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[JaimeC]

Going back even farther, you want to keep lead/acid batteries fully charged too.

[Sklith]

Going back even farther, you want to keep lead/acid batteries fully charged too.

Lead acid batteries sulfate when they're at a high voltage as well as low, so they should be cycled/drained.

[JaimeC]

I thought they sulfated if the voltage dropped too low.  Overcharging would warp the plates and short out the battery (or boil off the acid).  In any event, I use a smart charger (battery tender) that monitors the state of charge and keeps it at the proper level.  It's a necessity these days considering how little I've been riding them since the pandemic hit.  Since most of my riding has been local there's been no reason to use the ICE bikes; I've been riding the Zero almost exclusively.

[JaimeC]

I was right:  Sulfation occurs if the battery is UNDERcharged, not overcharged.
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/sulfation_and_how_to_prevent_it

[Sklith]

Holding a constant voltage still causes the battery to sulfate.

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/secret-workings-of-a-lead-acid-battery.html

"So, I can just set it and forget it, right? Well, not exactly. For one thing, you need to monitor the battery occasionally for correct fluid level (unless you own a sealed battery). Another problem is that of exercising the battery. Even if held at 13 volts, the unwavering voltage will allow the battery to eventually begin to sulfate. With most of these units, I recommend that you unplug the charger at least once every 60 days during seasonal storage. Allow the battery to rest for a couple of days, and then plug the charger in again."

The good thing is that some of the fancier 5 stage chargers already take this into account, and don't hold the voltage constantly by allowing it to discharge a bit occasionally

[Crissa]

Yeah, lithium batteries are really the only ones you can just leave sitting around for long periods (relatively).  Even though they hate the cold, they recover from cold more completely than other batteries, too.

Just don't let them discharge to nothing.

-Crissa

[JaimeC]

Bike was purchased brand new in October 2018.  Not too shabby for two and a half years.