charge capacity
Battery bt-e8010
Ec-e6000

she has had hers a month longer than me but we ride same trails together it baffles why mine had degraded so much since aug 2020 and have lost so much range
 
Apr 18, 2020
117
33
germany
Me and my wife have two identical bikes but hers in small and mine is large, she is 12kg lighter in full kit than me

my bike
26 cycles
87% full charge capacity
Battery bt-e8010
Ec-e6000

hers
29 cycles
99% full charge capacity
Battery bt-e8010
Ec-e6000

she has had hers a month longer than me but we ride same trails together it baffles why mine had degraded so much since aug 2020 and have lost so much range

Maybe a mixture of individual cell quality and higher power demand of the motor due to your higher weight.
 

TG1971

Member
Nov 14, 2020
47
15
Yorkshire
Maybe a mixture of individual cell quality and higher power demand of the motor due to your higher weight.
Were pretty fit people coming from normal mtb’s so not over weight but I do think weight of rider could be a contributor, we did a totally flat ride on roads and tracks at the weekend to test range eco all the way I got 28 miles and was out of juice wife had two bars, then next day did same ride, swapped batteries she got 32 miles and was flat I had 1 bars left on her battery and 8 mile range left
 

jimbob

Active member
Aug 3, 2020
518
429
East UK
Were pretty fit people coming from normal mtb’s so not over weight but I do think weight of rider could be a contributor, we did a totally flat ride on roads and tracks at the weekend to test range eco all the way I got 28 miles and was out of juice wife had two bars, then next day did same ride, swapped batteries she got 32 miles and was flat I had 1 bars left on her battery and 8 mile range left
Interesting, thanks.

Adds to the evidence its real degradation of the battery then. Out of interest, are there any differences in the battery markings you can see such as manufacturing country, part no. Etc? Perhaps they're from different batches and have different cells in them?
 

TG1971

Member
Nov 14, 2020
47
15
Yorkshire
Interesting, thanks.

Adds to the evidence its real degradation of the battery then. Out of interest, are there any differences in the battery markings you can see such as manufacturing country, part no. Etc? Perhaps they're from different batches and have different cells in them?
Both same, obviously different SN,
quite pissed off really as branded as taking you further on bigger adventures but in reality on a 3000 ft ride I’m out of battery at under 18 miles in eco and can’t use trail or boost very much because the range will be a lot less love riding them though the e8000 motor is good but battery which was great new has really dropped off in range
 
Apr 18, 2020
117
33
germany
Were pretty fit people coming from normal mtb’s so not over weight but I do think weight of rider could be a contributor, we did a totally flat ride on roads and tracks at the weekend to test range eco all the way I got 28 miles and was out of juice wife had two bars, then next day did same ride, swapped batteries she got 32 miles and was flat I had 1 bars left on her battery and 8 mile range left

I'm not saying overweight. Even if you consist solely on muscle the motor still has more weight to push because you only use a part of your muscles for pedaling.

It's just a theory but I believe that heavier riders stress batteries more because they use higher assist because the higher the weight the less impressive the assistance gets. I'm at 70kg an rarely use boost because the bike literally leaps forward and I don't like that. But if I would weigt double boost would feel way weaker and I would use it more often which would lead to an empty battery faster even on shorter rides.

Lighter people on the other hand tend to not empty the batteries as much and use them in a healthier range.
 

TG1971

Member
Nov 14, 2020
47
15
Yorkshire
I'm not saying overweight. Even if you consist solely on muscle the motor still has more weight to push because you only use a part of your muscles for pedaling.

It's just a theory but I believe that heavier riders stress batteries more because they use higher assist because the higher the weight the less impressive the assistance gets. I'm at 70kg an rarely use boost because the bike literally leaps forward and I don't like that. But if I would weigt double boost would feel way weaker and I would use it more often which would lead to an empty battery faster even on shorter rides.

