2022 Vado range estimate not accurate. Help

[Mr_Reality]

I need some help with a 2022 Vado 5.0. I took it for its maiden voyage. Rode 45 miles and finished the ride with 25% battery left. The range estimator seems wildly inaccurate. The majority and beginning of the ride it said 35 miles and at about 40% battery it changed to 24 miles. Coming from a Bosch bike where the range estimator is very accurate this is very disappointing. Is there a setting I need to change in mission control to make this more accurate? Shouldn’t the bike start at least 50 miles to empty?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Mr. Reality:
I strongly encourage you to try the Smart Control feature of the Mission Control app, which appears after you click "Let's Ride" on your smartphone. There, you can define the distance to be ridden, the estimated elevation gain, and the battery % you expect to have left when you finish the ride. The Specialized system will adjust assistance as you're riding, and the Smart mode is indicated by pink theme in the MasterMind TCD-w display.

Smart Control seems to make an extensive use of Range Trend. In the beginning of your ride, you might feel slightly unpowered. The more you have ridden, the more assistance you will get, which also helps to relieve your fatigue.

I do not often use that feature on my regular rides as I can predict the range by experience, and prefer manual control but always use Smart Control when I demo ride Specialized e-bikes I am unfamiliar with. The feature simply works.

MasterMind TCD-w in Smart Control mode.

(In case you temporarily need more assistance, press the + on the remote, to get a momentary switch to Turbo).

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm also surprised to hear you trust the Bosch system but you don't the Specialized. The battery range depends on so many factors. For example, it is enough to ride into headwind to lose a lot of range. That's why the MasterMind TCD-w also shows you the Range Trend (increasing or diminishing).

I have read an exciting story of a dedicated Bosch E-Bike rider, a respected EBR Forum member who rides long distances daily. Once, he set off downwind, and he found out at the turning point he would not come back on his dual battery because he would need to counter a significant headwind. (Predicted long range turned out to be a very short one in several minutes). Eventually, the person had to return by train.

Understanding the range aspects requires thousands of km/mi ridden. The Smart Control is about the safest method to return home on the battery.

 

[Mr_Reality]

Mr. Reality:
I strongly encourage you to try the Smart Control feature of the Mission Control app, which appears after you click "Let's Ride" on your smartphone. There, you can define the distance to be ridden, the estimated elevation gain, and the battery % you expect to have left when you finish the ride. The Specialized system will adjust assistance as you're riding, and the Smart mode is indicated by pink theme in the MasterMind TCD-w display.

Smart Control seems to make an extensive use of Range Trend. In the beginning of your ride, you might feel slightly unpowered. The more you have ridden, the more assistance you will get, which also helps to relieve your fatigue.

I do not often use that feature on my regular rides as I can predict the range by experience, and prefer manual control but always use Smart Control when I demo ride Specialized e-bikes I am unfamiliar with. The feature simply works.

View attachment 116801
MasterMind TCD-w in Smart Control mode.

(In case you temporarily need more assistance, press the + on the remote, to get a momentary switch to Turbo).

I plan on trying this feature and the heart rate monitor mode in the future. I am just disappointed that a $5000 ebike can’t give even a slightly accurate mileage estimate to empty. When the bike was turned on it showed 34 miles range and that never increased the entire ride. Since I rode 45 miles and finished with 25% left I find it very inaccurate. Not even sure why they would bother to give this measure unless it learns and improves over time.