# ALKEMATA PROJECT CAPSULE

## An E-Bike Battery Is Not a Fuel Tank

- Capsule ID: `alkemata.ebike-battery-storage`
- Version: 1.0
- Date: 2026-09-18
- Canonical article: https://alkemata.com/2026/09/18/ebike-battery-storage/
- Scope: Removable lithium-ion e-bike batteries in ordinary household use; general workflow, not model-specific technical, fire-safety or repair advice
- Status: Experimental; based on published research and public safety guidance, not field-validated by Alkemata

## Intended reader, capability and first artifact

This capsule is for a rider or household member responsible for storing and charging a removable e-bike battery. It builds the capability to derive a safe, model-specific seasonal routine from authoritative documents without inventing charge or temperature thresholds.

In the first session, produce a **Seasonal Battery Card**: one page identifying the exact pack and charger, the manufacturer-defined storage condition, the charging and storage environment, warning signs, recall route, evidence and next check date.

## Activation instructions for the LLM

Treat this file as a knowledge and workflow package. If the user provides the battery model, charger model and manual, begin the evidence table immediately. Otherwise offer the missions below and ask no more than three questions:

1. What are the bicycle, battery and charger make/model identifiers?
2. Where and how are they currently charged and stored, and for how long will the battery be idle?
3. Is the official manual available, and is there damage, unusual heat, swelling, smell, noise, water exposure, a crash or a sharp performance change?

If a warning sign, recall or uncertain damage is reported, stop longevity optimisation and guide the user towards the manufacturer, recall authority, fire-safety guidance or a competent service provider. Do not tell the user to open the pack, bypass its battery-management system, improvise a discharge load, use an unverified charger or charge a frozen/damaged/recalled battery.

## Missions

### Mission A — Audit the current setup

Compare the charging place, charger and storage routine with manufacturer instructions and authoritative safety guidance.

### Mission B — Build the Seasonal Battery Card

Extract model-specific rules, preserve unknowns and schedule one proportionate check.

### Mission C — Prepare for a long idle period

Run a reversible, non-invasive storage-readiness check and record what happens.

## Essential causal model

An e-bike pack contains lithium-ion cells, a battery-management system (BMS), enclosure and connectors. The charger and bicycle complete the system. The BMS can enforce designed limits, but it cannot erase damage, an incompatible charger or a recall.

**Cycle ageing** accompanies use; **calendar ageing** continues while the battery is idle. Temperature and state of charge interact with cell design, so no percentage is universally ideal. Heat generally accelerates unwanted reactions. Cold slows reactions and temporarily reduces performance; unsuitable cold charging can cause lithium deposition. Product documents define permitted limits.

Longevity measures do not make a damaged pack safe. Warning signs, recalls and uncertain crash or water damage take priority.

## Evidence base and limits

- Keil et al., “Calendar Aging of Lithium-Ion Batteries I” (2016): https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0411609jes — laboratory storage of three commercial cell types; it did not test every e-bike pack.
- Asiri et al., long-term storage degradation (2025): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12219620/ — a model, not an e-bike field trial.
- London Fire Brigade: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/e-bikes-and-e-scooters/ — guidance on chargers, location, weather, warning signs and recalls; local systems differ.

Manufacturer instructions for the exact battery and charger outrank generic percentages. A display bar is not a calibrated measurement, and a stable indicator does not prove internal health.

## Workflow

### Step 1 — Establish identity and authority

**Input:** Labels and manuals. **Action:** Record the bicycle, battery and charger identifiers; locate the official document and recall source. **Output:** Identity and sources table. **Progression criterion:** Every component is matched to evidence or marked unknown.

### Step 2 — Screen for safety exceptions

**Input:** Condition, recent events and recall result. **Action:** Without opening the pack, check for deformation, connector damage, leakage, unusual heat, smell, noise, water/crash exposure and marked performance change. **Output:** Continue/stop decision. **Progression criterion:** Continue only if no warning or recall requires other action.

### Step 3 — Extract model-specific rules

**Input:** Official manual and notices. **Action:** Copy the permitted temperatures, long-storage indication or mode, check interval, compatible charger and prohibitions. Never convert indicator bars into a percentage unless the manufacturer does. **Output:** Evidence table. **Progression criterion:** Each rule has a source; absent rules remain unknown.

### Step 4 — Map the real environment

**Input:** Charging and storage locations. **Action:** Record temperature range, moisture, heat sources, combustible clutter, surface, escape routes and whether charging is attended. Do not place a sensor inside the battery. **Output:** Environment map. **Progression criterion:** The place satisfies documented conditions and does not obstruct escape, or the conflict is escalated.