Lighter people on the other hand tend to not empty the batteries as much and use them in a healthier range.
I agree it’s either weight or riding style I’m 80 kg ex xc racer bit heavier than I was, I ride on average at cadence of 80 in eco nearly all the time and have trail set to low which is great for technical climbing and hate the feeling of boost never use it. When new in summer got 40 miles and 4000 ft of climbing in the lakes but now would be lucky to get 18 miles on that ride.
 

jimbob

Active member
Aug 3, 2020
518
429
East UK
I've just ordered a second battery (8035) so will do some comparisons between the required input power to charge each when I get ito
I'm not saying overweight. Even if you consist solely on muscle the motor still has more weight to push because you only use a part of your muscles for pedaling.

It's just a theory but I believe that heavier riders stress batteries more because they use higher assist because the higher the weight the less impressive the assistance gets. I'm at 70kg an rarely use boost because the bike literally leaps forward and I don't like that. But if I would weigt double boost would feel way weaker and I would use it more often which would lead to an empty battery faster even on shorter rides.

Lighter people on the other hand tend to not empty the batteries as much and use them in a healthier range.
True, but it shouldn't be making the differences which are being seen!
 

Growmac

Well-known member
Subscriber
Dec 4, 2020
375
391
Wilts, UK
Afternoon all, just joined up to say thanks for the thread, and add another voice as someone who is experiencing this degradation.

E8035. 11 months old.
43 cycles (2400 km)
83% capacity.
Stored and charged indoors on the 6000 fast charger. As much as possible stored at 60-80%.
The battery is falling off a cliff from about 40%. I don't get any reserve any more, and the last 40% charge only gets me 3 or 4 km.
Madison have indicated that they are not interested until below 60% health. At this rate, that will happen at about 100 charge cycles. Not very good when a new battery is £640. Seriously considering challenging in small claims under consumer rights registration.
Cheers, Gord (Edited as I couldn't spell my own name)
 
Last edited:

jimbob

Active member
Aug 3, 2020
518
429
East UK
Afternoon all, just joined up to say thanks for the thread, and add another voice as someone who is experiencing this degradation.

E8035. 11 months old.
43 cycles (2400 km)
83% capacity.
Stored and charged indoors on the 6000 fast charger. As much as possible stored at 60-80%.
The battery is falling off a cliff from about 40%. I don't get any reserve any more, and the last 40% charge only gets me 3 or 4 km.
Madison have indicated that they are not interested until below 60% health. At this rate, that will happen at about 100 charge cycles. Not very good when a new battery is £640. Seriously considering challenging in small claims under consumer rights registration.
Cheers, Good
Thats really bad if you're only getting 4km from the last 40%. Did that start recently or has it come on gradually?
 

TG1971

Member
Nov 14, 2020
47
15
Yorkshire
Afternoon all, just joined up to say thanks for the thread, and add another voice as someone who is experiencing this degradation.

E8035. 11 months old.
43 cycles (2400 km)
83% capacity.
Stored and charged indoors on the 6000 fast charger. As much as possible stored at 60-80%.
The battery is falling off a cliff from about 40%. I don't get any reserve any more, and the last 40% charge only gets me 3 or 4 km.
Madison have indicated that they are not interested until below 60% health. At this rate, that will happen at about 100 charge cycles. Not very good when a new battery is £640. Seriously considering challenging in small claims under consumer rights registration.
Cheers, Good
I have sent a warranty claim to chain reaction as mine is at 87% at 26 charges and 1000 miles but I guess I will get the same response as it will go to madison, it’s seriously put me off emtb’s
 

guika

Member
Oct 31, 2020
33
11
HU
I've just ordered a second battery (8035) so will do some comparisons between the required input power to charge each when I get ito

True, but it shouldn't be making the differences which are being seen!
Would be great to see that is there any difference between old and new battery FW version. You can check that with a tablet and etube app.
Curious to know.
 

Growmac

Well-known member
Subscriber
Dec 4, 2020
375
391
Wilts, UK
Thats really bad if you're only getting 4km from the last 40%. Did that start recently or has it come on gradually?

It's been very slowly getting worse, but the cold weather of the last couple of weeks has really exacerbated the problem.

Back in September I rode almost all the way back from the pub, so about 6 km and 150 m of climb, on the reserve.

Last four rides I've not even seen reserve, it's gone to the single red block and then cut out a minute or two later. Of course, the fact that now pretty much every ride is taking the battery from 100% - 0% probably isn't helping? It's very noticeable that none of my Bosch equipped friends are experiencing similar problems in the cold though, or at least to nothing like the same extent.

