Jack's Electric Bicycle

Range

A fundamental question you ask when purchasing an e-bike is “How far can it go?”

The answer: It depends.

There are many factors that determine the bike’s range – the batteries, your weight, tire size and inflation, hills and inclines, wind and wind resistance, and your speed. Perhaps most important of all, your range is determined by how much you pedal and how much you use the motor.

Remember that it’s considered a “pedal assist” technology. You play a part in determining the performance.

My e-bike came with what Wilderness Energy Systems calls an “Extended Range Battery Pack,” which consists of three 12 amp/hr sealed lead acid batteries. They weigh about 30 lbs.

I once traveled 18 miles on a single charge. However, I pedaled a lot on the flat portions and didn’t use the motor very much. When it came to the small hills, I used the motor but also pedaled. By the end of the 18 miles I had enough battery power left to propel the bike forward at a speed similar to a slow jog.

But who wants to bicycle at a snail’s pace? When the available power drops this low, you basically pedal a lot more. That’s when you begin to question whether you’d be better off without 30 lbs. of lead strapped to your bicycle.

So the true “range” of the e-bike will be partially determined by what you consider an acceptable speed. If you don’t mind rolling along at walking speed, then you’re range will be much greater than a rider you wants to travel fast enough so he can feel the wind on his face.

Range, I guess you could say, is relative.

A more realistic range for my e-bike is about 13 miles. This requires significant pedaling on the flat portions, with occasional bursts of engine power to get the bike up to speed. Engine power is used on the hills along with leisurely pedaling. By the end of 13 miles, I have enough battery power left to move the bike forward in what could best be described as an extremely slow bike ride.

The ideal range for my e-bike is about 10 miles. That’s what I travelled yesterday. I went into town twice and made a couple side trips. I used pedal power for only a couple of miles, but used a pedal/motor combination the rest of the time. This allowed me to blast down the road at a nice speed, passing other cyclists and making good time. When I got home, I still had plenty of power left. I never had to slow down or make up for a lack of power because the batteries were drained. The bike performed perfectly from the beginning to end.

So, in short, 10 miles is the optimal range for the e-bike and 13 miles is a satisfactory range. Anything over that and performance is limited.

Then again, it depends.

posted by Jack Durham @ 3:23 PM