Electric Bike Charging Times: Bosch Yamaha & Shimano eBikes

A common question relates to how long does an electric bike battery take to charge? We discuss the 3 most popular systems including Bosch, Yamaha & Shimano eBikes. Modern lithium batteries on eBikes recharge in a matter of hours, rather than having to leave them overnight. The charge time depends on how flat the battery was when you put it on charge, sounds obvious, right? Most newer style batteries have a BMS (Battery Management System) on board that controls lots of parameters in the cell. In most circumstances, if the battery is partially charged and you just top it up, it will top up really quickly. Whereas, if the battery is completely flat it could do an 80% fast charge and leave a slower trickle charge for the last 20% to condition the eBike battery.

How long does a Bosch battery take to charge?

Bosch batteries will charge in 4.5 hrs on a 500Wh and 3.5 hrs on a 400Wh battery from flat. This is using the standard 4A charger. Bosch also offer a compact charger which offers a slightly smaller shell and overall lighter build, this charger in on a 2A system so batteries will take a little longer to charge, about double the time in most circumstances. Expect a 500Wh battery to fully charge in around 7.5 hrs and a 400Wh to charge in about 6.5 hrs.

The same applies to Bosch's travel charger which is designed for 12v systems (i.e car cigarette lighter), also running on a 2A system you can expect similar times as the compact charger.

How long does a Shimano battery take to charge?

Shimano electric bike batteries recharge from flat in 5 hrs. The partial charge terminology we mention at the start of this article also applies to Shimano eBikes, in fact on the E8000 system, Shimano quote: Charging: 80% after 2,5 hrs / 5 hrs from 0 to 100%.

The Shimano E8000 batteries only come in 500Wh but are offered in 2 styles depending on which bike you purchase, one is integrated into the downtube and the other is mounted externally. Although different shapes, both styles offer the same capacity and thus take the same time to recharge.

How long does a Yamaha battery take to charge?

Like Bosch, the Yamaha electric bike batteries come in 2 sizes 400Wh and 500Wh. The system just uses one type of Yamaha charger. The 500Wh battery will recharge in 4 hrs and the 400Wh battery will charge in approx 3.5 hrs from flat.

The Yamaha battery can be charged both on and off the bike. It uses the same charger port in both circumstances. Again the Yamaha battery will top up much quicker as it doesn't need to do a slow part charge when not charging from completely flat.

To Conclude Electric Bike Battery Charge Times

Both Bosch, Yamaha and Shimano all offer similar charge times on the same capacity cells. Bosch is the only one to offer different charger types. But based on the standard charger this table highlights the charging times:

You can learn how to extend your battery life in our dedicated electric bike battery care guide. Or alternatively, learn more about preserving life and charging in our extended battery care article here.

Want to learn how far an eBike battery can assist you? Use our simple eBike battery range tool here.