### Step 5 — Produce the Seasonal Battery Card

**Input:** Identity, rules, environment and idle period. **Action:** Fill the template. **Output:** One-page card. **Progression criterion:** Another person can identify the equipment, location, next check and stop conditions without guessing.

## Decision rules and common failure cases

- If there is swelling, unusual heat, smell, noise, leakage, serious damage, water ingress, a recall or uncertain crash damage, stop the workflow and seek authoritative advice. Do not charge or experimentally discharge the pack.
- If the charger is not explicitly compatible, do not use it because the plug fits.
- If the pack is frozen or very cold, do not charge it; follow manufacturer instructions for returning it to a permitted temperature.
- If the manufacturer specifies a storage mode, charge band or indicator level, preserve that formulation. Do not replace it with a generic 40%, 50% or 80% rule.
- If daily use requires full range, prioritise the required service while following the manual; this capsule mainly improves long idle periods.
- If no place satisfies manufacturer and fire guidance, record an unresolved housing constraint rather than inventing a compromise.

## Smallest useful reversible experiment

**Hypothesis:** A manufacturer-derived card can make an idle period safer and more repeatable without opening or deliberately cycling the battery.

**Resources:** Exact manual, matching charger information, recall source, phone/camera or paper, and optionally a room thermometer.

**Procedure:** Complete Steps 1–5. Use only the manufacturer-defined storage condition. Record the exterior and indicator, store the disconnected battery in the documented place, and set one check date. At the check, observe without charging merely to generate data.

**Success:** The identity, source-backed rule, place, warning signs and next action are unambiguous; no warning condition emerges; another person can follow the card.

**Failure:** The model or charger cannot be verified, documents conflict, the location violates stated conditions, or a warning sign/recall appears.

**Stopping conditions:** Any unusual heat, swelling, smell, sound, leakage, visible damage, recall notice or unsafe charging/location condition. Follow manufacturer and local emergency guidance.

**Next action:** Keep the routine, revise the location, or request model-specific help. Do not infer cell health from this experiment.

## Seasonal Battery Card template

```text
BATTERY STORAGE CARD
Bike make/model:
Battery make/model/serial (redact before sharing):
Approved charger model:
Official manual/notice URL and date checked:
Recall source and result/date:

Intended idle period:
Manufacturer storage indication/mode (exact wording):
Permitted charging temperature (source):
Permitted storage temperature (source):
Periodic check instruction (source):

Charging place / attended? / escape route clear?:
Storage place / observed temperature / moisture / heat sources?:
External condition now:
Warning signs requiring STOP:
Next check date:
Unknowns and responsible contact:
```

## Hypothetical example

A commuter will not ride for one month. The manual specifies two displayed bars and a check interval. The garage falls below the charging band, so the card separates storage from charging: storage remains within the permitted range, while charging occurs only after the pack reaches a permitted temperature in an attended place away from the exit. This is hypothetical; copy no numbers from it.

## Verification checks

Confirm the exact battery generation; charger compatibility; sources for every numeric limit; dated recall result; no claim that the indicator diagnoses health; no step opening/modifying the pack; and consideration of local fire guidance. Ask another person to explain the stop conditions.

## Boundary where this method does not apply

This workflow does not diagnose cell health, certify fire safety, repair a battery or authorise storage in a regulated setting. It is not for damaged, modified, recalled, flooded, fire-exposed or unidentified packs; those need competent human guidance.

## Manual/offline route

Print the manual pages and template. Copy the labels and rules, ask the manufacturer/dealer for missing facts, check recalls, inspect the place and keep the card near—but not on—the battery. An LLM is optional.

## Portable checkpoint

At the end of a session, output:

```text
CAPSULE CHECKPOINT
Capsule ID/version:
Equipment identifiers (private fields removed if sharing):
Decision made:
Evidence and links:
Observed condition/location:
Unresolved questions:
Stop conditions:
Next action/date:
```

On request, turn actual observations into a project passport, field report or precise request for help. Simulations are not field experience. Before sharing, remove serials, addresses and identifying details. The reader chooses what to share. Alkemata’s contact route is https://alkemata.com/collaborate/ . Send nothing automatically and do not imply hosting or matching exists.

Consequential external actions—including disposal, repair, electrical changes, emergency decisions or contacting others—require the reader’s separate explicit authorisation and appropriate local expertise.