I'm going to start using the lap timer on the GPS to log how the battery fades - might be instructive. I'll report back. I'm also going to see if I can reset the battery as per a suggestion much earlier in this thread.
 

guika

Member
Oct 31, 2020
33
11
HU
Something is wrong with these batteries for sure. If look on my iphone its say 90% after 1.5 year. I do use it very heavy. Charging it much. Not really taking care on it, fast charge, slow charge, On the charge , whatever. Also I do have Bosch eq. friends and this what we are discussing here, is not present there in that way. So for sure. Something is really not OK. From my side. I was treated well by my dealer. They accepted my claim. Soon I reach 80% it will be replaced. However I hope that the issue have been fixed and the new battery will not be like that. :S
 

OleP

Member
Dec 3, 2020
16
7
Roskilde, Denmark
First Hello, I'm new to this group and this is my first post.
My native language is not English, so apologize in advance for typos etc.

My bike is not a MTB but an ordinary city/tour e-bike (Gazelle Orange C8 HMS) with a E6100 motor and 504 Wh, BT-E6001 rear rack mount battery.
I've been reading this battery life thread with great interest, as I see some of the same issues with the BT-E6001, even if I only bike on asphalt and sometimes light gravel roads.
We also do not have steep hills here around Roskilde, Denmark (~30 km west of Copenhagen)- No more than 20 - 30 meters, I think.

Here are the resuls for my battery:
1) # of charging cycles = 11
2) remaining capacity = 90%
3) charger = E6000 (fast charger)
4) age = ~3 months

My battery also suddenly jumped from 100% to 90% when charging cycle went from 10 to 11.

Battery has never been below 20% and normally charged up to 80 - 90 % and 100 just prior to a longer run.
Always kept and charged indoor at room temperature.
(I'm retired electronic engineer, so I know how to handle Li-Ion batteries)

I mostly do short trips around 10 - 20 km and to local market only 2 - 3 km, so it's hard to tell if range have been degraded.
Longest trip done so far is 45+ km.
As I've always been measuring things due to my former work in the calibration world, I've made an Excel chart of the calculated range as a function of "(kmTravelled * 100)/ (ChargeBeforeRide - ChargeAfterRide)".
This chart is attached and it show a slight decrease in the linear trend (dottet curve) from app. 82 km to app. 75 km/full charge.
The range decrease can be caused by colder weather, more windy and/or me using higher assist level as ohters have mentioned in earlier posts. If it flattens out in the spring, I'll be pleased. If the indicated battery health decreases again after 20 charge cycles I'll make a claim to the bicycle dealer.
After I saw the sudden decrease in capacity I've measured the energy (Wh) going into the battery during charge with a cheap energy meter and will follow this closely in my spreadsheet too. It is not a precise figure as there are several uncertainties (loss in charger / battery, phase error etc), but it gives a good relative picture if the battery charges up with less Wh over time.

Sorry for the logn post... :)
Regards Ole in Denmark.

Range_Chart_1.jpg

BT-6001_health_201203.jpg
 

guika

Member
Oct 31, 2020
33
11
HU
If Shimano does nothing in the future these might be alternatives:




Husqvarna is using Shimano engine with Simplo batteries... hmmm is it a coincident ? :)
 

jimbob

Active member
Aug 3, 2020
518
429
East UK
It looks like they won't directly replace the internal batteries which is a shame.

I expect someone may start to offer a reconditioning service soon when there is enough demand. If I could find a cheap battery I'd be happy to pull it apart and have a go myself.
 

OldGoatMTB

E*POWAH Master
Mar 24, 2020
423
253
27284
It looks like they won't directly replace the internal batteries which is a shame.

I expect someone may start to offer a reconditioning service soon when there is enough demand. If I could find a cheap battery I'd be happy to pull it apart and have a go myself.
Still waiting for an ifixit video!
 

guika

Member
Oct 31, 2020
33
11
HU
There is a small company in my area :


They offer cell exchange and rebuild recondition etc.... As i see from price point of view its a half price... Maybe at one point i will check them. They offer also measurement. Charge / Discharge etc...
 

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